Hanshin Racecourse will come alive with urgency, ambition, and unmistakable prestige on Sunday, 21st December, as Japan Racing prepares to stage a 12-race International Race Day packed with elite depth and top-tier competition. Running from 10:05 am to 4:20 pm, the meeting will be anchored by Race 11 – the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1), a cornerstone event for two-year-olds that carries a commanding ¥135,480,000 prize purse. Staged over 1600 metres, the Group 1 will draw national focus and give structure to a card that blends maiden discovery, newcomer intrigue, allowance strength, and the added edge of Listed-level competition, ensuring intensity builds steadily long before the headline race is run.
The curtain will rise at 10:05 am with Race 1, a 2-Year-Old Maiden over 1800 metres, where 12 contenders will step onto the Hanshin stage in search of their first racing identity, competing for ¥10,600,000. That sense of early ambition will continue swiftly at 10:35 am in Race 2, another 2-Year-Old Maiden, this time over 1200 metres, featuring 16 runners and the same ¥10,600,000 prize, where early speed and composure will be tested sharply.
At 11:05 am, depth and competition will intensify in Race 3, as 18 juvenile maidens contest 1800 metres, once again chasing ¥10,600,000. This will be followed at 11:35 am by Race 4, a further 2-Year-Old Maiden over 1800 metres, drawing 12 contenders still searching for that breakthrough performance.
The atmosphere will shift toward anticipation and mystery at 12:25 pm with Race 5, a 2-Year-Old Newcomer over 1800 metres. With 12 unraced runners competing for ¥14,250,000, this race will carry the thrill of unknown potential. That intrigue will continue at 12:55 pm in Race 6, another 2-Year-Old Newcomer, this time over 1200 metres, where 11 contenders will debut for the same ¥14,250,000 prize pool.
Older and more seasoned runners will enter the picture at 1:25 pm with Race 7, an Allowance race for 3-Year-Olds and Up over a demanding 2200 metres. With 18 contenders chasing ¥15,200,000, stamina and tactical judgment will take precedence. At 1:55 pm, Race 8 will maintain momentum with another Allowance contest, this time over 1800 metres, featuring 15 runners and a richer ¥21,740,000 purse.
The stakes will rise at 2:25 pm in Race 9 – the Mikage Stakes, an Allowance race for 3-Year-Olds and Up over 1400 metres. With 16 contenders and ¥35,520,000 on the line, pace, pressure, and positioning are expected to define the outcome.
Elite credentials will then come to the fore at 3:00 pm with Race 10 – the Betelgeuse Stakes (L). This Listed Open Class event over 1800 metres will attract 16 seasoned runners, all competing for a significant ¥46,120,000, marking a crucial test just below Group level.
All focus will then sharpen at 3:40 pm for Race 11 – the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1), the heartbeat of the meeting. Reserved for 2-Year-Olds in Open Class, 14 contenders will clash over 1600 metres in one of Japan’s most influential juvenile races. With ¥135,480,000 in prize money, immense prestige, and future classic implications, this Group 1 will demand composure, brilliance, and courage from horses still at the very start of their journeys.         Contenders include: Red Ligare, Realize Sirius, Admire Quads, Kakuuchi, Diamond Knot, Spe Luce, Cavallerizzo, Corteo Soleil, Tagano Aralia, Storm Thunder, Cosmo Red, Ecoro Alba, White Orchid, Good Piece
The meeting will conclude at 4:20 pm with Race 12 – the Rokko Island Stakes, an Allowance race for 3-Year-Olds and Up over 1400 metres. Featuring 14 contenders and a prize of ¥35,480,000, the finale promises speed and competitiveness to close a day defined by progression and prestige.
With 12 races spanning more than six hours, a strong emphasis on juvenile development, and the combined force of a Group 1 feature and a Listed stakes contest, Hanshin is set to deliver a race day that balances tradition with forward momentum. Sunday will not merely crown winners. It will signal which names are ready to shape the future of Japanese racing.
Hanshin Racecards 21 December seem very exciting for the racegoers.
For more stories, results, and updates from the world of horse racing, stay tuned to Racebuzz.