Japan Horse Racing Tips-Umanity.jp|JAPAN CUP(G1) is held this weekend

The lone foreign contenders for this year’s Grade 1 Japan Cup, Way To Paris (GB), arrived safely at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Thursday. The 7-year-old horse was transported to the quarantine facilities at the JRA Horseracing School Quarantine Center, where he arrived at 7:15 p.m., completing about a 27-hour journey from his home stable.

“The horse seems a bit tired from the transportation but he is full of energy,” said assistant trainer Zoe Pfeil. “The trainer has told me to just walk and shower him tomorrow (Nov. 20). We’ll see how he is and gradually pick up the pace of his training like we do back home. We will work him lightly for the first three days here and canter him from there on.”

Way To Paris, a 7-year-old horse by Champs Elysees and trained by Andrea Marcialis, has 7 wins from 36 career starts, including his first Group 1 victory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in June. He finished ninth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
The Japan Cup will be run on Sunday, Nov. 29 at Tokyo Racecourse, with a scheduled post time of 15:40 local time.

The first half of JRA’s 2020 fall season was filled with history-making accomplishments by Daring Tact (JPN, F3, by Epiphaneia), who became the first undefeated winner of the fillies’ Triple Crown by claiming the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m) on October 18; Contrail (JPN, C3, by Deep Impact), who became the first undefeated Triple Crown winner—since his sire 15 years ago—and third overall by taking the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1, 3,000m) on October 25; and Almond Eye (JPN, M5, by Lord Kanaloa), who won the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1, 2,000m) on November 1 to score an unprecedented eight G1 victories on turf (including one title overseas). The stream of record-breaking events against the backdrop of extraordinary difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with racecourses only just now beginning to accept limited numbers of spectators, adds special meaning to the 2020 season.

The fact that all three history-makers will be challenging the Japan Cup (G1, 2,400m) on November 29 will itself be an historic event. The connections of Daring Tact and Contrail both announced their Japan Cup intentions as of early November, setting the stage for triple crown winners of both genders to face off in this international G1 event. The last such matchup came in 2012, when 2011 Triple Crown winner Orfevre (JPN, by Stay Gold) and 2012 fillies’ triple champion Gentildonna (JPN, by Deep Impact) waged a fierce duel in which the latter edged the former by a nose. However, this year will mark the first-ever match between three-year-old winners who also are both undefeated and looking to extend their winning streaks against top turf runners. Adding further excitement to the race, connections of 2018 Japan Cup victor Almond Eye　announced the mare’s retirement as of the end of the season with the Japan Cup scheduled as her final race on November 12.

Daring Tact has had only five career starts since her fall debut last year, but following her debut win she scored an overwhelming victory in the Elfin Stakes (Listed, 1,600m), producing an impressive time over the mile to establish herself as a potential champion filly. In her G1 debut, the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m), the Epiphaneia filly overcame a slow track due to heavy rain that day and demonstrated a powerful turn of speed for her first classic title. In the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m), she encountered a number of disadvantages and struggled to find a clear path entering the stretch, but then rocketed into gear and closed rapidly in the final 300 meters to grab her second jewel. In the Shuka Sho following a summer break, the brown filly advanced gradually from well off the pace and finally pulled away to a convincing third G1 victory. Daring Tact, who was purchased for a modest ¥12 million in a yearling sale, was sired by Epiphaneia (JPN, Symboli Kris S), a Japan Cup winner in 2014. Also, her grand-dam Daring Heart (JPN, by Sunday Silence) was third in the 2005 Oka Sho.

Contrail gained recognition as a three-year-old classic hopeful last year. A G1 winner in his third career start in the year-end Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000m), the 2019 Best Two-Year-Old Colt kicked off his three-year-old campaign in the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1, 2,000m). After making up much ground on the outside from a rearward position, he out-dueled his biggest rival, Salios (JPN, C3, by Heart’s Cry), to win by a 1/2 length. He immediately validated the win in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m), he once again bested runner-up Salios, but this time by three lengths. Coming off an easy win in his fall debut, the Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2, 2,400m), the Deep Impact colt was pressured by Aristoteles (JPN, C3, by Epiphaneia) throughout the 3,000-meter trip but managed to hold off the rival by a neck at the wire for a well-deserved third title in the Kikuka Sho. Contrail was sired by legendary Deep Impact and his grand-dam Folklore (USA, by Tiznow) won the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Almond Eye, following her victory in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), was invited to run in the Hong Kong Cup (G1, 2,000m) on December 13 but the invitation was declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her success in the Japan Cup will depend on how well she can recover after her last start. A mare known to give her all and then burn out after each race, Almond Eye turned in a terrific performance this spring for an overwhelming victory the Victoria Mile (G1, 1,600m). Typically, in the Yasuda Kinen (G1, 1,600m) three weeks later, the Lord Kanaloa (JPN, by King Kamehameha) mare was out-finished to second by 2-1/2 lengths. While a slow break may have contributed to her loss, the short interval between the Victoria Mile and the Yasuda Kinen without any time off seems like a more plausible as reason. This time, the five-year-old mare was turned out to pasture after the Tenno Sho (Autumn) to give her an extra week of rest before the Japan Cup. Her trainer, Sakae Kunieda, kept a close watch on her condition before making his final decision to run her in the Japan Cup, where she will attempt not only to extend her G1 winning record but also to break the JRA record for career earnings held by Kitasan Black (JPN, by Black Tide).

