Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2025 NHK Mile Cup Preview
Established in 1996, the NHK Mile Cup is a valuable Grade I race for three-year-old colts and fillies run at the Tokyo racecourse in May of each year.
With a prize fund of around £1.5m, the runners compete over a distance of 1,600 metres or as the name suggests, a mile.
The New Zealand Trophy, a Grade II race held at Nakayama racecourse in the month before this race serves as a trial with the top three finishing runners getting an automatic entry into this race.
Craig Williams (2011) and Christophe Lemaire (2016 & 2021) are the only non-Japanesse jockeys to win this race.
NHK Mile 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.
How competitive is the NHK Mile Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 10 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2017 when the race had an over-round of 126%. The race in 2019 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 129%, whilst on average over the last 10 renewals of the NHK Mile Cup, the over-round has been 127%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £127 which is bet.
NHK Mile Cup Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 10 if you had followed the winner of the NHK Mile Cup next time out then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 8 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -4.80. Why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
The runner that holds the record over the past 10 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2023 renewal when Champagne Color from Tsuyoshi Tanaka under the guidance of Hiroyuki Uchida, won in a time of 1:33.80, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Schnell Meister, trained by Takahisa Tezuka and ridden by Christophe-Patrice Lemaire set the quickest time of 1:31.60 in the 2021 renewal.
These are the top three quickest-run NHK Mile Cup over the last 10 renewals:
- Schnell Meister (1:31.60) in 2021
- Aerolithe (1:32.30) in 2017
- Danon Scorpion (1:32.30) in 2022
NHK Mile Cup Past Winners
Here are the NHK Mile 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 where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The trainer of the horse at the time of winning the NHK Mile Cup as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the starting price the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 1:32.40 | Jantar Mantar (JPN) 3yo 9-0 (16 of 18) 19/10F | Yuga Kawada Tomokazu Takano (JPN) |
| 2023 1:33.80 | Champagne Color (JPN) 3yo 9-0 (11 of 17) 212/10 | Hiroyuki Uchida Tsuyoshi Tanaka (JPN) |
| 2022 1:32.30 | Danon Scorpion (JPN) 3yo 9-0 (18 of 18) 61/10 | Yuga Kawada Takayuki Yasuda (JPN) |
| 2021 1:31.60 | Schnell Meister (GER) 3yo 9-0 (15 of 18) 27/10 | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Takahisa Tezuka (JPN) |
| 2020 1:32.50 | Lauda Sion (JPN) 3yo 9-0 (11 of 18) 29/1 | Mirco Demuro Takashi Saito (JPN) |
| 2019 1:32.40 | Admire Mars (JPN) 3yo 9-0 (17 of 18) 33/10 | Mirco Demuro Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
| 2018 1:32.80 | Keiai Nautique (JPN) 3yo 9-0 (11 of 18) 118/10 | Yusuke Fujioka Osamu Hirata (JPN) |
| 2017 1:32.30 | Aerolithe (JPN) 3yo 8-9 (16 of 18) 48/10 | Norihiro Yokoyama Takanori Kikuzawa (JPN) |
| 2016 1:32.80 | Major Emblem (JPN) 3yo 8-9 (4 of 18) 13/10F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Yasuhito Tamura (JPN) |
| 2015 1:33.50 | Clarity Sky (JPN) 3yo 9-0 (7 of 18) 54/10 | Norihiro Yokoyama Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
NHK Mile Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the NHK Mile Cup over the last 10 renewals is Yasuo Tomomichi who has won the race two times with those two winners coming from Clarity Sky (2015) and Admire Mars (2019).
