World's Richest Thoroughbred Horse Races
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I think wikipedia has a problem with world's richest horse races on turf, dirt , country etc. There is no single authority cited for such statements althought the blue book published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities could be a useful starting point but not all rich races are currently graded (eg quite a few in Australia, The Everest is not graded. Claims are often self serving with manipulation of forex rates rates among the sins committed by fans.
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The best measure I have been able to come up with is the amount of the first prize given some major races might only pay prizemoney down to fourth (eg Kentucky Derby) and other races give every runner what amounts to an appearance fee. (As an aside my research suggests that in the 19th century it was not uncommon for a winner take all approach which gradually moved to about 10% for second and refund of entry fees (or stakes) for third. France may well have been the first to make regular payments to third and later to fourth. France is also still notable for the payment of owner and breeder premiums in addition to prizemoney. Ksar (FR) 1918 earned a considerable sum in breeder premiums.) In measuring the richest races I would exlude owner / breeder premiums, small stake amounts (eg Japan) and bonuses are they are not certain. But I would include them in horse eanings as Japan, Australia and USA do because it should be about the amount the horse earns not, eg, what the owner breeder, vendor or lessee earns individually (racingpost.com generally excludes such amounts whereas francegalop.com itemises each category). As a further aside I note the racingpost.com generally reports a lower first prize for races in Ireland in euros than does the official Ireland horse racing website, Horse Racing Ireland (hri.ie).
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Below is a table showing races where first prize is at least USD 1,000,000 (AUD 1,508,296) (forex rates at 30 June 2023) (excludes possible breeders / owners premiums, incidental stakes and bonuses)
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I have found 60 races that exceed the USD first prize minimum of USD 1,000,000 that have been run in 2023 or are known to be programmed to run up to April 2024. Where race increases have been announced but first prize is uncertain or 'TBA' I have set the first prize at the proportion of the previous years race first prize / total prize. Forex rates are those at 30 June 2023 (broadly the mid point of the northern hemisphere 2023 racing year) taken from the Reserve Bank of Australia website (rba.gov.au).
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The 60 comprise 2 from Saudi Arabia (including worlds richest race the Saudi Cup), 4 from Dubai, 20 from Australia, 14 from Japan, 10 from USA, 1 from France, 8 from Hong Kong and 1 from UK (Epsom Derby).
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With first prizemoney between USD 900,000 or more (AUD 1,357,466) and USD 1,000,000 I have found another 2 from USA, 1 from France, 1 from UK (Champion Stakes), 1 from Japan, 7 from Hong Kong and 4 from Saudi Arabia. The King George and QE II Stakes (UK) first prize is below USD 900,000
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US, UK and France prizemoney has been static for a number of years while Japan, Hong and Australia have had significant increases.
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Of the 60 listed below, the few races run on dirt have '(dirt)' appearing after the racename, all others being run on grass/turf:
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Saudi Cup (Dirt)
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Saudi Arabia
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USD 12,000,000
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Dubai World Cup (Dirt)
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Dubai, UAE
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USD 6,960,000
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The Everest
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 4,641,000
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Golden Eagle
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 3,480,750
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Dubai Sheema Classic
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Dubai, UAE
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USD 3,480,000
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Japan Cup
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Tokyo, Japan
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USD 3,456,005
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Arima Kinen
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Nakayama, Japan
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USD 3,456,005
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Breeders' Cup Classic (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 3,300,000
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Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
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France
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USD 3,105,740
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Melbourne Cup
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 2,917,200
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Dubai Turf
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Dubai, UAE
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USD 2,900,000
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Hong Kong Cup
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Hong Kong
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USD 2,618,768
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Hong Kong Mile
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Hong Kong
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USD 2,327,793
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Breeders Cup (Turf)
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USA
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USD 2,200,000
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FWD QEII Cup
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Hong Kong
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USD 2,036,819
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Tokyo Yushun (Derby)
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Tokyo, Japan
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USD 2,073,603
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Caulfield Cup
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 1,989,000
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Cox Plate
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 1,989,000
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Hong Kong Sprint
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Hong Kong
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USD 1,891,332
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BMW Hong Kong Derby
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Hong Kong
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USD 1,891,332
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Queen Elizabeth Stakes
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 1,955,850
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King Charles III Stakes
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 1,955,850
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Kentucky Derby (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 1,860,000
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Golden Slipper
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 1,856,400
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Hong Kong Vase
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Hong Kong
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USD 1,745,845
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The Quokka
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Perth, Australia
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USD 1,657,500
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FWD Champions Mile
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Hong Kong
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USD 1,600,358
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Chairman’s Sprint Prize
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Hong Kong
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USD 1,600,358
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Pegaus World Cup Invitational (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 1,680,000
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Doncaster Mile
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 1,524,900
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Tenno Sho (Spring)
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Kyoto, Japan
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USD 1,520,642
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Takarazuka Kinen
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Hanshin, Japan
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USD 1,520,642
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Tenno Sho (Autumn)
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Tokyo, Japan
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USD 1,520,642
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Red Sea Turf Hcp
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Saudi Arabia
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USD 1,500,000
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Osake Hai
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Hanshin, Japan
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USD 1,382,402
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Kikuku Sho (St. Leger)
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Japan
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USD 1,382,402
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Satsuki Sho (2000 Guineas)
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Nakayama, Japan
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USD 1,382,402
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Mile Championship
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Kyoto, Japan
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USD 1,244,162
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Yasuda Kinen
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Tokyo, Japan
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USD 1,244,162
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Neds Caulfield Guineas
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 1,193,400
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Champions Stakes
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 1,193,400
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Champions Sprint
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 1,193,400
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Champions Mile
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 1,193,400
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All Star Mile
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Melbourne, Australia
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USD 1,180,140
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Sprinters Stakes
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Nakayama, Japan
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USD 1,175,042
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Takamatsunomiya Kinen
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Chukyo, Japan
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USD 1,175,042
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Dubai Golden Shaheen (Dirt)
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Dubai, UAE
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USD 1,160,000
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Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic
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Gold Coast, Australia
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USD 1,153,620
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Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas
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Gold Coast, Australia
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USD 1,153,620
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T J Smith Stakes
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 1,143,675
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Giga Kick (Winners) Stakes
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 1,143,675
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Derby Stakes
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United Kingdom
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USD 1,118,616
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Breeders Cup Juvenile (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 1,100,000
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Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 1,100,000
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Breeders Cup Longines Distaff (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 1,100,000
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Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf
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USA
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USD 1,100,000
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Breeders Cup Mile (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 1,100,000
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Breeders Cup Sprint (Dirt)
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USA
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USD 1,100,000
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The Big Dance
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Sydney, Australia
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USD 1,044,225
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Yushun Himba (Oaks)
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Tokyo, Japan
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USD 1,036,802
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