In this year’s Japan Cup, Saturnalia (JPN, C4, by Lord Kanaloa) will threatens to end the winning streaks of his two famous three-year-old rivals and deny a ninth G1 title to Almond Eye. Winner of the Hopeful Stakes as a two-year-old and the Satsuki Sho last year, the Lord Kanaloa colt concluded the season with a runner-up effort in the Arima Kinen (G1, 2,500m) against his seniors. World Premiere (JPN, C4, by Deep Impact), another prominent four-year-old, won the 2019 Kikuka Sho and was third in the Arima Kinen. However, the son of Deep Impact struggled to regain his form thereafter, so the Japan Cup will be his comeback start.

Last year’s Japan Cup runner-up Curren Bouquetd’or (JPN, F4, by Deep Impact) will return for her second challenge. While yet to capture a graded title, she scored a win as a two-year-old and another at three in a listed race, and more recently has finished second in her last four starts, all graded, including the Shuka Sho, the Japan Cup and her previous start, the All Comers (G2, 2,200m) on September 27.

Glory Vase (JPN, H5, by Deep Impact), who landed his first G1 title with an overwhelming 3-1/2-length margin in the Hong Kong Vase (G1, 2,400m) at the end of last year, will also run in the Japan Cup after appearing to be in good form with a comfortable win in the Kyoto Daishoten (G2, 2,400m) on October 11. Kiseki (JPN, H6, by Rulership), who was second in the Kyoto Daishoten and then fifth in Tenno Sho (Autumn), his latest race, was second in the 2018 Japan Cup.

The Copa Republica Argentina (G2, 2,500m) on November 8 was won by Authority (JPN, C3, by Orfevre). Racing forwardly in third position, he drew away with 400 meters left for a 1-1/2-length victory, thereby becoming the fifth three-year-old, following 2017 winner Suave Richard (JPN, by Heart’s Cry), to win this G2 title. Suave Richard, incidentally, subsequently won the Japan Cup in 2019. The colt was diagnosed with a fracture to the long pastern bone on his left foreleg after his victory in the Aoba Sho (G2, 2,400m, May), but returning in the Copa Republica Argentina he immediately demonstrated his ability in this first challenge against older rivals. Authority will be aiming for the Arima Kinen, his next destination, on December 27. You Can Smile (JPN, H5, by King Kamehameha), fifth-place finisher in last year’s Japan Cup, carried a top weight (58kg) and finished fourth in the Copa Republica Argentina, where Meisho Tengen (JPN, C4, by Deep Impact), fifth in this year’s Takarazuka Kinen (G1, 2,200m, June), disappointed to 17th.

Other Japan Cup entries include:

Crescendo Love (JPN, H6, by Stay Gold), two-time G3 victor, and Mikki Swallow (JPN, H6, by Tosen Homareboshi), also a multiple grade-race winner, who were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the All Comers.
Perform a Promise (JPN, H8, by Stay Gold), victor in the Naruo Kinen (G3, 2,000m) in June, who is coming off a sixth in the Kyoto Daishoten.
Makahiki (JPN, H7, by Deep Impact), the 2016 Tokyo Yushun champion, who was sidelined after finishing 11th in the Osaka Hai (G1, 2,000m) in April.
Loves Only You (JPN, F4, by Deep Impact), last year’s Yushun Himba champion, who came off a third in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1, 2,200m) on November 15.
Taurus Gemini (JPN, C4, by King’s Best), who has registered 5-0-1 out of 22 starts at distances 2,000m and below and finished eighth in his previous start, the Fukushima Kinen (G3, 2,000m), on November 15.
Yoshio (JPN, H7, by Johannesburg), who will be making his first start on turf since racing just once, finishing eighth, in his two-year-old debut. He has a record of 6-4-11 out of 67 starts on dirt and is coming off a sixth-place finish in his previous start, the Mercury Cup (dirt, 2,000m) on July 21.

