Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Japan)

The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup until 2012) is an International Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbred fillies and mares run over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately 1 mile 3 furlongs) on the turf at Kyoto Racecourse in November.

This article is about the horse race in Japan. For other uses, see Elizabeth Cup (disambiguation).
Queen Elizabeth II Cup
エリザベス女王杯
Grade 1 race
LocationKyoto Racecourse, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Inaugurated1976
Race typeThoroughbred
Websitejapanracing.jp/
Race information
Distance2200 meters
(About 11 furlongs / ​1 3⁄8 miles)
SurfaceTurf
TrackRight-handed
Qualification3-y-o & Up, Fillies & Mares only, Thoroughbreds
Weight3-y-o 54 kg \ 4-y-o & up 56 kg
Purse¥ 200,480,000 (as of 2017)
1st: ¥ 93,000,000

History

The race was first run in 1976 over a distance of 2,400 metres (1 mile 4 furlongs). It was originally for three-year-old fillies only and was the third leg of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown. In 1996, it was opened to older female horses and was reduced to its present distance. In the same year the Shuka Sho was established and became the third leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown.

Since 1999 it turned into International Grade 1 race. In 2010 Snow Fairy from England, being the first winner outside Japan. The following year she made Japanese flat racing history of being the first ever non-Japanese trained horse to win the same Grade 1 flat race back-to-back (second ever including Steeplechase, which Karasi winning Nakayama Grand Jump between 2005–2007).

It is the only Grade 1 race that is restricted to fillies and mares aged three or above. The other Grade 1 races for older female horses in Japan, the Victoria Mile, excludes three-year-olds.

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins):

  • Mejiro Dober – 1998, 1999
  • Admire Groove – 2003, 2004
  • Snow Fairy – 2010, 2011
  • Lucky Lilac – 2019, 2020

Winners since 1996
Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Time
1995 Sakura Candle 3 Futoshi Kojima Kazunori Sakai Sakura Commerce 2:27.3
1996 Dance Partner 4 Hirofumi Shii Toshiaki Shirai Katsumi Yoshida 2:14.3
1997 Erimo Chic 4 Hitoshi Matoba Yoshio Oki Shinichi Yamamoto 2:12.5
1998 Mejiro Dober 4 Yutaka Yoshida Yokichi Okubo Mejiro Shoji 2:12.8
1999 Mejiro Dober 5 Yutaka Yoshida Yokichi Okubo Mejiro Shoji 2:13.5
2000 Phalaenopsis 5 Mikio Matsunaga Mitsumasa Hamada North Hills Management Co Ltd 2:12.8
2001 To the Victory 5 Yutaka Take Yasuo Ikee Makoto Kaneko 2:11.2
2002 Fine Motion 3 Yutaka Take Yuji Ito Tatsuo Fushikida 2:13.2
2003 Admire Groove 3 Yutaka Take Mitsuru Hashida Riichi Kondo 2:11.8
2004 Admire Groove 4 Yutaka Take Mitsuru Hashida Riichi Kondo 2:13.6
2005 Sweep Tosho 4 Kenichi Ikezoe Akio Tsurudome Tosho Sangyo 2:12.5
2006 Fusaichi Pandore [a] 3 Yuichi Fukunaga Toshiaki Shirai Fusao Sekiguchi 2:11.6
2007 Daiwa Scarlet 3 Katsumi Ando Kunihide Matsuda Keizo Oshiro 2:11.9
2008 Little Amapola 3 Christophe Lemaire Hiroyuki Nagahama Shadai Racehorse Co 2:12.1
2009 Queen Spumante 5 Hiroyasu Tanaka Shigeyuki Kojima Green Farm 2:13.6
2010 Snow Fairy 3 Ryan Moore Ed Dunlop Anamoine Ltd 2:12.5
2011 Snow Fairy 4 Ryan Moore Ed Dunlop Anamoine Ltd 2:11.6
2012 Rainbow Dahlia 5 Yoshitomi Shibata Yoshitaka Ninomiya Yoshiko Tanaka 2:16.3
2013 Meisho Mambo 3 Koshiro Take Akihiro Iida Yoshio Matsumoto 2:16.6
2014 Lachesis 4 Yuga Kawada Katsuhiko Sumii Masaya Oshima 2:12.3
2015 Marialite 4 Masayoshi Ebina Takashi Kubota U Carrot Farm 2:14.9
2016 Queens Ring 4 Mirco Demuro Keiji Yoshimura Chizu Yoshida 2:12.9
2017 Mozu Katchan 3 Mirco Demuro Ippo Sameshima Capital System Co. Ltd 2:14.3
2018 Lys Gracieux 4 João Moreira Yoshito Yahagi U Carrot Farm 2:13.1
2019 Lucky Lilac 4 Christophe Soumillon Mikio Matsunaga Sunday Racing 2:14.1
2020 Lucky Lilac [b] 5 Christophe Lemaire Mikio Matsunaga Sunday Racing 2:10.3

a Kawakami Princess finished first in 2006 but was demoted to 12th place following a Stewards' Inquiry.

b The 2020 race took place at Hanshin Racecourse over a distance of 2200 metres.

Earlier winners
  • 1976 – Diamante
  • 1977 – Inter Gloria
  • 1978 – Lead Swallow
  • 1979 – Miss Kaburaya
  • 1980 – Hagino Top Lady
  • 1981 – Agnes Tesco
  • 1982 – Victoria Crown
  • 1983 – Long Grace
  • 1984 – Kyowa Thunder
  • 1985 – Reward Wing
  • 1986 – Mejiro Ramonu
  • 1987 – Talented Girl
  • 1988 – Miyama Poppy
  • 1989 – Sand Peeress
  • 1990 – Kyoei Tap
  • 1991 – Rinden Lily
  • 1992 – Takeno Velvet
  • 1993 – Hokuto Vega
  • 1994 – Hishi Amazon
  • 1995 – Sakura Candle

See also

References
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