1. Japanese Oaks Latest News
2. Japanese Oaks 2026 Entries Horse
3. Japanese Oaks 2026 Notable Runners
4. Japanese Oaks race overview
5. Racecourse Feature
6. Japanese Oaks Past Winners

Japanese Oaks Latest News

Japanese Oaks 2026 Entries Horse

2026 OKA SHO (Japanese 1000 Guineas) (G1) winner Star Anise, 2026 FLORA STAKES (G2) winner Laughterlines and 2026 QUEEN CUP (G3) winner Dream Core etc are scheduled to run.

＊Please check the entries, Field, result, and other data against JRA official data.

Japanese Oaks 2026 Notable Runners

Star Anise

Star Anise has established herself as one of the leading fillies of her generation in Japan. Out of Epice Arome, a high-class sprinter who won both the G3 Kokura Nisai Stakes and the G2 Centaur Stakes, she showed her ability from an early stage and progressed rapidly through the juvenile ranks.

After finishing runner-up in the Chukyo Nisai Stakes, she reached a new high by capturing the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2025, then confirmed her status the following spring when she added the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), underlining both her class and her importance in the current three-year-old filly division.

Laughterlines

Laughterlines has quickly developed into one of the more intriguing fillies. By Al Ain and out of Bangor, she showed steady progress from an early stage and continued to build her profile through the juvenile season.

After finishing third in the Koyamaki Sho (1-win) and the G3 Kisaragi Sho, she took a major step forward in 2026 when she captured the G2 Flora Stakes, establishing herself as a filly of considerable promise heading further into the Classic season.

Dream Core

Dream Core has emerged as one of the more promising fillies of her generation in Japan. Out of Normcore, who won both the G1 Victoria Mile and the G1 Hong Kong Cup, she showed clear promise from an early stage and steadily built her profile through the juvenile ranks.

After finishing third in the Saffron Sho and winning the Begonia Sho in 2025, she took a major step forward in 2026 when she captured the G3 Queen Cup, establishing herself as a filly of considerable potential in the current three-year-old division.

Japanese Oaks race overview

The G1 Japanese Oaks, also known as the Yushun Himba, is one of three classics for fillies organized by the Japan Racing Association. It is an international Group 1 event, established in 1938, and has been known as the "Oaks" since 1965, aimed at determining the top three-year-old filly of the generation.

The term "oak" refers to the tree, with champions often dubbed the "Oak Queen" in Japan. The race was elevated to G1 status in 1984 with the introduction of the grading system. It opened to domestic regional horses in 1995 and to foreign-bred horses from 2003, allowing full participation by international entrants starting in 2010. Notably, Robe Decollete won in 2007 as the first classic victory by a foreign-bred horse in the race.

In 2010, Apapane and Saint Emilion finished in a historic dead heat, marking the first time in JRA history, including the era of the eight major races, that a G1/Jpn1 race ended in a tie.

Racecourse Feature

Tokyo 2400m turf course : The Japanese Oaks is hosted at the prestigious Tokyo Racecourse, representing central horse racing in Japan. The race starts in the middle of the home straight in front of the grandstand, with the horses passing the finish line once before completing a full circuit of the track. The distance to the first corner is approximately 350 meters on the A course, and the final straight measures 525.9 meters. While typically characterized by a slow pace leading to a sprint finish, races under higher conditions test overall ability.

Japanese Oaks Past Winners

Japanese Oaks Feature

Latest information on the Japanese Oaks (G1).