From France, Way To Paris (GB, H7, by Champs Elysees) will challenge the Japanese turf runners after finishing second to subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1, 2,400m) winner Sottsass (FR, C4, by Siyouni) in the Prix Ganay (G1, 2,100m) in June. After registering his first group-one title in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1, 2,400m), he was ninth in the Arc. To make the trip to Japan possible, the stable staff entered Japan in advance to complete the required two-week quarantine prior to the arrival of Way To Paris.

The Grade 1 action comes thick and fast at this time of year in Japan, and following on from the Queen Elizabeth II Cup last week, Hanshin Racecourse is once again the venue for this Sunday’s Mile Championship. The second leg of the Japan Autumn International Series, the race has attracted 17 nominations, and while all of them might not be specialist milers, it certainly looks to be shaping up into a great looking line-up. An international race since 1998, there were originally a couple of horses nominated from Aidan O’Brien’s stable in Ireland, but the final number will consist of Japanese horses only.

The race is for 3-year-olds and up, and will be run on the outer turf course at Hanshin. A couple of lead-up races to this year’s Grade 1 Mile Championship have been the Grade 2 Mainichi Broadcast Swan Stakes, run over 1,400 meters at Kyoto in October, and the Grade 2 Fuji Stakes, run over a mile at Tokyo, also in October. First favorites in the Mile Championship have had a dismal past ten years, with not one making it to the winner’s enclosure. Slightly less fancied runners (3rd, 4th and 5th favorites) have had a much better time of it. In the past decade also, 4-year-olds have won four times, and 5-year-olds have taken the honors three times.

Record time for the race is held by Danon Shark, who won in a time of 1 minute 31.5 seconds in 2014 at the race’s usual home, Kyoto Racecourse. This year’s prize money and incentive money will be paid to the first ten horses to cross the line, with JPY130 million (just over US$1 million) going to the winner. The final line-up and barrier draw for the 37th Mile Championship will be announced later in the week, and the big race will be Race 11 on the card at Hanshin this Sunday (November 22), with a post time of 15.40 here in Japan.
Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to head the market:

Gran Alegria - The 4-year-old filly by Deep Impact has put all before her this year, and has already won two Grade 1s, the Yasuda Kinen and the Sprinters Stakes. A third big race title is well within her grasp, and there’s confidence to match from the stable of trainer Kazuo Fujisawa. “She was in great condition for the Sprinters Stakes, and although she didn’t start so quickly, the blistering turn of foot she showed at the end of the race was quite amazing. She had a break at Northern Farm Tenei after the race, and since returning to the stable she’s been relaxed and in good order,” said assistant trainer Daisuke Tsumagari.

Indy Champ - Last year’s Mile Championship winner is back to try and make it a double, and there’s no doubt that the mile is what he excels at, having also won last year’s Yasuda Kinen. The 5-year-old by Stay Gold also boasts an impressive 50% win strike rate. Assistant trainer Kenichi Shono commented: “He had some pain in his right hindquarters, so we had to skip the Sprinters Stakes. In recent training he’s been working on the woodchip course, as the going on the uphill training track hasn’t been so good.” It’ll be the horse’s first race since he finished third in this year’s Yasuda Kinen, and his regular rider, Yuichi Fukunaga, is expected to be in the saddle once more.

Admire Mars - The Northern Farm bred 4-year-old by Daiwa Major is certainly a specialist miler, with all his six wins coming over this trip, including a win in the Grade 1 Hong Kong Mile last year. Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi thinks his third place finish in the Grade 2 Mainichi Broadcast Swan Stakes last time was a good tune-up for this race. “I don’t think it was a bad run last time, when he ran on strongly, despite the fast finishers down the outside. He had to carry 58kg, and he does take a bit of time to get into top gear, but all in all I think it was a good prep race before this one,” said Tomomichi.

Salios - An interesting entry here, Salios had his first run since the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in the Grade 2 Mainichi Okan over 1,800 meters at Tokyo in October, and scored a good win in the race. The 3-year-old by Heart’s Cry has never finished outside the first two in his six career starts. Trainer Noriyuki Hori commented: “He won well in the Mainichi Okan after being off for a while, and it just took him a bit longer to recover after that race. We’re just being careful with him and checking his condition as this race approaches.”

Resistencia - Off with an injury since finishing second in this year’s Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup in May, the 3-year-old filly has never finished out of the first three, and has three wins to her name from six starts. It might be a lot to ask first up here, but the stable thinks she’s in good form. “She had a break at the farm after the operation for the fracture she had. Since returning to the stable in the middle of last month, she’s been fine, and in a piece of work on November 4, she moved well and posted a good time on the uphill training track,” said trainer Takeshi Matsushita.

