Horse Racing

Arima Kinen Preview: Fan Favorites Set to Compete in Grueling Test on Turf

Do Deuce, Danon Decile and Bellagio Opera were the top picks for the star-studded Arima Kinen, but Do Deuce withdrew with an injury two days before the race.

by
JRA News
December 20, 2024

The stage is set for the Grade 1 Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) on Sunday, December 22 at Nakayama Racecourse. A prize of ¥500 million JPY ($3.2 million USD) will be awarded to the horse that crosses the line first in this grueling test of ability and stamina over 2,500 meters of turf.

Twenty-two horses ranging in age from 3 to 8, including two mares, one filly and two geldings, were nominated for the race. Sixteen will go to the gate.

The Arima Kinen, along with the Takarazuka Kinen in June, are the two Japan Racing Association races for which the field is elected in part by the fans. This year, a record 478,415 votes were cast for one horse alone, five-time Grade 1 winner Do Deuce, who was forced to withdraw from the race due to a right forelimb strain, trainer Yasuo Tomomichi announced on Friday, December 20.

The top three in the balloting for the 69th running of the Arima Kinen were Do Deuce, winner of both 2024's Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Japan Cup, this year's Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner Danon Decile and 2024 Osaka Hai champ Bellagio Opera.

Following them are this year's Takarazuka Kinen winner Blow the Horn (fifth-most popular in the balloting), the 2024 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) winner Urban Chic (seventh), 7-year-old Deep Bond (eighth) back for his fourth Arima Kinen, two-time G1 winner Stunning Rose (ninth) and 2023 Tenno Sho (Spring) champion Justin Palace (10th).

What to Know About the Arima Kinen Course

The Arima Kinen is run to the right, over the Nakayama inner course. However, the actual starting point of the race is set outside the main backstretch in a chute that leads into the turn for home. This demands getting a good position early on in order to not have to cover extra ground over the already demanding distance of 2,500 meters. And it's part of the reason the field is open only to 16 runners. Nonetheless, the inner gates are thought to have an advantage.

The field passes before the grandstand and heads up the hill starting about 200 meters before the finish line and rising approximately 2.5 meters over the next 100 meters. Then it's once around, into the 310-meter homestretch again, and up the hill for the second time before crossing the finish line. Compared to Tokyo Racecourse's 2,400 meters, the relatively short stretch of Nakayama allows for some very exciting maneuvering.

The Arima Kinen is the 11th race on the Sunday card of 12 at Nakayama, with a post time locally of 3:40 PM. Assigned weights are 56 kg for 3-year-olds, 58 kg for 4-year-olds and up, and fillies and mares receive a 2-kg allowance.

Zenno Rob Roy's time of 2 minutes, 29.5 seconds set in 2004 remains the record for both the course and the race.

Here's a look at some of the main contenders:

Urban Chic, Lemaire Team Up for the Arima Kinen

One of two youngsters expected to be among the top picks on Sunday, is the 3-year-old Urban Chic, the reigning Kikuka Sho champion. After showing potential with a fourth in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), the son of Suave Richard disappointed in the Japanese Derby with an 11th-place finish out of 17 runners.

Urban Chic returned in the fall with renewed promise. And with new partner Christophe Lemaire, they proved a winning combination. The colt bagged his first graded-stakes win with the Grade 2 St Lite Kinen over the 2,200 meters at Nakayama, followed by his first top-level victory in the Kikuka Sho on September 16.

In his 17 bids, Lemaire has won the Arima Kinen three times, finished second five times and third twice.

Danon Decile Defied the Odds in the Japanese Derby

Another popular 3-year-old among the nominees is 2024 Japanese Derby winner Danon Decile. Withdrawn from the Satsuki Sho just moments before being loaded into the gate due to concerns that something was amiss, Danon Decile returned a month later and captured the Japanese Derby on May 26 by a two-length margin. It was a big surprise because he was the ninth pick of 17.

Returning in the autumn, the son of Epiphaneia (who finished fifth in the 2014 Arima Kinen) went unprepped into the final of the 3-year-old Classics, the 3,000-meter Kikuka Sho. Unable to show his best, he finished in sixth place.

Norihiro Yokoyama has ridden all the colt's six starts and is expected to have the ride on Sunday. If he can win, it'll be the veteran jockey's first Arima Kinen victory since 1996, when he won aboard Sakura Laurel.

Stunning Rose Chases Arima Kinen Glory

This 5-year-old daughter of King Kamehameha had been stunning indeed through most of her 3-year-old year, scoring a second and a first in the only two Classics she took on, the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and the Shuka Sho. But when up against older horses, Stunning Rose was no match, and slumped through her next three starts. She was given over 10 months off, and returned to slump through three more races.

A dizzying change in riders seemed to help little, but, last out on November 11, under yet a new partner Cristian Demuro, hope re-emerged as Stunning Rose bloomed victorious in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup. She has recorded two wins and a fifth at Nakayama, albeit over only 1,800-2,000 meters. This time, the reins are expected to go to new partner Ryan Moore.

Read the rest of this article about the Arima Kinen and the Japanese horses in contention on JRA News.

Author: JRA News