You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Japan Cup Preview
Scheduled to take place in November of each year at the Tokyo racecourse is the Japan Cup, one of the most prestigious races to take place in Japan, and it attracts plenty of interest from around the world. The race features on the last Sunday of November each year and is a Grade 1 race that is contested over a distance of one mile and four furlongs (2,400m), in which runners aged three or older can enter.
Established in 1981, the race was originally restricted, which meant there were no European entries into the race, but that was scrapped and in 1986, Clive Brittain's Jupiter Island became the first British raider to win the race. Both Singspiel (1996) and Pilsudski (1997) won the race, giving Sir Michael Stoute back-to-back winners in the race; he is only one of two trainers to do so. Sei Ishizaka (2012-13) was the other. The only other British success came in 2005 when Frankie rode Alkaased to success for Luca Cumani.
Success for any raider has been hard to come by; a Japanese-trained runner has now won the race every year since 2006, and all bar one of those (Admire Moon in 2007 was UAE-owned) were also Japanese-owned runners. There has been plenty of success for European jockeys. Christophe Lemaire is a three-time winner, including in both 2018 & 2020. Frankie Dettori is also a three-time winner, with his last coming in 2005; Oisin Murphy won the race in 2019, and Ryan Moore won it in 2013.
Japan Cup Information:
You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races in Japan section for links to these.
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How competitive is the Japan Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 10 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2016 when the race had an over-round of 126%. The race in 2018 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 10 renewals of the Japan Cup, the over-round has been 128%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ128 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Japan Cup Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Japan Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Japan Cup races over the last 10 renewals:
- Calandagan (2:20.30) in 2025
- Almond Eye (2:20.60) in 2018
- Equinox (2:21.80) in 2023
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 10 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Japan Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 5 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.80. Remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 10 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2019 renewal when Suave Richard from Yasushi Shono under the guidance of Oisin Murphy, won in a time of 2:25.90, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Calandagan, trained by F-H Graffard and ridden by Mickael Barzalona set the quickest time of 2:20.30 in the 2025 renewal.
Japan Cup Past Winners
Here are the Japan Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Japan Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:20.30 | Calandagan (IRE) 4yo 9-2 (8 of 17) 26/5 | Mickael Barzalona F-H Graffard (FR) |
| 2024 2:25.50 | Do Deuce (JPN) 5yo 9-2 (3 of 14) 13/10F | Yutaka Take Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
| 2023 2:21.80 | Equinox (JPN) 4yo 9-2 (2 of 18) 30/100F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Tetsuya Kimura (JPN) |
| 2022 2:23.70 | Vela Azul (JPN) 5yo 9-0 (6 of 18) 7/2 | Ryan Moore Kunihiko Watanabe (JPN) |
| 2021 2:24.70 | Contrail (JPN) 4yo 9-0 (2 of 18) 3/5F | Yuichi Fukunaga Yoshito Yahagi (JPN) |
| 2020 2:23.00 | Almond Eye (JPN) 5yo 8-9 (2 of 15) 6/5F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Sakae Kunieda (JPN) |
| 2019 2:25.90 | Suave Richard (JPN) 5yo 9-0 (5 of 15) 41/10 | Oisin Murphy Yasushi Shono (JPN) |
| 2018 2:20.60 | Almond Eye (JPN) 3yo 8-5 (1 of 14) 2/5F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Sakae Kunieda (JPN) |
| 2017 2:23.70 | Cheval Grand (JPN) 5yo 9-0 (1 of 17) 123/10 | Hugh Bowman Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
| 2016 2:25.80 | Kitasan Black (JPN) 4yo 9-0 (1 of 17) 14/5F | Yutaka Take Hisashi Shimizu (JPN) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Japan Cup have been based:
- JPN: 9 winners with an additional 20 placings from 141 runners
- FR: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 9 runners
- GER: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 6 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
- GB: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- HK: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Japan Cup Replay
Japan Cup Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Japan Cup over the last 10 renewals, with both Yasuo Tomomichi and Sakae Kunieda, who have both won the race two times. Yasuo Tomomichi winners have been with Cheval Grand (2017) and Do Deuce (2024). Sakae Kunieda winners have been with Almond Eye (2018 & 2020). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Japan Cup; Noriyuki Hori has sent a total of 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Japan Cup trainer statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yasuo Tomomichi | 19-2-4 | -3.40 | -8.74 |