Here are some of the top NHK Mile 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 | 5-2-2 | +5.70 | +1.35 |
| Takayuki Yasuda | 6-1-2 | +1.10 | -1.45 |
| Takahisa Tezuka | 4-1-1 | -0.30 | -1.65 |
| Tomokazu Takano | 3-1-1 | -0.10 | -1.05 |
| Takashi Saito | 2-1-1 | +28.00 | +13.50 |
| Yasuhito Tamura | 2-1-1 | +0.30 | -0.35 |
| Tsuyoshi Tanaka | 1-1-1 | +21.20 | +10.60 |
| Osamu Hirata | 1-1-1 | +11.80 | +5.90 |
| Takanori Kikuzawa | 1-1-1 | +4.80 | +2.40 |
| Yoshito Yahagi | 9-0-0 | -9.00 | -9.00 |
NHK Mile Cup Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the NHK Mile Cup over the last 10 renewals with Mirco Demuro, Yuga Kawada, Christophe-Patrice Lemaire and Norihiro Yokoyama having all won the race two times. Mirco Demuro winners have been with Admire Mars (2019) and Lauda Sion (2020). Yuga Kawada winners have been with Danon Scorpion (2022) and Jantar Mantar (2024). Christophe-Patrice Lemaire winners have been with Major Emblem (2016) and Schnell Meister (2021). Norihiro Yokoyama winners have been with Clarity Sky (2015) and Aerolithe (2017).
Here are some of the top NHK Mile 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirco Demuro | 8-2-3 | +26.30 | +10.65 |
| Yuga Kawada | 7-2-3 | +3.00 | -0.50 |
| Christophe-Patrice Lemaire | 7-2-4 | -1.00 | -2.00 |
| Norihiro Yokoyama | 6-2-3 | +6.20 | +1.60 |
| Hiroyuki Uchida | 6-1-1 | +16.20 | +5.60 |
| Yusuke Fujioka | 5-1-1 | +7.80 | +1.90 |
| Keita Tosaki | 9-0-1 | -9.00 | -8.50 |
| Yutaka Take | 8-0-1 | -8.00 | -7.50 |
| Yuichi Fukunaga | 7-0-2 | -7.00 | -6.00 |
| Hironobu Tanabe | 7-0-0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
2025 NHK Mile Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 5, 1, 17, 12, 5, 2, 3, 4, 5, (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 (50%) - Within the first 9 of the market
- 10 / 10 (54%) - No bigger than 29/1
- 10 / 10 (67%) - No bigger than 87/10 (Debut)
- 10 / 10 (67%) - Achieved an RPR of 102+ (Career)
- 10 / 10 (69%) - No bigger than 108/5 (Career Place)
- 10 / 10 (69%) - Break of 21 - 139 days (Last Place)
- 10 / 10 (71%) - Beaten no more -4¾l (LTO)
- 10 / 10 (74%) - Beaten no more -3¾l (Debut)
- 10 / 10 (75%) - Highest Run is not G3/LST/Cl2
- 10 / 10 (77%) - Had 1 - 4 placings (180 Days)
- 10 / 10 (78%) - No bigger than 51/1 (Career)
- 10 / 10 (80%) - Highest Placed is not LST/Cl2
- 10 / 10 (85%) - Had 1 - 4 placings (Career)
- 10 / 10 (86%) - Furthest Placed 7f - 1m2f
- 10 / 10 (88%) - Off a break of 21 - 62 days
Maybe you are looking to back something in this race on the tote, but you are not sure of the process or how the tote works, No problem! We have an article which is dedicated to The Tote for you to read which explains everything you need to know! Be sure to check out the other articles in the OLBG Betting School.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts here.
NHK Mile Cup Trend Analysis
The trend factor which had produced 5+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +45.20 is when runners had 2 places in the past 180 days. The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 2 starts in the past 180 days, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-65.
Here are the most recent winning draws along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2024: Winner in 16 (14,6) [18 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 11 (3,10) [17 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 18 (1,10) [18 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 15 (10,8) [18 Runners]
- 2020: Winner in 11 (3,6) [18 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the NHK Mile Cup is Nakayama, there has been a total number of 6 winners of this race who ran at Nakayama last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Hanshin, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Hanshin last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 8 winners from a total of 140 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 39 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the NHK Mile Cup:
- Daiwa Major (2 Wins)
- Kurofune (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the NHK Mile Cup despite multiple attempts:
- King Kamehameha (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Epiphaneia (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Maurice (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Matsurida Gogh (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Rulership (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 10 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Lauda Sion in 2020, winning for Takashi Saito at odds of 29/1 under the guidance of Mirco Demuro. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 10 renewals there have been 2 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.
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.
Races at Hanshin Racecourse
Races at Kyoto Racecourse
Races at Tokyo Racecourse
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this NHK Mile Cup Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team 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.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
