About the race
The Osaka Hai is run in early April over 2,000 metres of right-handed turf at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyogo, for four-year-olds and upwards. The JRA says it was established in 1957 as the Sankei Osaka Hai, a handicap over 1,800 metres. It was extended to 2,000 metres in 1972, made a G2 in 1984, opened to foreign runners in 2003 and upgraded to G1 in 2017, when it took its current name. The JRA’s 2025 report said the winner earns an automatic start in the Irish Champion Stakes. The 2026 prize fund was JPY 651,000,000.
Bellagio Opera won the 2025 running in a course record of 1:56.2 under Kazuo Yokoyama for trainer Hiroyuki Uemura and owner Shorai Hayashida, becoming the first horse to win it in consecutive years. Croix du Nord won on 5 April 2026. The JRA calendar lists the 2027 race for 4 April.
The 2025 running
| Date | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 April 2025 | Bellagio Opera (JPN) | Kazuo Yokoyama | Hiroyuki Uemura | Shorai Hayashida |
From the official result.
The 2026 running
| Date | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 April 2026 | Croix du Nord (JPN) | Yuichi Kitamura | Takashi Saito | Sunday Racing Co., Ltd. |
From the official result.
Recognition and facts
- Winner's prize (2026)
- JPY 300,000,000
- Maximum field
- 16 runners
- Grade 1 since
- 2017
- Race record
- 1:56.2, Bellagio Opera, 6 April 2025
Questions readers ask
When is the Osaka Hai run?
The JRA's 2027 calendar lists the next Osaka Hai for Sunday 4 April 2027 at Hanshin Racecourse.
What is the prize fund of the Osaka Hai?
The total prize money for the 2026 running was JPY 651,000,000, with JPY 300,000,000 to the winner.
Who won the Osaka Hai in 2025?
Bellagio Opera won on 6 April 2025, ridden by Kazuo Yokoyama and trained by Hiroyuki Uemura for Shorai Hayashida.
Sources
The rank and rating are from the IFHA's LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025, published 21 January 2026, which ranks races by the ratings of their first four finishers. Other facts are from the pages listed below.