Keisei Hai

The Keisei Hai is a Grade III Thoroughbred race in Japan open to 3-year-old horses of either sex.^[2] It is held annually in mid-January at Nakayama Racecourse over a distance of 2,000 meters on turf (inner course).^[2] Eligible entrants must have raced at least once and cannot be unraced or maiden horses.^[2] The field includes JRA-trained horses, up to two certified NAR (local) horses, and foreign-trained horses with priority entry.^[2] The race is run under weight-for-age conditions: colts and geldings carry 57 kg, while fillies carry 55 kg.^[2] The first-place prize in 2026 was ¥41 million.^[2]

The race is officially titled the “Keisei Hai”, named after its sponsor, Keisei Electric Railway, which operates the Keisei Main Line serving Nakayama Racecourse. The winner receives the Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. Prize.^[3][4] The race is particularly valued as a preparatory step for the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), the first race of Japan’s Triple Crown, which takes place in April over the same 2,000-meter distance at Nakayama.^[4]

The Keisei Hai was inaugurated on January 15, 1961, as a 4-year-old (now 3-year-old) restricted stakes race over 1,600 meters on turf (outer course) at Nakayama Racecourse.^[2] In 1999, as part of a JRA-wide restructuring of 3-year-old race distances, the event was extended to 2,000 meters and moved to the inner turf course, aligning it with the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas).^[5] The race was designated Grade III in 1984 with the introduction of JRA’s official grading system.^[6]

International participation expanded gradually: foreign-bred horses were allowed from 1984, NAR horses from 1996, and foreign-trained horses from 2009, when it became an international GIII event, initially with 8 foreign runners, later increased to 9 in 2015.^[7] Due to external factors, the race has occasionally been relocated: it was held at Tokyo Racecourse from 1970 to 1978 and again in 1996 and 2002, primarily due to scheduling adjustments.^[8] The 1972 edition was postponed to March due to an outbreak of equine influenza.^[9]

In 2024, the race formally adopted fixed weight-for-age (57/55 kg), standardizing conditions for all entrants.^[10]

• Horse racing in Japan
• List of Japanese flat horse races