The Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun is a key dirt race in Japan for two-year-old thoroughbreds, run over 1 mile at Kawasaki Racecourse. Traditionally, a top juvenile dirt event in Japan, and it offers significant points toward a Derby invitation.
The 2025 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun is scheduled for December 16.
Recent editions have crowned promising juveniles who go on to earn major early-season points. For example, in 2025, Pyromancer extended his unbeaten streak with a victory in this race and earned 20 points on the Japan Road leaderboard. In 2023, the legendary horse, Forever Young, took first place in the race.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pyromancer | Mirai Iwata | Keiji Yoshimura | 1:44.2 |
| 2024 | Myriad Love | Atsuya Nishimura | Koichi Shintani | 1:42.4 |
| 2023 | Forever Young | Ryusei Sakai | Yoshito Yahagi | 1:43.5 |
| 2022 | Derma Sotogake | Fuma Matsuwaka | Hidetaka Otonashi | 1:43.3 |
| 2021 | Dry Stout | Keita Tosaki | Mitsunori Makiura | 1:39.2 |
| 2020 | Alain Barows | Seiji Sakai | Masato Hayashi | 1:40.7 |
As part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun awards international qualifying points (20-10-6-4-2 to the top five finishers) and plays a pivotal role in shaping which Japanese-based contenders advance toward an invitation to the Kentucky Derby.
For online horse betting, this race highlights juveniles on a dirt surface, offering one of the earliest meaningful form references for horses emerging from the Japanese circuit with Derby potential.
