Japan racing’s annual grand finale, the G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama, is always a star-studded affair.
And this year the names of many of those gathered are of such a magnitude that they have become familiar to racing fans around the world.
Japan Cup winner Epiphaneia, the world’s top-ranked racehorse Just A Way, G1 Dubai Sheema Classic heroine Gentildonna, fan favourite Gold Ship, G1 Tenno Sho Spring winner Fenomeno and G1 Japanese Derby champion One And Only head a steller cast for Sunday’s 2.
Epiphaneia is likely to start favourite on Sunday, as success in the Japan Cup boded well for the Arima over 2500m.
Over the past 10 years, the Japan Cup winner has won the Arima twice, and both Zenno Rob Roy (2004) and Deep Impact (2006) did so in their 4yo campaign.
Age is also on his side as 4-year-olds have proven the most successful age to score in the top three spots of the Arima over the past 10 runnings.
Gold Ship was the most popular fan pick this year with close to 67,000 votes.
The five-time G1 winner took out the Arima in 2012 and ran third last year. This year he won his second G1 Takarazuka Kinen in a row.
This is his first race following his run in the G1 Arc de Triomphe.
Another Arc runner Just A Way took on the Japan Cup after returning from his second at Longchamp.
He is primed for the Arima at Nakayama where he has garnered one win and one third from two previous runs.
Trainer Naosuke Sugai says, “He has experience at Nakayama and has shown he can stay the distance. This may be his last run and he’s in the right shape to give it his best.”
Gentildonna ran fourth in the Japan Cup on a rain-affected track which dulled the late speed of the two-time Japan Cup winner.
It will be her first run at Nakayama. Gentildonna has not been worried by previous debut runs at a new venue and Nakayama could prove no more formidable for this globe-trotting six-time G1 champion.
Coming off two wins in a row is the Deep Impact-sired Last Impact, who ran fourth to Epiphaneia in the G1 Kikuka Sho last year.
Last Impact has since captured three graded-stakes races including a win of the G2 Kinko Sho (2000m) at Chukyo.
Fenomeno, though he missed the board in his last two races following his win of the Tenno Sho Spring, will welcome a return to Nakayama where he has notched two wins from five starts, with one of the wins a G2 over 2500m.
One And Only and To The World lead the 3-year-old generation challenging the older horses.
One And Only won a G2 over 2400m in September but was unlucky to be affected by the breakdown of Trading Leather in the Japan Cup last start.
In this year’s G1 Satsuki Sho (2000m), To The World ran second beating One And Only who ran fourth.
Although only 16th in his last run, the G1 Kikuka Sho (3000m), the shorter distance and lighter weight in the Arima will be two factors in his favour.
