Horse Racing

Arima Kinen Preview: The Final G1 Race of 2025

Regaleira has a shot at becoming only the fifth horse to win the Arima Kinen in back-to-back years. Symboli Kris S was the most recent repeat winner in 2003.

by
JRA News
December 26, 2025

With the Hopeful Stakes scheduled for Saturday, December 27, racegoers can welcome the Grade 1 Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) back to its traditional spot as the year's final G1 race in Japan. The 70th running of the Arima Kinen is on Sunday.

A full gate of 16 from 22 nominees is expected in the iconic race at Nakayama Racecourse, as they vie over 2,500 meters of turf for Japan's biggest purse. It matches the Japan Cup, with a first-place prize of ¥500 million JPY ($3.2 million USD) and a total value of ¥1.09 billion (about $7 million).

The Arima Kinen field is chosen in part by fan balloting and 2025's No 1 pick ― 2024 winner Regaleira ― received over 612,700 votes from fans (more than three times what she had in 2024) as the horse they most wanted to see compete.

Regaleira, and five more from fans' Top 10 choices have been included in the nominees. The others are Meisho Tabaru (fans' No 4 pick), Justin Palace (sixth in the balloting), Museum Mile (No 7), Danon Decile (No 8) and Redentor (the 10th pick).

Information on the Arima Kinen

Run over the Nakayama inner course, the iconic race starts at the end of the backstretch on a part of the outer course just before the far bend. With the field immediately having to jockey for position, horses drawn wide are at something of a disadvantage. That is the reason behind the Arima maximum field of only 16.

The field passes before the grandstand and circles around once again. A slope in the homestretch begins 200 meters before the finish line and rises two meters in less than 150 meters. The ground continues to rise halfway through the turn into the backstretch. After that, it's all downhill until just before the turn off the backstretch, where it more or less flattens until the homestretch again. The two laps and the second hill at the end make for an especially challenging test of skill and stamina.

This race is open to 3-year-olds and up, including geldings. The two 3-year-old colts and two females expected in Sunday's final lineup will carry 56 kg each, with the rest of the field racing under 58 kg. Post time is 3:40 PM for the Arima Kinen, the 11th race on the Sunday card of 12 at Nakayama.

Here's a look at those horses gaining attention:

Regaleira in Pursuit of Another Arima Kinen Win

The Suave Richard-sired Regaleira clinched her third G1 victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup on November 16, adding to her wins of the 2023 Hopeful Stakes and 2024's Arima Kinen. After becoming the first 3-year-old filly in 64 years to win the Arima Kinen, Regaleira was discovered to have suffered a fracture. She didn't race again until the June 15 Takarazuka Kinen, where she finished in 11th place, her first double-digit result.

Regaleira, however, made a successful return. She was back in the winner's circle three months later in the Grade 2 Sankei Sho All Comers over 2,200 meters at Nakayama.

If she can notch a second win in a row of the Arima Kinen, Regaleira will join only four other horses that have done so ― Speed Symboli (Japan's first runner in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe), Triple Crown champion Symboli Rudolf, Grass Wonder and Symboli Kris S. Regaleira also would become the very first filly/mare to land back-to-back Arima Kinen victories.

In 2024, the filly was paired with Keita Tosaki. But her expected partner on Sunday will be Christophe Lemaire, currently atop the JRA jockey rankings with a total 138 firsts, seven wins ahead of second-place Tosaki.

Danon Decile Shows Racing Skills at G1 Level

A 4-year-old son of Epiphaneia, Danon Decile has two wins from four starts in 2025. He has posted victories in two two G1s thus far, (the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) at Tokyo and the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan. And he has only missed the board once in his career.

Third here in 2024 and coming off a third-place finish in the Japan Cup three months after returning from England, the big chestnut has had an extremely demanding schedule. This was especially true with the effort it took to finish a mere 0.5 seconds behind the record-setting Calandagan in the Japan Cup. Danon Decile also had to deal with Masquerade Ball crashing into him after the two had passed the finish line, in what was a bizarre confrontation that unseated both Lemaire and Tosaki.

Tosaki, who has ridden Danon Decile's last four starts, is expected up on Sunday.

Museum Mile Vying for 2nd Career Victory

2025 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) champion Museum Mile is a progeny of 2015 Asahi Futurity Stakes winner Leontes, whose promising racing career was cut short by tendonitis as a 3-year-old. Leontes' son is now eyeing his second big title. In his three starts following the Satsuki Sho, Museum Mile was 6-2 at the top level, first in the Japanese Derby and, in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), where he competed against older horses for his first time. In between those two big tests, he won the Grade 2 St Lite Kinen over 2,200 meters at Nakayama.

Having passed on the last of the 3-year-old classics, the Arima Kinen will be his longest race (by 100 meters) to date. The colt is said to be in good condition, filled out and fresh.

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

Author: JRA News