Horse Racing: Arima Kinen

Kenichi Ikezoe owns the most wins in Arima Kinen history, placing first in 2009 (Dream Journey), 2011 (Orfevre), 2013 (Orfevre) and 2018 (Blast Onepiece). Frenchman Olivier Peslier is the only jockey to win The Grand Prix in three consecutive years. He did so aboard Symboli Kris S in 2002 and'03 and Zenno Rob Roy, a Sunday Silence-sired stallion,…

Just under two years ago, we ran an article about the'golden generation' of jockeys in France. Led by Christophe Soumillon (ironically, a Belgian), more and more French-based riders were being recognised internationally for their considerable talent in the saddle - and consequently getting the call for the world's greatest races. That momentum has…

Efforia justified his number-one vote in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama on Sunday, prevailing by three-quarters of a length over Deep Bond to bag the colossal first prize of more than £2 million. The Arima Kinen was designed to be a season-end grand prix, in which runners are selected by fan poll. Due to Covid-19 - the crowd at Nakayama was…

Japanese Racing: An Inspiration And A Warning (Pt. 1) Marked by high-volume wagering and widespread popularity, horse racing in Japan is rightly held up as one of the sport's worldwide success stories. Japanese racing's healthy reputation is both well-established and well-deserved, even as the industry is increasingly subject to many of the same…

Do Deuce triumphed under legendary 54-year-old rider Yutake Take in the world's biggest betting race, the Arima Kinen, which produced a whopping turnover of ¥55 billion (around £302m). Do Deuce, one of the two horses to lower the colours of the great Equinox, surged late at Nakayama to pip Stars On Earth to the ¥500 million (£3.17m) first prize,…

The second betting choice to-finally-build on a championship season in 2021 and a Classic-winning campaign last season, Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) was produced wide into the Nakayama straight by the ageless Yutaka Take and outbattled the positively ridden 4-year-old filly Stars on Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) to take out Sunday's G1 Arima…

Mark Smith - Sunday December 24 The winner of the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at two and Japanese Derby at three, Do Deuce (JPN) earned a Group 1 in the dying days of 2023 when guided by Yutaka Take to victory in Sunday's Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (2500m) at Nakayama. Stalking the pace set by Titleholder, Do Deuce and the 4-year-old mare Stars On…

Efforia (3-2) not only attracted a record number of votes from fans deciding the entries, but he also is the morning-line favorite to win the Grade 1, $5.6 million Arima Kinen, the Japan Grand Prix at Nakayama Racecourse, on Sunday at 1:25 a.m. EST. With 260742 votes, Efforia set a new record, topping Chrono Genesis's record from last year. This…

Chrono Genesis joined similarly Sunday Racing-owned stars Orfevre and Gentildonna on the Arima Kinen honour roll after landing the Grade 1 event at Nakayama on Sunday. The Takashi Saito-trained filly held the late challenge of Salacia to justify favouritism by a neck in the prestigious and unique event under Yuichi Kitamura. A limited crowd of 2542…

Japanese racing is hailing its latest superstar after three-year-old colt Equinox made mincemeat of a star-studded field for an emphatic victory in Japan's race of the season, the Arima Kinen at Nakayama on Christmas Day. Sent off 13-10 favourite under five-time champion jockey Christophe Lemaire, the son of the 2017 winner Kitasan Black surged…

Cox Plate winner Lys Gracieux has capped an amazing year for Australian jockey Damian Lane by winning the Grade One Arima Kinen at Nakayama. Having her final race before she heads to the broodmare barn, Lys Gracieux came out of the pack late to claim what was in the end a facile win over 2500 metres. The race was run at a solid pace with Aerolithe…

Equinox and Christophe Lemaire run away with the 2022 Arima Kinen Tenno Sho Autumn winner Equinox made it a second Group 1 success with a dominant victory in the Arima Kinen at Nakayama on Christmas Day. A son of Kitsan Black out of the winning King Halo mare Chateau Blanche, the Tetsuya Kimura-trained three-year-old was posting his fourth career…

Six runners from the fans' top choices, including Titleholder, Efforia and Equinox, plus Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) winner Geraldina are expected to also be the most popular betting options Sunday in the Grade 1, $6.5 million Arima Kinen, the 67th annual Grand Prix of Japan. Staged at Nakayama, the 1 9/16-mile race boasts Japan's top purse, which…

As the grand finale of the year, Sunday's $6 million Arima Kinen (G1) fittingly recapitulated a theme of the Japanese season: distaff dominance. Chrono Genesis, the 3-2 favorite, overtook Fierement in the betting and down the stretch, then held the furious rally of 74-1 longshot Salacia in the Arima Kinen's first-ever female exacta. Lucky Lilac…

Crack chaser Oju Chosan and the legendary Yutaka Take will tackle the Arima Kinen In 2017 Japanese punters placed more than ¥44 billion - around £312 million/€346m - on the outcome of the Arima Kinen, once again making it by some way the world's biggest betting race. To put that into context, turnover for the most popular contest with punters in…