InsideJapan News Network

A horse named Earnestly has shocked spectators of the Takarazuka Kinen race by winning it in record time.

The male horse ran the 2,200-metre long race in two minutes and 10.1 seconds, sneaking past the previous course record held by Tap Dance City by a full second, reports the Japan Times.

Earnestly will now travel to the Breeders' Cup this autumn, winning which comes with a $3 million prize.

Tetsuzo Sato, the jockey who rode the winning horse, was full of praise for the six-year-old animal.

"I thought about racing him on the lead, but maintaining his rhythm, his pace was more important," he said.

"He felt good - too good, to tell you the truth - that I almost lost control."

The Breeders' Cup will be held in November at the Churchill Downs in Kentucky, which is most famously known as the home of the Kentucky Derby, which was won this year by 20-1 outsider Animal Kingdom.

Written by Mark Smith