Equestrian Events Flat racing
Rank 05
Japan Cup
On the ratings, the world's best race: joint top of the 2025 IFHA list, and won in 2025 by a European horse for the first time in 20 years.
Why it is here
The 2025 Japan Cup and the Champion Stakes shared the Longines World's Best Horse Race title at 126.25. It was the Japan Cup's second title after 2023 (IFHA, 2026-01-20). Calandagan won in a race-record time, the first European-trained winner in 20 years, and Racing Post put the prize at close to £5 million (2025-11-30). Racing Post describes Tokyo's towering stands, the sunset behind Mount Fuji and a finish 'as much about decibels as watching the spectacle'. Score drivers: sporting level 9.8 from the joint-highest race rating in the world; prestige 9.0, because the race has only recently joined the global elite on the ratings; experience 8.8 from Racing Post's account of the atmosphere. Exclusivity and social are not scored.
Who it is for
Racing fans and owners who follow the world's highest-rated races, and travellers who want to see Japanese racing crowds.
Sources
- Top 100 G1 Races of 2025 AnnouncedJapan Cup and Champion Stakes joint 2025 Longines World's Best Horse Race at 126.25; the Japan Cup's second title (first in 2023).
- 'I felt an enormous weight on my shoulders' - relief for Francis Graffard as Calandagan defies the odds to win the Japan CupFirst European winner in 20 years; lowered Almond Eye's race record; prize close to £5 million.
- Japan Cup 20262026 Japan Cup: Sunday 29 November 2026, Tokyo Racecourse, 2,400m turf, maximum 18 runners.
