Fairy Stakes


The Fairy Stakes is a Grade 3 flat horse race in Japan.

Background

The Fairy Stakes is a Grade III Thoroughbred race in Japan restricted exclusively to 3-year-old fillies. It is held annually in early to mid-January at Nakayama Racecourse over a distance of 1,600 meters on turf. Eligible entrants must have raced at least once and cannot be unraced or maiden horses. The field includes JRA-trained fillies, up to two certified NAR fillies, and foreign-trained fillies with priority entry.
The race is run under weight-for-age conditions, with all fillies carrying 55 kg. The first-place prize in 2026 is ¥38 million.

History

The Fairy Stakes originated as the “TV Tokyo Sho 3-Year-Old Fillies Stakes”, first run on December 15, 1984, at Nakayama Racecourse over 1,600 meters. It was created as a late-season test for juvenile fillies. In 1991, the distance was shortened to 1,200 meters, aligning it more with sprint-oriented development. This format lasted until 2007. In 1994, the race was renamed “Fairy Stakes” after TV Tokyo shifted its sponsorship to the Aoba Sho. Internationalization progressed gradually: foreign-bred fillies were allowed from 1993, NAR fillies from 1996, and foreign-trained fillies from 2009, when the race became an international GIII event.
A restructuring occurred in 2008: the race was not held that year due to a schedule shift, and from 2009 onward, it moved to January and reverted to 1,600 meters, positioning it as a key early prep race for the Oka Sho within Japan’s 3-year-old filly classic trail. Weight conditions also evolved: originally 54 kg under international age standards, it briefly used special weight from 2009–2023 before returning to fixed weight-for-age in 2024.

Past winners

Netkeiba

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