The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) is the de facto year-end championship race for two-year-old fillies in Japan, with a rich history dating back to the late 1940s. It has served as a key stepping stone for many future Japanese G1 champions and Horse of the Year winners.
Key Historical Milestones
- Origin (1946-1949): Races for two-year-olds in Japan began in 1946 in Tokyo. As participation grew, championship races were established in eastern and western Japan in 1949: the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (east) and the Hanshin Sansai Stakes (west).
- G1 Status (1984): Both races were officially designated as Grade 1 (G1) events when the grading system was implemented in 1984.
- Gender Division and Renaming (1991-2001):
- In 1991, the races were divided by gender: the Hanshin Sansai Himba Stakes for fillies and the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes for colts and geldings.
- They were later renamed the “Hanshin Juvenile Fillies” and “Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes” in 2001.
- Distance Changes: The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies originally started as a 1,200-meter sprint race, was extended to 1,400 meters in 1960, and finally to its current 1,600 meters (one mile) in 1962.
- Venue: The race is typically held at the Hanshin Racecourse, a right-handed course. However, due to renovations, the event was temporarily shifted to Kyoto Racecourse in 2024.
- International Participation: The race opened its doors to foreign contenders in 2010.
Notable Winners:
Many winners of the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies have gone on to achieve major success in their three-year-old careers, including winning the fillies’ Triple Crown races (Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, and Shuka Sho).
- Vodka (2006): Won the Japanese Derby (Tokyo Yushun) the following year, a rare feat for a filly, and was named Horse of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
- Buena Vista (2008): Secured two of the fillies’ Classics and later became Horse of the Year in 2010.
- Apapane (2009): Achieved the fillies’ Triple Crown after her victory here.
- Sodashi (2020): A pure white filly who won this race and then resumed to win the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) in 2021.
- Liberty Island (2022): Became the seventh filly in history to sweep all three legs of the Japanese fillies’ Triple Crown races.
Here are the winners from the G1 era (1984 onward):
|
Year
|
Winner
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Time
|
Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1984
|
Daigo Totsugeki
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
|
1985
|
Katsuragi Heiden
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
|
1986
|
Gold City
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
|
1987
|
Soccer Boy
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
|
1988
|
Lucky Guerlain
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
|
1989
|
Kogane Taifu
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
|
1990
|
Ibuki Maikagura
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
|
1991
|
Nishino Flower
|
Masao Sato
|
Masahiro Matsuda
|
1:36.2
|
Opened to national field
|
|
1992
|
Suehiro Jo O
|
Hiromasa Tamogi
|
Takeshi Yoshinaga
|
1:37.9
|
|
|
1993
|
Hishi Amazon
|
Eiji Nakadate
|
Takayoshi Nakano
|
1:35.9
|
|
|
1994
|
Yamanin Paradise
|
Yutaka Take
|
Kunikazu Asami
|
1:34.7
|
|
|
1995
|
Biwa Heidi
|
Koichi Tsunoda
|
Mitsumasa Hamada
|
1:35.3
|
|
|
1996
|
Mejiro Dober
|
Yutaka Yoshida
|
Yokichi Okubo
|
1:34.6
|
|
|
1997
|
Ein Bride
|
Yoshihiro Furukawa
|
Toru Miya
|
1:35.8
|
|
|
1998
|
Stinger
|
Norihiro Yokoyama
|
Kazuo Fujisawa
|
1:37.0
|
|
|
1999
|
Yamakatsu Suzuran
|
Michael Kinane
|
Kaneo Ikezoe
|
1:35.6
|
|
|
2000
|
T M Ocean
|
Masaru Honda
|
Katsuichi Nishuira
|
1:34.6
|
|
|
2001
|
Tamuro Cherry
|
Olivier Peslier
|
Masato Nishizono
|
1:35.1
|
|
|
2002
|
Peace of World
|
Yuichi Fukunaga
|
Masahiro Sakaguchi
|
1:34.7
|
|
|
2003
|
Yamanin Sucre
|
Hirofumi Shii
|
Hidekazu Asami
|
1:35.9
|
|
|
2004
|
Shonan Peintre
|
Yutaka Yoshida
|
Yokichi Okubo
|
1:35.2
|
|
|
2005
|
T M Precure
|
Shigefumi Kumazawa
|
Tadao Igarashi
|
1:37.3
|
|
|
2006
|
Vodka
|
Hirofumi Shii
|
Katsuhiko Sumii
|
1:33.1
|
Future multiple G1 winner
|
|
2007
|
Tall Poppy
|
Kenichi Ikezoe
|
Katsuhiko Sumii
|
1:33.8
|
|
|
2008
|
Buena Vista
|
Katsumi Ando
|
Hiroyoshi Matsuda
|
1:35.2
|
Future Horse of the Year
|
|
2009
|
Apapane
|
Masayoshi Ebina
|
Sakae Kunieda
|
1:34.9
|
Triple Crown filly
|
|
2010
|
Reve d’Essor
|
Yuichi Fukunaga
|
Hiroyoshi Matsuda
|
1:35.7
|
|
|
2011
|
Joie de Vivre
|
Yuichi Fukunaga
|
Hiroyoshi Matsuda
|
1:34.9
|
|
|
2012
|
Robe Tissage
|
Shinichiro Akiyama
|
Naosuke Sugai
|
1:34.2
|
|
|
2013
|
Red Reveur
|
Keita Tosaki
|
Naosuke Sugai
|
1:33.9
|
|
|
2014
|
Shonan Adela
|
Masayoshi Ebina
|
Yoshitaka Ninomiya
|
1:34.4
|
|
|
2015
|
Major Emblem
|
Christophe Lemaire
|
Yasuhito Tamura
|
1:34.5
|
|
|
2016
|
Soul Stirring
|
Christophe Lemaire
|
Kazuo Fujisawa
|
1:34.0
|
|
|
2017
|
Lucky Lilac
|
Shu Ishibashi
|
Mikio Matsunaga
|
1:34.3
|
|
|
2018
|
Danon Fantasy
|
Cristian Demuro
|
Mitsumasa Nakauchida
|
1:34.1
|
|
|
2019
|
Resistencia
|
Yuichi Kitamura
|
Takeshi Matsushita
|
1:32.7
|
|
|
2020
|
Sodashi
|
Hayato Yoshida
|
Naosuke Sugai
|
1:33.1
|
Undefeated white filly
|
|
2021
|
Circle of Life
|
Mirco Demuro
|
Sakae Kunieda
|
1:33.8
|
|
|
2022
|
Liberty Island
|
Yuga Kawada
|
Mitsumasa Nakauchida
|
1:33.1
|
Future Triple Crown contender
|
|
2023
|
Ascoli Piceno
|
Hiroshi Kitamura
|
Yoichi Kuroiwa
|
1:32.6
|
Set race record
|
|
2024
|
Arma Veloce
|
Mirai Iwata
|
Hiroyuki Uemura
|
1:33.4
|
Held at Kyoto due to Hanshin renovation
|
|
2025
|
Star Anise
|
Kohei Matsuyama
|
Tomokazu Takano
|
1:32.6
|
Tied race record
|
Record holders and notes:
- Fastest time: 1:32.6 (Ascoli Piceno in 2023 and Star Anise in 2025)
- The race has produced numerous champions, including Vodka (2006), Buena Vista (2008), Apapane (2009), and Sodashi (2020). Trainers like Katsuhiko Sumii, Hiroyoshi Matsuda, and Mitsumasa Nakauchida have multiple wins.
- Earlier winners (pre-1984, when it was lower graded) include notable horses like Tamino Moutier (1969) and others, but full details are limited.
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