Demanding More Power

(TUE) July 15th, 2025

6:41 p.m. No matter how many races you lose, you just have to face it and carry on so let's start thinking about Kokura Kinen.

These XX-Kinen races have been quite confusing lately, running on courses different from the race title. Kokura Kinen was one of those races last year when it was held at Chukyo although the race name contained Kokura.

And just as I felt relief that Kokura Kinen is now safely back at Kokura, I noticed an important thing concerning the track condition of Kokura. The turf is demanding more power than usual.

Come to think of it, Kita-Kyushu Kinen held on the week before last had finished in 1 minute, 7.8 seconds on firm track whereas it annually ends in the lower 7 seconds, sometimes even more fast unless the track softens with rain. Additionally, Kita-Kyushu Kinen has been held on the second week after the opening of Kokura races since last year, while it had been run on the third week of August until 2023.

The End

Caterpillar