Japan's Triple Crown wraps up on Sunday, October 26 with the 86th running of the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger). The Kikuka Sho is the longest of the three races in the country's Triple Crown, which also includes the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in the spring.
A grueling test of stamina, the race is run over 3,000 meters of turf at Kyoto Racecourse and the field must circle more than one and a half times around. It requires more than 3 minutes to complete.
The race presently carries a first-place prize of ¥200 million JPY ($1.3 million USD) and an overall purse of ¥434 million ($2.8 million).
Although the race is open to 3-year-old colts and fillies (no geldings), this year's field will be made up of only colts, with 20 nominees, but only 18 runners permitted to race. Only one of the top 3 finishers of the first two Classics is set to be in the field this Sunday (Shohei, third place in the Japanese Derby).
Shohei and four other colts (named in parentheses) received an automatic ticket to the Kikuka Sho for their performances in one of the two trial races, both run in mid-September, the St Lite Kinen (Yamanin Bouclier and Red Bande) and Kobe Shimbun Hai (Eri King, Shohei and Giovanni). In addition, there are top 3 earners ― Energico, Excite Bio and Goltzschtal ― that will likely be strongly backed by the fans. Six other nominees tied for earnings will have to win a draw deciding the final four spots in the starting gate.
Key Info About the Kikuka Sho
The Kikuka Sho runs on Kyoto's outer "A course," which begins partway up the slope of the backstretch. It circles around the bend while dropping some four meters and continues once around again. The second lap is especially arduous due to the longer climb with the track rising about four meters over some 200 meters.
All runners will carry 57 kg. The Kikuka Sho is the 11th race on the Sunday card of 12 at Kyoto. Post time is 3:40 PM.
Here's a look at the expected popular picks:
Eri King Aims to Rebound From Recent Struggles
Sired by 2013 Japanese Derby champion Kizuna, Eri King started his career with a three-race win streak, which included two wins at Kyoto, and culminated in victory in the Grade 3 Kyoto Nisai Stakes over 2,000 meters in late November 2024. During that race, however, he sustained a fracture and did not return until the Satsuki Sho, where he finished in 11th place in April 2025 after suffering interference. In the Japanese Derby, he missed the break, yet was able to finish in fifth place, 0.7 seconds behind winner Croix du Nord, rallying from a 14th-place position.
Despite his rather disappointing results in the first two Classics, Eri King's recent win in the Kobe Shimbun Hai (September 25) will likely boost him to race-favorite status.
Yuga Kawada, who has ridden all the colt's starts, is expected up. Kawada has notched 96 wins in 2025 and is close to making it his 11th year, including seventh in a row, to top 100 wins.
Energico Owns Strong Racing Credentials
A dark bay colt by Duramente, Energico is considered to represent the JRA Miho Training Center's best chance to win the 86th Kikuka Sho. He triumphed in three races in a row from his debut in late 2024, one of which was the Grade 2 Aoba Sho over 2,400 meters at Tokyo.
Returning in late August this year, he went up against older horses in the Grade 3 Niigata Kinen over 2,000 meters. Though he had raced from far off the pace in his previous races, and despite a slow start, he quickly made up ground. He raced in the fifth position, a strategy that would serve him well here. Energico finished in second place only half a length behind the winning horse, older by two years and carrying 1 kg less.
In the run-up to the Kikuka Sho, Energico shipped early to train at the JRA Ritto Training Center in Shiga Prefecture, to skip the long haul to the track immediately before the race. It will, however, be his first time racing to the right.
Christophe Lemaire, who won this race in 2023 and 2024 and has ridden the colt's previous two races, is pegged for the ride on Sunday.
Shohei Has Plenty of Familiarity with Kyoto Racecourse
The Saturnalia-sired Shohei has only figured out of the top 3 places in one of his six starts thus far. Before his third in the Japanese Derby, he had scored a win in the Grade 2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai. And following the Japanese Derby he returned on September 21 for a second-place finish in the Kobe Shimbun Hai only a neck behind winner Eri King.
Four of his starts have been at Kyoto, making him especially familiar with the venue, but he will have a new partner this time out with Mirai Iwata in the saddle.
Veteran trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, who has won 23 Japan Racing Association G1 races since opening his barn in 2002, has fielded a Kikuka Sho runner every year since 2014. Tomomichi won the race with World Premiere in 2019.
Of Shohei, he commented: "He does grab the bit in his teeth at times, but he's been patient in morning work. With a good pace expected this time, I think things will be easier for him. He'll be up against other 3-year-olds and if he can control himself coming off the hill the first time around, I think he has ample chance."
Read the rest of this article about the Kikuka Sho and the Japanese horses in contention on JRA News.
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Author: JRA News
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