THE second of two races upgraded to Group 1 status for 2017 is Nakayama Racecourse’s Hopeful Stakes. This brings the total number of top-level races in the Japanese fixture list to 24.

Ever before the raise in status, the Hopeful Stakes had been regarded as an informative precursor to early season classics. Restricted two-year-olds of both sexes, it is run over the Satsuki Sho (2000 Guineas) trip of 10 furlongs.