The Yasuda Kinen, the final G1 race of the five consecutive weeks of top level action at Tokyo racecourse will be run on Sunday.

One of the best mile races on the Japanese racing calendar, the G1 Yasuda Kinen rounds out a great series of races which has included the Japanese Oaks and the Derby.

The Yasuda Kinen is named after the first president of the JRA, Izaemon Yasuda, and this will be the 66th running of the race, which became a Japanese G1 event in 1984 and an international G1 race in 1993.

It’s a race for 3YOs and up but among the nominations this year no 3YO will take on the race.

The nominated Danon Platina misses the race with a hoof ailment and Magic Time has not recovered in time from her exertions in the Victoria Mile.

On the plus side, though, the race will live up to its international name, with the participation of Hong Kong’s Contentment, who chased home Japan’s Maurice last time in the G1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin in May.

The 6YO Australian bred gelding, trained by John Size, will be looking to turn the tables on the Japanese runner, whose meteoric rise to the top has been quite astounding.

Challengers from Hong Kong always deserve the utmost respect, with wins in 2000 (Fairy King Prawn) and 2006 (Bullish Luck).

Jockey Brett Prebble won on the latter, and he looks to be back again this time for the ride on Contentment.

Lead up races for the Japanese runners include the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup, the G2 Yomiuri Milers Cup, and the G2 Nakayama Kinen.

In the last 10 years, 5YOs and 6YOs have won the race three times apiece, and in the same decade four favorites have won, with the three most recent top picks obliging.

The top contenders include:

MAURICE: The sky seems to be the limit for this 5YO by Japan Cup winner, Screen Hero. He has seven consecutive wins to his name, including four G1s, and in JRA races alone has won prize money of ¥313 million. Further accolades include JRA Horse of the Year award in 2015, and a current world ranking which puts him at number three. Just to align the stars further, his trainer, Noriyuki Hori, has won the Yasuda Kinen three times in the last five years with Maurice claiming victory in the race last year.

REAL STEEL: Won the G1 Dubai Turf last start but will be having his first run at a mile. He’s three wins and four seconds from nine starts, and one of his wins has come over 1800m at Tokyo. The 4-year-old by Deep Impact is trained by leading trainer Yoshito Yahagi and Yuichi Fukunaga is scheduled to get the ride.

SATONO ALADDIN: Recent winner of the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup, Satono Aladdin has a good track record at Tokyo as the 5YO has finished first or second in four of his six races on the track. He was also fourth in last year’s G1 Mile Championship.

His trainer, Yasutoshi Ikee, said: “In his last race he started slowly, and it looked like with the pace he was going to have a hard time. But when you consider how he ran on down the straight for a final three furlong time of 32.4 seconds, you have to be impressed.”

DANON SHARK: The 8YO veteran by Deep Impact has now run three times in the Yasuda Kinen, with a best place finish of third in 2013. He’s coming off a good second in the G2 Milers Cup at Kyoto in April. His jockey is champion rider Yasunari Iwata.

ISLA BONITA: The 5YO by Fuji Kiseki is the 2014 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner. He has won six times from 16 starts, and he has won three times at 1600m.. He was third in last year’s G1 Mile Championship, and has finished ninth and fifth in two starts this year. His regular jockey, Masayoshi Ebina, thinks well of the horse. “There’s no change in his condition and everything’s been satisfactory so far. His races have been pretty good, and he’s the type that just needs to be given races to see what he can do.”

FIERO: Carrying the same colours of recent Derby winner Makahiki, the 7YO Fiero is trained by Hideaki Fujiwara. He’s raced twice in the Yasuda Kinen, finishing eighth on soft going in 2014, and fourth last year. In his one run this year, he finished fourth in the G2 Yomiuri Milers Cup in April.

LOGOTYPE: The 2013 Satsuki Sho winner is now a 6YO but has only had six starts over a mile. Out of those runs, he’s won twice and finished second and third in two of the other races. Trainer Tsuyoshi Tanaka recently said, “His condition is improving and his movement was good in last week’s training. Of course, the opposition’s going to be strong, but I’m looking forward to how he’ll do.” Logotype is coming off a second in the G3 Lord Derby Challenge Trophy over 1600m at Nakayama in April, and is looking to add to his already impressive prize money tally of ¥404 million.