# Oka Sho

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.
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 also went on to take the Shuka Sho and secure the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown.

## Trial races

Trial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified.
| Race | Grade | Racecourse | Distance | Condition |
| Tulip Sho | II | Hanshin | 1,600 meters | Top 3 horses |
| Anemone Stakes | Listed | Nakayama | 1,600 meters | Top 2 horses |
| Fillies' Revue | II | Hanshin | 1,400 meters | Top 3 horses |

## Winners since 1990

| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
| 1990 | Agnes Flora | Hiroshi Kawachi | Hiroyuki Nagahama | Takao Watanabe | 1:37.1 |
| 1991 | Sister Tosho | Koichi Tsunoda | Akio Tsurudome | Masaaki Fujita | 1:33.7 |
| 1992 | Nishino Flower | Hiroshi Kawachi | Masahiro Matsuda | Masayuki Nishiyama | 1:37.5 |
| 1993 | Vega | Yutaka Take | Hiroyushi Matsuda | Kazuko Yoshida | 1:37.2 |
| 1994 | Oguri Roman | Yutaka Take | Tsutomu Setoguchi | Koichi Oguri | 1:36.4 |
| 1995 | Wonder Perfume | Seiki Tabara | Masazo Ryoke | Nobuyuki Yamamoto | 1:34.4 |
| 1996 | Fight Gulliver | Seiki Tabara | Kentaro Nakao | Noboru Shinagawa | 1:34.4 |
| 1997 | Kyoei March | Mikio Matsunaga | Akihiko Nomura | M Matsuoka | 1:36.9 |
| 1998 | Phalaenopsis | Yutaka Take | Mitsumasa Hamada | North Hills Management Co | 1:34.0 |
| 1999 | Primo Ordine | Yuichi Fukunaga | Toyoji Nishihashi | Hidekazu Date | 1:35.5 |
| 2000 | Cheers Grace | Kenji Yamauchi | Mikio Matsunaga | Kazue Kitamura | 1:34.9 |
| 2001 | T M Ocean | Masaru Honda | Katsuichi Nishiura | Masatsugu Takezono | 1:34.4 |
| 2002 | Arrow Carry | Kenichi Ikezoe | Kenji Yamauchi | Hideharu Yano | 1:34.3 |
| 2003 | Still in Love | Hideaki Miyuki | Shoichi Matsumoto | North Hills Management Co. | 1:33.9 |
| 2004 | Dance in the Mood | Yutaka Take | Kazuo Fujisawa | Shadai Racehorse co. | 1:33.6 |
| 2005 | Rhein Kraft | Yuichi Fukunaga | Tsutomu Setoguchi | Shigemasa Ōsawa | 1:33.5 |
| 2006 | Kiss to Heaven | Katsumi Andō | Hirofumi Toda | Kazuko Yoshida | 1:34.6 |
| 2007 | Daiwa Scarlet | Katsumi Andō | Kunihide Matsuda | Keizo Ōshiro | 1:33.7 |
| 2008 | Reginetta | Futoshi Komaki | Hidekazu Asami | Shadai Racehorse | 1:34.4 |
| 2009 | Buena Vista | Katsumi Andō | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Sunday Racing. | 1:34.0 |
| 2010 | Apapane | Masayoshi Ebina | Sakae Kunieda | Kaneko Makoto Holdings | 1:33.3 |
| 2011 | Marcellina | Katsumi Andō | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Shadai Racehorse co. | 1:33.9 |
| 2012 | Gentildonna | Yasunari Iwata | Sei Ishizaka | Sunday Racing Co. Ltd | 1:34.6 |
| 2013 | Ayusan | Cristian Demuro | Takahisa Tezuka | Juichi Hoshin | 1:35.0 |
| 2014 | Harp Star | Yuga Kawada | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | U Carrot Farm | 1:33.3 |
| 2015 | Let's Go Donki | Yasunari Iwata | Tomoyuki Umeda | Toshihiro Hirosaki | 1:36.0 |
| 2016 | Jeweler | Mirco Demuro | Kenichi Fujioka | Yoichi Aoyama | 1:33.4 |
| 2017 | Reine Minoru | Kenichi Ikezoe | Masaru Honda | Minoru Yoshioka | 1:34.5 |
| 2018 | Almond Eye | Christophe Lemaire | Sakae Kunieda | Silk Racing | 1:33.1 |
| 2019 | Gran Alegria | Christophe Lemaire | Kazuo Fujisawa | Sunday Racing | 1:32.7 |
| 2020 | Daring Tact | Kohei Matsuyama | Haruki Sugiyama | Normandy Thoroughbred Racing | 1:36.1 |
| 2021 | Sodashi | Hayato Yoshida | Naosuke Sugai | Kaneko Makoto Holdings | 1:31.1 |
| 2022 | Stars On Earth | Yuga Kawada | Mizuki Takayanagi | Shadai Racehorse co. | 1:32.9 |
| 2023 | Liberty Island | Yuga Kawada | Mitsumasa Nakauchida | Sunday Racing | 1:32.1 |
| 2024 | Stellenbosch | João Moreira | Sakae Kunieda | Katsumi Yoshida | 1.32.2 |

## Earlier winners

* 1939 - Soul Lady
* 1940 - Tairei
* 1941 - Brand Sol
* 1942 - Banner Goal
* 1943 - Miss Theft
* 1944 - Yamaiwai
* 1945 - no race
* 1946 - no race
* 1947 - Browny
* 1948 - Hamakaze
* 1949 - Yashima Daughter
* 1950 - Tosa Mitsuru
* 1951 - Tsuki Kawa
* 1952 - Swee Sue
* 1953 - Kansei
* 1954 - Yamaichi
* 1955 - Yashima Belle
* 1956 - Miss Lilas
* 1957 - Miss Onward
* 1958 - Hoshu Queen
* 1959 - Kiyo Take
* 1960 - Tokino Kiroku
* 1961 - Sugi Hime
* 1962 - Kenho
* 1963 - Miss Masako
* 1964 - Kane Keyaki
* 1965 - Hatsuyuki
* 1966 - Wakakumo
* 1967 - Sea Ace
* 1968 - Koyu
* 1969 - Hide Kotobuki
* 1970 - Tamami
* 1971 - Nasuno Kaori
* 1972 - Achieve Star
* 1973 - Nitto Chodori
* 1974 - Takaeno Kaori
* 1975 - Tesco Gaby
* 1976 - Titania
* 1977 - Inter Gloria
* 1978 - Oyama Tesco
* 1979 - Horsemen Tesco
* 1980 - Hagino Top Lady
* 1981 - Brocade
* 1982 - Riesengross
* 1983 - Shadai Sophia
* 1984 - Diana Tholon
* 1985 - Erebus
* 1986 - Mejiro Ramonu
* 1987 - Max Beauty
* 1988 - Ara Hotoku
* 1989 - Shadai Kagura