The race was first held in 1955. At first it was named
Aki-no-Kura (秋の鞍), meaning 'The Race of Autumn race meeting', and raced over a distance of 2,600 meters. Along with the Spring Kura (later the
Tokyo Derby), the Spring Special (later the Arab Derby), and the Autumn Special (later the All-Japan Arab Grand Prix), it was positioned as one of the four major races at Oi Racecourse. The first race was run over 2600 meters on dirt, with a first-place prize of 1 million
yen. In 1966, its name was changed to the
Tokyo Daishōten. Since 2011, It has been held as an international Grade 1 race, and is the only international race in Japan not organized by the
Japan Racing Association. As of 2011 regulations, foreign-trained horses that preregister for the Japan Cup Dirt (now the
Champions Cup) are automatically preregistered for the Tokyo Daishoten as well, with transportation costs and travel expenses for returning home the responsibility of the foreign horse's connections. However, if a horse participates in both the Champions Cup and Tokyo Daishōten consecutively, the Special Ward Horse Racing Association covers transportation and travel expenses. The race provides an alternative to the
February Stakes and to the
Dubai World Cup Night's meetings for Japanese horses. Its distance has been changed three times. From 1962 to 1988, it was 3,000 meters long. From 1989 to 1997, it was 2,800 meters. In 1998, the race had been changed to its present distance of 2,000 meters.
Gold Allure, Vermilion,
Kane Hekili, Hokko Tarumae, and Copano Rickey have all won the race on the way to winning the
JRA Award for Best Dirt Horse. ==Records==