Hanshin Racecourse

Hanshin Racecourse
阪神競馬場
	Aerial Photo at the Hanshin Racecourse
Location	Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan
Owned by	Japan Racing Association
Date opened	1949
Screened on	KBS Kyoto (Sat); Kansai TV (Sun); TVG Network (USA)
Course type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Notable races	Takarazuka Kinen; Japan Cup Dirt; Oka Sho; Hanshin Juvenile Fillies
	Official website

Coordinates: 34°46′48.80″N 135°21′45.00″E / 34.7802222°N 135.3625000°E / 34.7802222; 135.3625000

Hanshin Racecourse (阪神競馬場, Hanshin-keibajō) is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and it is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After the World War II, GHQ ordered the company to stop manufacturing combat planes, which ended in closing the factory. In 1949, Keihanshin Keiba K.K. built the Hanshin Racecourse. The racecourse was transferred to Japan Racing Association in 1955.^[1] A major reconstruction was completed in 1991, and another in 2006.

Physical attributes[]

Hanshin Racecourse has two turf courses, a dirt course, and a jump course.

The turf's outer oval (外回り, sotomawari) measures 2089m (11⁄4 miles + 254 feet), and the inner oval (内回り, uchimawari) measures 1689m (1 mile + 261 feet). Two chutes allow races to be run at 1800m/1400m and 2600m/2200m, respectively. Races can be run on the "A Course" rail setting (on the hedge), or the "B Course" setting (rail out 4 meters). The dirt course measures 1518 meters (7/8 mile + 360 feet), with a 1400m chute.^[2]

The 2089m-long outer oval turf course was part of a major construction in 2006, and was a 400m-long extension. This would eventually remove two old chutes previously used, including a 1600m chute used for the currently-used 1689m-long inner oval course. The reconstruction (until the course was completely reconstructed) forced stakes races held in Hanshin during the second reconstruction period to be held in other racecourses, including Chukyo Racecourse and Kyoto Racecourse.

Hanshin Racecourse hosted the Japan Cup Dirt from 2008; races prior to that was held in Tokyo Racecourse. It has since been moved to Chukyo since 2015 and is now known as the Champions Cup.

Notable races[]

Month	Race	Distance	Age/Sex
Grade I
Apr	Osaka Hai	Turf 2000m	4yo +
Apr	Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas)	Turf 1600m out	3yo f
Jun	Takarazuka Kinen	Turf 2200m	3yo +
Dec	Hanshin Juvenile Fillies	Turf 1600m out	2yo f
Dec	Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes	Turf 1600m out	2yo f
Grade II
Mar	Fillies' Revue (Oka Sho Trial)	Turf 1400m	3yo f
Mar	Hanshin Daishoten (Tenno Sho Trial)	Turf 3000m	4yo +
Apr	Hanshin Himba Stakes (Victoria Mile Trial)	Turf 1400m	4yo + f
Sep	Centaur Stakes (Sprinters Stakes Trial)	Turf 1200m	3yo +
Sep	Rose Stakes (Shuka Sho Trial)	Turf 1800m out	3yo f
Sep	Kobe Shimbun Hai (Kikuka Sho Trial)	Turf 2400m out	3yo c&f
Dec	Hanshin Cup	Turf 1400m	3yo +
Grade III
Feb./Mar.	Arlington Cup	Turf 1600m out	3yo
Feb./Mar.	Hankyu Hai (Takamatsunomiya Kinen Trial)	Turf 1400m	4yo +
Mar.	Tulip Sho (Oka Sho Trial)	Turf 1600m out	3yo f
Mar.	Mainichi Hai	Turf 1800m out	3yo
Apr.	Antares Stakes	Dirt 1800m	4yo +
Jun.	Naruo Kinen	Turf 2000m	3yo +
Jun.	Mermaid Stakes (Handicap)	Turf 2000m	3yo + f
Sep./Oct.	Sirius Stakes (Handicap)	Dirt 2000m	3yo +
Dec.	Challenge Cup	Turf 2000m	3yo +
J-Grade II (Steeplechase)
Mar.		Turf 3900m	4yo +
J-Grade III (Steeplechase)
Sep		Turf 3140m	3yo +

References[]

^ Keihanshin Real Estate Co., Ltd. 沿革会社案内京阪神不動産株式会社 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-03-22.
^ JAIR. "Hanshin Racecourse". Archived from the original on 2006-10-23. Retrieved 2007-02-26.

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[1] Keihanshin Real Estate Co., Ltd. 沿革会社案内京阪神不動産株式会社 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-03-22.

[2] JAIR. "Hanshin Racecourse". Archived from the original on 2006-10-23. Retrieved 2007-02-26.

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