Kyōto Kinen has been rated as a Grade II race since 1984 and was opened for foreign trained horses at that time, although foreign horses have never run the race until recently.

Takeshiba O, Ten Point, Biwa Hayahide and T M Opera O are horses that won both the Kyōto Kinen and the Tenno Sho.

In 2007, Admire Moon won this race and the Dubai Duty Free.

[1] Allowances: Penalties (excluding two-year-old race performance): Initially Kyōto Kinen was held twice a year in spring and autumn.

Notably, Final Score (1954) and Sky Leader (1974) won both races in the same year.