When someone asks, "What's the top horse race in the world?” it's not about popularity or size, it's about how the sport elite's performance is ranked globally. According to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in 2023 the Japan Cup rated out as the World’s Best Horse Race at an impressive rating 126.75.
The Japan Cup is a Grade 1 race that takes place each year near the end of November at the Tokyo Racecourse. The race attracts the best of grassroots events and offer's the best international talent with horses from North America, Europe, Australia, and further. That international quality contributed to the elevation of the event to elite status in 2023. The event has a distance of 2,400 meters (approximately 12 furlongs), run on turf, and a significant purse; over ¥1,085 million (approximately $8.3 million USD) to winners, so it can provide beauty and worth in trophy and show.
The IFHA ranking system classifies races based on the quality of the field, and to be precise, the quality of the horses that entered. Indeed, a race with several highly rated competitors usually has a higher score. Using the IFHA average rating for 2023, the Japan Cup was rated at 126.75, the best score of any major race in 2023. International racing has many prestigious and important annual races, and although there are races that may be considered to be as good as the Japan Cup (e.g., the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe or Royal Ascot races), the Japan Cup has distance to spare for "best rating" in 2023.
The Japan Cup has blossomed into a global race and a truly international event over just forty years since it began in 1981. The Japan Cup is a reference point in the world of horse racing, and talks of the race are a source of international good will and strategic connections between the racing communities of our world. The global participation of the Japan Cup helps create its top rating.
Cultural significance and history aside, there are many other more well-known and perhaps, better regarded races that haven’t yielded the evidence of the Japan Cup's seminality in the last two years (e.g., the Kentucky Derby, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, or the Melbourne Cup). The Derby and Arc are some of the world's standard bearers, however, farther down the list, but nevertheless significant, the quantitative aspects of the Japan Cup as a major race sensationalizes its accomplishment above everyone else in the IFHA ratings (2023).
In 2023, the Japan Cup was crowned the top horse race in the world, not for its massive purse and international destination, but because of the elite quality of competition. With an excellent IFHA ranking and international recognition, the Japan Cup continues to be a world leader for excellence in thoroughbred racing.
The Japan Cup is the best horse race in the world, as per the 2023 IFHA world rankings. The qualifying horse race earned a high and elite 126.75 rating for international competitors and prize pool.
The Japan Cup has high-end horses from all around the globe and offers up a huge purse. The IFHA ranks the Japan Cup the highest due to the strength of racing quality with its field.
In 2023, the Japan Cup had over ¥1,085 million (approximately $8.3 million USD) in total prize money, and is one of the richest turf races in the world.
The Japan Cup runs every November at the Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Japan at a distance of 2,400 meters on turf.
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