Kyoto Racecourse will stand poised for a defining winter Sunday on February 8, as a full 12-race programme unfolds from 9:55am to 4:10pm, blending raw promise with proven depth across generations. With classic ambitions quietly taking shape in early February, the meeting will be firmly anchored by Race 11, the Kisaragi Sho (G3), a ¥77,760,000 contest that has long served as a key stepping stone for elite three-year-olds with eyes on the spring ahead.
The card will open at a measured pace before steadily building intensity, beginning with Race 1, a 3-year-olds maiden over 1200 metres at 9:55am, where 16 runners will chase a ¥11,280,000 prize. Another maiden event follows at 10:25am in Race 2, stretching to 1800 metres with nine runners, again offering a valuable platform for emerging talent to announce itself. Race 3 at 10:55am will return to sprinting conditions over 1400 metres, as 15 three-year-olds line up in another maiden worth ¥11,280,000.
The transition to older horses will arrive in Race 4 at 11:25am, an allowance event for four-year-olds and up over 1800 metres, with nine runners competing for ¥15,620,000. Attention will briefly shift back to youth in Race 5 at 12:15pm, a 3-year-olds newcomer contest over 1600 metres, where a full field of 16 will look to make immediate first impressions for ¥12,330,000. Race 6 at 12:45pm will extend the test to stamina, as 15 maiden three-year-olds tackle 2400 metres for ¥11,280,000.
The afternoon phase will open with Race 7 at 1:15pm, an allowance race for older runners over 1800 metres, followed by Race 8 at 1:45pm, where 13 horses will contest a 1200-metre allowance worth ¥22,690,000.
Stakes-level depth will increase noticeably in Race 9, the Iwashimizu Stakes at 2:15pm, a 1600-metre allowance carrying ¥36,000,000 and attracting 13 runners. Race 10, the Yamato Stakes at 2:50pm, will push the tempo further, as 16 open-class runners line up over 1200 metres for ¥42,290,000, setting the stage for the feature.
At 3:30pm, the focus will narrow sharply to Race 11, the Kisaragi Sho (G3), where nine three-year-olds will contest 1800 metres in one of the season’s most informative early stakes. Zoroastro, guided by Thore Hammer Hansen for Keisuke Miyata, will arrive as a colt of intrigue, while M’s Begin, partnered by Yuga Kawada and trained by Yasuo Tomomichi, will bring top-level connections into the spotlight.
Satono Ivory, under Taisei Danno for Haruki Sugiyama, adds depth, alongside Going to Sky for Kiwamu Ogino and Yuki Uehara. Storm Gale, Choreo Sequence, Laughterlines, Shonan Gulf, and Lorbeerkranz will each seek to turn promise into profile, making the race a true examination of composure, class, and timing.
The curtain will fall at 4:10pm with Race 12, an allowance over 1200 metres for older runners, where 16 horses will compete for ¥22,690,000, closing a card designed to test every facet of racing ability.
From first stride to final finish, Kyoto Racecards 8 February will be shaped by anticipation rather than hindsight. With the Kisaragi Sho (G3) casting long shadows toward the classics, the meeting will stand as a pivotal checkpoint in the Japanese racing calendar, where futures will begin to take clearer form.
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