| Sakae Kunieda | 5-2-3 | -1.40 | -0.59 |
| Yoshito Yahagi | 8-1-3 | -6.40 | -2.92 |
| F-H Graffard | 3-1-1 | +3.20 | +0.60 |
| Tetsuya Kimura | 3-1-2 | -1.70 | -1.35 |
| Yasushi Shono | 2-1-2 | +3.10 | +2.51 |
| Kunihiko Watanabe | 2-1-1 | +2.50 | +0.75 |
| Hisashi Shimizu | 2-1-2 | +1.80 | +0.90 |
| Noriyuki Hori | 10-0-0 | -10.00 | -10.00 |
| Haruki Sugiyama | 7-0-1 | -7.00 | -6.23 |
Japan Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Japan Cup over the last 10 renewals is Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Almond Eye (2018 & 2020) and Equinox (2023). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Japan Cup is Yutaka Take (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Japan Cup jockey statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christophe-Patrice Lemaire | 10-3-6 | -5.10 | -4.39 |
| Yutaka Take | 7-2-3 | -0.90 | -2.32 |
| Ryan Moore | 7-1-1 | -2.50 | -4.25 |
| Yuichi Fukunaga | 4-1-3 | -2.40 | -1.52 |
| Hugh Bowman | 1-1-1 | +12.30 | +6.15 |
| Mickael Barzalona | 1-1-1 | +5.20 | +2.60 |
| Oisin Murphy | 1-1-1 | +4.10 | +2.46 |
| Yuga Kawada | 9-0-4 | -9.00 | -5.85 |
| Mirco Demuro | 8-0-2 | -8.00 | -6.45 |
| Cristian Demuro | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -5.50 |
2026 Japan Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 3, 1, 11, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the Racing Post in terms of previous runs, etc.
- 10 / 10 (28%) - No bigger than 123/10
- 10 / 10 (31%) - Within the first 5 of the market
- 10 / 10 (45%) - No bigger than 30/1 (Career)
- 10 / 10 (47%) - Break of 28 - 154 days (Last Place)
- 10 / 10 (50%) - No bigger than 141/10 (Career Place)
- 10 / 10 (51%) - Off a break of 28 - 48 days
- 10 / 10 (55%) - Had 1 - 4 placings (180 Days)
- 10 / 10 (58%) - Had 2 - 5 placings (1 Year)
- 10 / 10 (61%) - Furthest Won 1m4f - 2m
- 10 / 10 (61%) - Ran in 1 race (90 Days)
- 10 / 10 (61%) - Achieved an RPR of 113+ (Trip)
- 10 / 10 (61%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 10 / 10 (62%) - Achieved an RPR of 109+ (LTO)
- 10 / 10 (68%) - Not in a G3/Cl2 (Last Win)
- 10 / 10 (69%) - No older than a 5yo
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Japan Cup Trend Analysis
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 places in the past 180 days, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-73.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 8 (15,14) [17 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 3 (7,10) [14 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 2 (1,17) [18 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 6 (15,3) [18 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 2 (7,4) [18 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Japan Cup is Tokyo; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Tokyo last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Kyoto; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Kyoto last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 8 winners from a total of 141 runners, while female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 22 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Japan Cup:
- Hearts Cry (3 Wins)
- Lord Kanaloa (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Japan Cup despite multiple attempts:
- King Kamehameha (0 Wins from 11 runners)
- Duramente (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Rulership (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Stay Gold (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Epiphaneia (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 10 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Cheval Grand in 2017, winning for Yasuo Tomomichi at odds of 123/10 under the guidance of Hugh Bowman. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 10 renewals, there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs, are based on the information that is available on the Racing Post.
Route to the Japan Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Japan Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Calandagan Ascot - 1st of 11 (15/8) | British Champion Stakes |
| 2024 - Do Deuce Tokyo - 1st of 15 (19/5) | Tenno Sho (Autumn) |
| 2023 - Equinox Tokyo - 1st of 11 (3/10) | Tenno Sho (Autumn) |
| 2022 - Vela Azul Hanshin - 1st of 14 (37/5) | Kyoto Daishoten |
| 2021 - Contrail Tokyo - 2nd of 16 (6/4) | Tenno Sho (Autumn) |
| 2020 - Almond Eye Tokyo - 1st of 12 (2/5) | Tenno Sho (Autumn) |
| 2019 - Suave Richard Tokyo - 7th of 16 (191/10) | Tenno Sho (Autumn) |
| 2018 - Almond Eye Kyoto - 1st of 17 (3/10) | The Shuka Sho |
| 2017 - Cheval Grand Kyoto - 3rd of 15 (6/5) | Kyoto Daishoten |
| 2016 - Kitasan Black Kyoto - 1st of 10 (4/5) | Kyoto Daishoten |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Japan Cup Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal Races in Japan
Here are some other notable races throughout Japan, which take place during the racing season that we also have blogs for.
