The Champions Cup ( JPN G-1 , formerly the Japan Cup Dirt until 2013) is a thoroughbred horse race contested in Japan in early December. It is run for three-year-olds and older at a distance of 1,800 meters. In recent years, the race has followed the Japan Cup on the Japanese racing calendar.
7-579: The race was moved from Tokyo Racecourse to Hanshin Racecourse in 2008. The Japan Cup Dirt had been overshadowed by its turf counterpart (the Japan Cup ) in recent years, because turf racing in Japan typically remains more popular and attracts better horses. Attendance for the 2007 Japan Cup Dirt was 56,052, while the attendance for the turf race the following day was 103,545. With the move to Hanshin,
14-814: Is located in Fuchū , Tokyo , Japan . Built in 1933 for horse racing , it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has a capacity of 223,000, with seating for 13,750. Tokyo Racecourse hosts numerous G1 (Grade 1) races, including the Japan Cup , Tokyo Yushun (the Japanese Derby) and the Yasuda Kinen , a part of the Asian Mile Challenge . Tokyo Race Course's grass course measures 2083m (1¼ miles + 234 feet) with two chutes (1800m and 2000m). Races can be run on
21-581: Is scheduled for Sunday, December 7. (For the 2007 running) Total JPN ¥277,900,000 (U.S$ . 2,416,000) Like counterpart Japan Cup, as being one of the 4 GI races in Japan Autumn International Series since 2008, a bonus is added to the top 3 if they are not trained in Japan, and raced in one of the following races and finished likewise in same year. If multiple bonus applies, only the highest one counts. Tokyo Racecourse Tokyo Racecourse ( 東京競馬場 , Tōkyō Keiba-jō )
28-411: The "A Course" rail setting (on the hedge), the "B Course" setting (rail out 3 meters), the "C Course" setting (rail out 6 meters), the "D Course" setting (rail out 9 meters) or the "E Course" setting (rail out 12 meters). The dirt course measures 1899 meters (1⅛ mile + 290 feet), with a 1600m chute. The jump course measures 1675 meters (1 mile + 215 feet). There was a chute for 3200m races (used for
35-598: The Japan Cup Dirt was shortened from its original distance of 2,100 meters (about 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 furlongs) to 1,800 meters (about 9 furlongs). Now run one week after the Japan Cup, the Japan Cup Dirt shares the weekend with the "World Super Jockeys Series" featuring jockeys from around the world. The Japan Cup Dirt was moved to Chukyo Racecourse in 2014 and renamed the Champions Cup . According to
42-506: The Japan Racing Association, the decision to make changes to the race was because of a lack of international participation. The new Champions Cup race will be run left-handed, as opposed to the right turns run since the race moved from Tokyo to Hanshin in 2008. The purse of the race will be reduced to ¥94 million - compared to ¥130 million for the 2013 running - and it will no longer be an invitational race. The 2014 running
49-811: The Tenno Sho Autumn races), but when the race was shortened to 2000m, the 3200m chute was useless and is not in use as of today. The course was renovated in 2007 (started in 2000), adding the world's largest video screen and upgrading a grandstand, named the "Fuji View Stand", which in today is the main grandstand of the course. The "Memorial 60" grandstand was also added. All races have a US style gate run distance of approximately 5 metres, before official timing begins. The high-definition video screen measured 218 feet (66 m) wide by only 37 feet (11 m) high at 8,066 square feet (749.4 m ). In 2009 Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri took
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