The Cattleya Stakes is a key early race on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, held at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan. Contested around 1 mile on dirt by two-year-olds, it serves as the first qualifying opportunity in the Japan series that awards points toward a potential starting spot in the Kentucky Derby.
The 2025 Cattleya Stakes is scheduled for November 28, kicking off the Japan Road series each year.
Winners of the Cattleya Stakes have included promising juveniles who go on to compete in later Japan Road qualifiers like the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun and Hyacinth Stakes. Horses such as Satono Voyage used this race as an important first step toward earning Derby points.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Satono Voyage | Keita Tosaki | Hiroyasu Tanaka | 1:37.40 |
| 2024 | Natural Rise | Takeshi Yokoyama | Keizo Ito | 1:36.40 |
| 2023 | Amante Bianco | Christophe Lemaire | Keisuke Miyata | 1:37.50 |
| 2022 | Continuar | Damian Lane | Yoshito Yahagi | 1:36.60 |
| 2021 | Consigliere | Christophe Patrice Lemaire | Yukio Inagaki | 1:38.00 |
| 2020 | Lemon Pop | Keita Tosaki | Hiroyasu Tanaka | 1:36.40 |
As part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Cattleya Stakes awards the first points (10-5-3-2-1) on the Japan Road leaderboard, making it a valuable early reference for international prospects.
For online horse betting, the Cattleya Stakes is worth watching because it gives an early look at juveniles on dirt, a surface crucial for success at Churchill Downs.
