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LEGENDSOF JAPANESE RACING
JAEN

ERA OF LEGENDS

Era ofLegends

Japanese racing, decade by decade.

Symboli Rudolf in his later years

1980s

The Emperor’s Decade

The Japan Cup was founded in 1981 and the graded-race system arrived in 1984 — the year Symboli Rudolf won the Triple Crown unbeaten.

  1. 1981The Japan Cup is first run
  2. 1984Symboli Rudolf wins the Triple Crown unbeaten
  3. 1988Oguri Cap moves from Kasamatsu to the JRA

Horses：Oguri Cap / Symboli Rudolf

Narita Brian at Hanshin Racecourse

1990s

An Age of Monsters

In the boom that followed Oguri Cap, Narita Brian took the Triple Crown while Silence Suzuka and Special Week defined the decade’s end.

  1. 1990Oguri Cap wins the Arima Kinen in his final race
  2. 1993Tokai Teio wins the Arima Kinen after 364 days away
  3. 1994Narita Brian becomes the fifth Triple Crown winner
  4. 1999Special Week beats the international field in the Japan Cup

Horses：Tokai Teio / Mejiro McQueen / Narita Brian / Silence Suzuka / Special Week

The 140th Tenno Sho (Autumn)

2000s

Impact and the Queens

It opened with T.M. Opera O’s perfect season; Deep Impact went through the Triple Crown unbeaten; Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet rewrote what fillies could do.

  1. 2000T.M. Opera O wins all eight starts
  2. 2005Deep Impact wins the Triple Crown unbeaten
  3. 2007Vodka becomes the first filly in 64 years to win the Derby
  4. 2008Daiwa Scarlet is the first filly in 37 years to win the Arima

Horses：Deep Impact / T.M. Opera O / Vodka / Daiwa Scarlet

Kitasan Black galloping at Tokyo Racecourse

2010s

Doors to the World

Orfevre was twice second in the Arc; Kitasan Black and Almond Eye ruled at home, and Christophe Lemaire set a new single-season record in 2018.

  1. 2011Orfevre becomes the seventh Triple Crown winner
  2. 2012–13Orfevre second in the Arc two years running
  3. 2017Kitasan Black named Horse of the Year for a second time
  4. 2018Almond Eye wins the Triple Tiara; Lemaire rides 215 winners

Horses：Almond Eye / Kitasan Black / Gold Ship / Orfevre

Equinox in the straight of the 2023 Japan Cup

2020s

The World’s Best

Almond Eye beat two Triple Crown winners in the 2020 Japan Cup, and in 2023 Equinox was named the World’s Best Racehorse.

  1. 2020Almond Eye wins a second Japan Cup
  2. 2023Equinox, six Grade 1s in a row, is the World’s Best Racehorse
  3. 2024Norihiro Yokoyama wins the Tokyo Yushun

Horses：Equinox