Japan racing action will continue at Kokura Racecourse on Sunday, 5 July, where a competitive 12-race programme will bring together juvenile, three-year-old and older horses across hurdle, sprint, middle-distance and staying contests. The meeting will begin at 10:05 and conclude at 16:30, with more than ¥252 million in prize money scheduled to be distributed across the card. Supporting features including the Aoshima Tokubetsu and Kyushu Sports Hai will build towards the day’s headline attraction, the TV Nishinippon Corp. Sho Kitakyushu Kinen (G3), which will offer ¥77,950,000 and stand as the richest and most prestigious race of the afternoon.
Kokura Race Cards 5 July
The programme will open with Race 1 at 10:05, where three-year-olds and older horses will tackle 2,860 metres for ¥16,040,000 in the only hurdle contest on the card. It will be followed by Race 2 at 10:40, a 1,200-metre race for two-year-olds carrying ¥11,280,000 in prize money. Together, the opening contests will provide an early test of both stamina and speed while giving experienced campaigners and promising juveniles their opportunity to launch the meeting.
The action will continue with Race 3 at 11:10, a 2,000-metre event for three-year-olds worth ¥11,050,000, before Race 4 at 11:40, where another group of three-year-olds will compete over a sharp 1,000 metres for the same ¥11,050,000 purse. The contrasting distances will ensure a varied morning programme, featuring both middle-distance performers and specialist sprinters.
Attention will then turn to the juvenile division with Race 5 at 12:30, an 1,800-metre contest for two-year-olds offering ¥14,880,000. That race will be followed by Race 6 at 13:00, another two-year-old event over 1,700 metres, also carrying ¥14,880,000 in prize money. These races will provide valuable opportunities for developing youngsters to gain further experience during the early stages of their careers.
The afternoon session will resume with Race 7 at 13:30, a 1,200-metre contest for three-year-olds worth ¥11,050,000, before Race 8 at 14:00, where three-year-olds and older horses will compete over 2,000 metres for ¥15,620,000. Positioned immediately before the feature races, these contests will maintain the competitive flow of the programme across contrasting distances.
The standard of racing will rise further with Race 9 – the Aoshima Tokubetsu, scheduled for 14:35. Run over 1,800 metres for three-year-olds and older horses, the race will offer ¥22,070,000 and serve as one of the day’s leading support events. Race 10 – the Kyushu Sports Hai, will follow at 15:10, covering 1,700 metres for three-year-olds and upward with an attractive purse of ¥30,570,000, adding further quality to the late-afternoon programme.
The spotlight will then fall on Race 11 – the TV Nishinippon Corp. Sho Kitakyushu Kinen (G3), which will start at 15:45. The prestigious 1,200-metre Group 3 sprint for three-year-olds and older horses will carry ¥77,950,000 in prize money, making it the richest contest of the meeting and the centrepiece of Sunday’s Kokura fixture. The race is expected to attract one of the strongest fields on the programme and will provide the day’s principal sporting highlight.
The meeting will conclude with Race 12 at 16:30, a 1,700-metre contest for three-year-olds and older horses carrying ¥15,620,000 in prize money. As the closing event on a well-balanced programme, it will bring the curtain down on a day featuring juvenile contests, competitive handicaps and a high-quality Group 3 feature.
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