Queen Elizabeth II Cup
Japan | FEATURE RACE GUIDE
History
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is a Grade 1 race run under Set Weight conditions for three year olds and above fillies and mares at Kyoto racecourse conducted by the Japan Racing Association.
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is run over 2200m. It was first run in 1976 and was won by Diamante.
This was previously known as the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup until 2012.
It was originally for fillies only as 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.
It is the only Grade 1 restricted to fillies and mares. The other Grade 1 race for female horses in Japan, the Victoria Mile, excludes three-year-olds.
Since 1999 it turned into an international Grade 1 race.
In 2010 great English mare Snow Fairy became the first winner from outside Japan. She then won it again in 2011. That made Japanese flat racing history being the first ever non-Japanese trained horse to win the same Grade 1 flat race back-to-back. (Grand Australian jumper Karasi had won the Nakayama Grand Jump from 2005 to 2007).
2018 winner Lys Gracieux would go on to greater things a year later home and abroad.
Geraldina, winner of the 2022 edition, was bred in the purple by star Maurice out of the dual Japan Cup winner Gentildonna.
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup was worth JPY281,800,000 in 2023.
Kyoto racecourse is a right handed course with the start at the top of the home straight.
Fillies have won many times but the 4yo mares have taken 7 of the last 10 renewals.
Yutaka Take won four straight QEII Cups from 2001.
Multiple trainers have multiples wins including obviously Ed Dunlop from Snow Fairy.
Notable winners of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup include Geraldina (2022), Lucky Lilac (2019/2020), Lys Gracieux (2018), Meisho Mambo (2013), Snow Fairy (2010/2011), Daiwa Scarlet (2007), Admire Groove (2003/2004), Mejiro Dober (1998/1999) and Dance Partner (1996).
The 2023 Queen Elizabeth II Cup was won by Brede Weg from Rouge Eveil and Harper.
Previous Queen Elizabeth II Cup Winners
| Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
BREDE WEG
(JPN)
3F LORD KANALOA (JPN) - INNER URGE (JPN) DEEP IMPACT (JPN) |
C P LEMAIRE | 54.0 | KEISUKE MIYATA | 1 |
|
|
GERALDINA
(JPN)
4F MAURICE (JPN) - GENTILDONNA (JPN) DEEP IMPACT (JPN) |
CRISTIAN DEMURO | 56.0 | TAKASHI SAITO | 18 |
|
|
AKAI ITO
(JPN)
4F KIZUNA (JPN) - WADJET (JPN) SYMBOLI KRIS S (USA) |
H MIYUKI | 56.0 | K NAKATAKE | 16 |
|
|
LUCKY LILAC
(JPN)
5M ORFEVRE (JPN) - LILACS AND LACE (USA) FLOWER ALLEY (USA) |
C P LEMAIRE | 56.0 | MIKIO MATSUNAGA | 18 |
|
|
LUCKY LILAC
(JPN)
4F ORFEVRE (JPN) - LILACS AND LACE (USA) FLOWER ALLEY (USA) |
C SOUMILLON | 56.0 | MIKIO MATSUNAGA | 2 |
|
|
LYS GRACIEUX
(JPN)
4F HEART'S CRY (JPN) - LILISIDE (FR) AMERICAN POST (GB) |
JOAO MOREIRA | 56.0 | Y YAHAGI | 12 |
|
|
MOZU KATCHAN
(JPN)
3F HARBINGER (GB) - SITE DEALER (JPN) KING KAMEHAMEHA (JPN) |
M DEMURO | 54.0 | I SAMESHIMA | 5 |
|
|
QUEENS RING
(JPN)
4F MANHATTAN CAFE (JPN) - AQUA RING (JPN) ANABAA (USA) |
M DEMURO | 56.0 | KEIJI YOSHIMURA | 3 |
|
|
MARIALITE
(JPN)
4M DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - CHRYSOPRASE (JPN) EL CONDOR PASA (USA) |
M EBINA | 56.0 | T KUBOTA | 12 |
|
|
LACHESIS
(JPN)
4M DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - MAGIC STORM (USA) STORM CAT (USA) |
Y KAWADA | 56.0 | KATSUHIKO SUMII | 1 |
|
|
MEISHO MAMBO
(JPN)
3F SUZUKA MAMBO (JPN) - MEISHO MOMOKA (JPN) GRASS WONDER (USA) |
K TAKE | 54.0 | A IIDA | 3 |
|
|
RAINBOW DAHLIA
(JPN)
5M BRIAN'S TIME (USA) - AROME (JPN) NORTHERN TASTE (CAN) |
Y SHIBATA | 56.0 | Y NINOMIYA | 15 |
|
|
SNOW FAIRY
(IRE)
4M INTIKHAB (USA) - WOODLAND DREAM (IRE) CHARNWOOD FOREST (IRE) |
RYAN MOORE | 56.0 | ED DUNLOP | 18 |
|
|
SNOW FAIRY
(IRE)
3F INTIKHAB (USA) - WOODLAND DREAM (IRE) CHARNWOOD FOREST (IRE) |
RYAN MOORE | 54.0 | ED DUNLOP | 6 |
|
|
QUEEN SPUMANTE
(JPN)
5M JUNGLE POCKET (JPN) - SEMBON ZAKURA (JPN) SAKURA YUTAKA O (JPN) |
HIROYASU TANAKA | 56.0 | S KOJIMA | 7 |
|
|
LITTLE AMAPOLA
(JPN)
3F AGNES TACHYON (JPN) - LITTLE HARMONY (JPN) COMMANDER IN CHIEF (GB) |
C P LEMAIRE | 54.0 | H NAGAHAMA | 16 |
|
|
DAIWA SCARLET
(JPN)
3F AGNES TACHYON (JPN) - SCARLET BOUQUET (JPN) NORTHERN TASTE (CAN) |
KATSUMI ANDO | 54.0 | K MATSUDA | 7 |
|
|
FUSAICHI PANDORA
(JPN)
3F SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) - LOTTA LACE (USA) NUREYEV (USA) |
Y FUKUNAGA | 54.0 | T SHIRAI | 15 |
|
|
SWEEP TOSHO
(JPN)
4M END SWEEP (USA) - TABATHA TOSHO (JPN) DANCING BRAVE (USA) |
K IKEZOE | 56.0 | A TSURUDOME | 8 |
|
|
ADMIRE GROOVE
(JPN)
4M SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) - AIR GROOVE (JPN) TONY BIN (IRE) |
YUTAKA TAKE | 56.0 | M HASHIDA | 12 |
|
|
ADMIRE GROOVE
(JPN)
3F SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) - AIR GROOVE (JPN) TONY BIN (IRE) |
YUTAKA TAKE | 54.0 | M HASHIDA | 7 |
|
|
FINE MOTION
(IRE)
3F DANEHILL (USA) - COCOTTE (GB) TROY (GB) |
YUTAKA TAKE | 54.0 | YUJI ITO | 12 |
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