| Grade 1 race | |
.jpg) 2021 Oka Sho winner Sodashi | |
| Location | Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyōgo |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1939 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1600 meters |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed (outer course) |
| Qualification | 3-y-o , Fillies |
| Weight | 55 kg |
| Purse | ¥ 302,400,000 (as of 2024) 1st: ¥ 140,000,000 2nd: ¥ 56,000,000 3rd: ¥ 35,000,000 |
| Bonuses | Fillies Triple Crown Winner of Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, Shuka Sho[1] ¥ 100,000,000 |
The Oka Sho (桜花賞) is a Japanese Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan. The race is restricted to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies and is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyōgo. Run in early April, it is the traditional start to the annual classic races for three-year-olds in Japan.[2]
The Oka Sho was first contested in 1939, and is the Japanese equivalent of the English 1,000 Guineas.
The race was run at Nakayama Racecourse until 1944 when it was run at Tokyo Racecourse. After a two-year hiatus the Oka Sho was staged at Kyoto Racecourse from 1947 to 1949. The race was also run at Kyoto in 1967, 1991 and 1995.
Winners of the Oka Sho usually go on to contest the Yushun Himba and the double has been completed by Sweet Sue (1952), Yamaichi, Miss Onward, Kane Keyaki, Tesco Gaby, Titania, Mejiro Ramonu, Max Beauty, Vega, Still In Love, Buena Vista, Apapane, Gentildonna, Almond Eye and Daring Tact. Still In Love, Apapane, Gentildonna and Almond Eye went on to take the Shuka Sho and secure the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown.
- ^ "同一年度に本会が定める競走に優勝した馬に対する褒賞金交付基準" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association.
- ^ Kieckhefer, Bob (5 April 2024). "Japan's Classics Season Kicks off with the Oka Sho". The Blood-Horse. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
The Japanese classics season kicks off April 7 at Hanshin Racecourse...