NHK Mile Cup Preview: Cavallerizzo and Diamond Knot Among Top Entrants

Tokyo Racecourse begins a five-week run of hosting top-level races on Sunday, May 10, starting with the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup.

The race is for 3-year-olds. Connections target their runners as participants in this race if they feel the horses are better suited for a mile rather than the extended distance of the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks). Both of those races are run over 2,400 meters.

The NHK Mile Cup was first held in 1996, and it is run over the stiff mile of the Tokyo turf track. It became an international race in 2009.

Big name winners of the race include King Kamehameha (2004) and Deep Sky (2008), both of whom went on to win the Derby. Another high-profile winner was El Condor Pasa (1998), who triumphed in the G1 Japan Cup the same year.

About the NHK Mile Cup

Two official trial races for the NHK Mile Cup were the G3 Churchill Downs Cup, run over a mile at Hanshin in April, and the G2 New Zealand Trophy, contested over the same distance at Nakayama, also in April.

There were 25 nominations for Sunday's race, which has a maximum field size of 18 runners. No geldings are permitted to run, and colts carry 57 kg, with a 2-kg allowance for fillies.

The last filly to win was Aerolithe in 2017. First favorites have fared poorly, with just one winning in the last 10 years, and that was Major Emblem in 2016.

Consequently, the race often produces surprises, like in 2025 when Panja Tower won as the ninth favorite, while also getting within 0.3 seconds of the record time. That record is still held by Danon Chantilly, who won in a time of 1 minute 31.4 seconds in 2010.

Sunday's winner will be awarded ¥130 million JPY (about $830,000 USD).

The 31st running of the NHK Mile Cup will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Tokyo, with a post time of 3:40 PM.

Here's a look at some of the runners expected to take on the race:

Cavallerizzo in Pursuit of Success

Cavallerizzo, the 2025 Best Two-Year-Old Colt, was unable to get things to go his way in the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) on April 19. In that race, he finished 13th. And he now gets switched back to a mile, with connections hoping he'll show his best this time around.

"He was transported to the track with no problem last time, and despite being off for a while, he started well and got a good early position in the race," assistant trainer Sho Tajima said. "The trouble was he [slowed down], and it seemed the 2,000 meters really was too far for him."

Different jockeys have ridden Cavallerizzo, and this time the ride goes to Atsuya Nishimura, who's having a good year so far. Nishimura is looking to earn his second JRA G1 win.

Diamond Knot is Back in the Spotlight

A son of Bricks and Mortar, Diamond Knot ran second in the 2025 G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. And in one run as a 3-year-old, he posted a victory in a Grade 3 race, the Chunichi Sports Sho Falcon Stakes.

"He did well when leading for most of the way in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, so I wanted to try him over 1,400 meters," trainer Yuichi Fukunaga said.

Fukunaga then said, "He was serious in that race, and as tough as it was, he did well to win. It sets him up nicely before the next Grade 1."

Yuga Kawada is set for the ride on Diamond Knot.

Ask Ikigomi Chasing 3rd Straight Win

Lord Kanaloa progeny Ask Ikigomi has had two wins in two starts. This includes a trial race, the G3 Churchill Downs Cup, at Hanshin on April 4.

"His second win was in a graded race, and he kept up the pace right until the finish, showing he has a lot to give," assistant trainer Nobuyuki Tashiro said. "He got a good handy position and didn't pull, so he can be well controlled."

Tashiro added, "He's had a break at the farm, returning to the stable with this race in mind."

Read the rest of this article about the NHK Mile Cup and the Japanese horses in contention on JRA News.