The Hankyu Cup is an annual grand race that is held at the Hanshin Racecourse every February. Thoroughbreds aged 4 and older compete over a turf course of 1400 meters. The race has a dynamic scene where up to 18 horses dash altogether. Additionally, one of the characteristics of this race is that the winning horse is given priority to compete in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen.

In the 2024 Hankyu Cup, Grenadiers, who were the heavy favorite with a single win rate, unexpectedly finished in 7th place. On the other hand, Win Marvel, the most popular horse, won the race. Win Marvel challenged with jockey Hiroshi Matsuyama, charmed the crowd with a brilliant run, and finished with a total time of 1 minute 21 seconds.

The race unfolded as Matsuyama, riding with Win Marvel, strategically positioned himself in a good spot on the innermost track from the beginning. From this position, he skillfully overtook the leading horse, Asakura King, in the final straight. Matsuyama said, Because we had a good start, we were able to catch the lead horse in a good way, praising the perfect combination of himself and Win Marvel.

With this victory, Win Marvel won its third grand prize and secured priority entry rights to the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. This has led to even more expectations for their future performances. As there have been cases in the past ten years where the most popular horse did not perform well in the Hankyu Cup, Win Marvel’s victory was considered significant.