| Class: | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) |
| Horse Race: | Kawasaki Kinen |
| Location: | Kawasaki Racecourse, Kawasaki, Kanagawa |
| Inaugurated: | 1951 |
| Race Type: | Thoroughbred flat racing |
| Distance: | 2,100 meters (About 10and1/2 furlongs) |
| Surface: | Dirt |
| Track: | Left-handed |
| Qualification: | 4-y-o & up |
| Weight: | 4-y-o horses & geldings 56kg/mares 54kg/5-y-o & up horses & geldings 57kg / mares 55 kg |
| Purse: | ¥170,000,000 (as of 2024) 1st: ¥ 100,000,000 2nd: ¥ 35,000,000 3rd: ¥ 20,000,000 |
The Kawasaki Kinen (Kawasaki Memorial) (川崎記念) is a Japanese thoroughbred horse race on dirt track for horses aged four years or older. It was graded as a domestic grade 1 race in 1998. It is held in early April, so it is the first (domestic) grade 1 race in Japanese horseracing season. Its name "Kawasaki" comes from that of the racecourse, Kawasaki Racecourse, which in turn is named after the city that it is situated in; Kawasaki city in Kanagawa prefecture.
This race was formerly regarded as a preparation race for the Dubai World Cup, along with the February Stakes. Although some past winners (such as and Vermilion) ran the Dubai World Cup after winning this race, only Ushba Tesoro won both the Kawasaki Kinen and the Dubai World Cup. But in 2024, the race schedule was moved from January to April, losing the race's status as a preparation race for the Dubai World Cup and February Stakes.[1]
Most successful horses (3 wins):
Other repeat winners (2 wins):
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Organization | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Intelli Power | 5 | Takashi Harita | Shigemi Akiyama | Iso-o Sahashi | Kawasaki | 2:14.5 | |
| 2001 | Regular Member | 4 | Mikio Matsunaga | Yamamoto Syouji | North Hills Ltd. | JRA | 2:12.9 | |
| 2002 | Regent Bluff | 4 | Yutaka Yoshida | Youkichi Okubo | Akihiro Ohara | JRA | 2:16.2 | |
| 2003 | Kanetsu Fleuve | 6 | Mikio Matsunaga | Yamamoto Syouji | Laurel Racing Co. | JRA | 2:14.8 | |
| 2004 | Esprit Thes | 5 | Hiroshi Morishita | Ei-ichi Takei | Yasuo Yoda | Kawasaki | 2:12.8 | |
| 2005 | Time Paradox | 7 | Yutaka Take | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Shadai Racing Ltd. | JRA | 2:14.2 | |
| 2006 | Adjudi Mitsuo | 5 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Masayuki Kawashima | Masao Orudo | Funabashi | 2:12.8 | |
| 2007 | Vermillion | 5 | Christophe Lemaire | Sei Ishizaka | Sunday Racing Ltd. | JRA | 2:12.9 | |
| 2008 | Field Rouge | 6 | Norihiro Yokoyama | Masato Nishizono | Katsumi Chida | JRA | 2:13.1 | |
| 2009 | Kane Hekili | 7 | Christophe Lemaire | Katsuhiko Sumii | Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. | JRA | 2:13.3 | |
| 2010 | Vermillion | 8 | Yutaka Take | Sei Ishizaka | Sunday Racing Ltd. | JRA | 2:12.7 | |
| 2011 | Furioso | 7 | Keita Tosaki | Masayuki Kawashima | Darley Japan K.K. | Funabashi | 2:14.2 | |
| 2012 | Smart Falcon | 7 | Yutaka Take | Ken Kozaki | Touru Okawa | JRA | 2:10.7 | |
| 2013 | Hatano Vainqueur | 4 | Hirofumi Shii | Mitsugu Kon | Good Luck Farm | JRA | 2:15.4 | |
| 2014 | Hokko Tarumae | 5 | Hideaki Miyuki | Katsuichi Nishiura | Koichi Yabe | JRA | 2:13.8 | |
| 2015 | Hokko Tarumae | 6 | Hideaki Miyuki | Katsuichi Nishiura | Koichi Yabe | JRA | 2:16.9 | |
| 2016 | Hokko Tarumae | 7 | Hideaki Miyuki | Katsuichi Nishiura | Koichi Yabe | JRA | 2:14.1 | |
| 2017 | All Blush | 5 | Christophe Lemaire | Akira Murayama | Shadai Racing Ltd. | JRA | 2:14.6 | |
| 2018 | K T Brave | 5 | Yuichi Fukunaga | Tetsuya Meno | Kazuyoshi Takimoto | JRA | 2:14.9 | |
| 2019 | Mitsuba | 7 | Ryuji Wada | Tadashi Kayo | K.K. Kyoei | JRA | 2:15.0 | |
| 2020 | Chuwa Wizard | 5 | Yuga Kawada | Ryuji Okubo | Shinobu Nakanishi | JRA | 2:14.1 | |
| 2021 | Casino Fountain | 5 | Kaoru Harita | Takayuki Yamashita | Kosei Yoshihashi | Funabashi | 2:14.9 | |
| 2022 | Chuwa Wizard | 7 | Yuga Kawada | Ryuji Okubo | Shinobu Nakanishi | JRA | 2:14.9 | |
| 2023 | Ushba Tesoro | 6 | Kazuo Yokoyama | Noboru Takagi | Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co., Ltd. | JRA | 2:16.0 | |
| 2024 | Light Warrior | 7 | Hiroto Yoshihara | Katsuyoshi Uchida | U Carrot Farm | Kawasaki | 2:15.5 |