Lauda Sion - The Real Impact colt is another with a big chance this Sunday. He’s the winner of this year’s Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup, and finished second in his one run since, the Grade 2 Fuji Stakes over a mile at Tokyo in October. It’s looking like he will be ridden by Yutaka Take this time around. “The horse has gotten bigger since the summer and he was plus 16 kg for his last race, but that’s him developing. He has a tendency to lean, but he ran well right up to the finish in his last run, and I was pleased there wasn’t much difference when it came to taking on the older horses,” commented trainer Takashi Saito.

Vin de Garde - Jockey Keita Tosaki looks set for the ride on the 4-year-old colt by Deep Impact, and it will be an interesting combination, with the horse taking on his third Grade 1 race this time. He’s coming off a win in the Grade 2 Fuji Stakes over a mile at Tokyo in October. Assistant trainer Nobuyuki Tashiro said, “He got into the race well last time and relaxed throughout, before finally going on to win. He wasn’t tired after the race and he’s been settled and calm since.”

Katsuji - A surprise winner last time when he led all the way to win the Grade 2 Mainichi Broadcast Swan Stakes over 1,400 meters at Kyoto in October, the 5-year-old will next try to raise a few eyebrows here, if he can see out the extra 200 meters this time. He did finish fourth in the 2018 Mile Championship. “His condition improves with races, but he did better than expected in his last race. He ran confidently against the other good horses and managed to win with his front-running ability,” said assistant trainer Akishi Higashida.

Sound Chiara - Last but not least, the 5-year-old mare is looking to bounce back after her worst ever finish last time, when she was tenth in the Grade 2 Mainichi Broadcast Swan Stakes. Otherwise a model of consistency, the daughter of Deep Impact finished second in this year’s Grade 1 Victoria Mile back in May. Trainer Akio Adachi said, “She drew gate one last time and wasn’t able to be switched to the outside. She came out of the race fine, and with there being a short interval between races this time, I want to make sure she’s in top condition going into this one.”

Race favorite Lucky Lilac defended her title in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup to become the fourth mare to accomplish the feat following Mejiro Dober (1998-99), Admire Groove (2003-04) and Snow Fairy (2010-11) from Great Britain. She is the first horse to capture three G1 titles at Hanshin Racecourse, which include the 2017 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (1,600m) and this year’s Osaka Hai (2,000m). After her Osaka Hai victory in April, the 2017 Best Two-Year-Old Filly finished sixth in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1, 2,200m) in June and third in the following Sapporo Kinen (G2, 2,000m) in August before claiming her fourth G1 title in this race. This win marked trainer Mikio Matsunaga’s sixth career JRA-G1 title (including steeplechases) following Lucky Lilac’s Osaka Hai victory. Jockey Christophe Lemaire who partnered with the mare for the first time captured his 33rd JRA-G1 win following his Tenno Sho (Autumn) title with Almond Eye just two weeks ago and his second Queen Elizabeth II Cup title following his win in 2008 with Little Amapola.

Breaking smoothly from the outermost draw, Lucky Lilac settled in mid-division behind Loves Only You, around 12th from the front, edged forward toward the end of the backstretch and continued to advance turning the corners wide. The defending champion immediately made bid entering the corner, assumed command 300 meters out and held off the strong charges from behind in the last 100 meters to cross the wire a neck in front.

“The outermost draw was a concern but we were able to race smoothly and advance our position from the third corner. She was very composed and gave her usual turn of speed. We took the front early in the stretch but she held on well until the end. She’s a strong horse. She has been racing at the top level since her two-year-old season and I had confidence in her,” commented Christophe Lemaire

Fifth choice Salacia traveled wide toward the rear, around 14th, while eyeing the race favorite on the outside. The Deep Impact mare took a wide route rounding the final corner and dislodged a powerful late charge that timed the fastest last three furlongs to nail Loves Only You before the wire but was a neck short to finish second.
Third favorite Loves Only You traveled around 11th, made headway after being overtaken by the eventual winner and angled wide for the stretch run. The four-year-old bay showed the second fastest late charge to close in on the winner but had too much to make up while surrendering the runner-up seat to Salacia before the wire for third.

Other Horses:
4th: (12) Win Marilyn—tracked leaders in 3rd, ran willingly along rails, weakened in final strides
5th: (8) Centelleo—settled 3rd from rear, angled out, showed belated charge
6th: (4) Soft Fruit—sat in 5th, ran gamely until 200m pole, failed to sustain bid
7th: (5) Ria Amelia—tracked distant leader in 2nd, chased winner but weakened in last 200m
8th: (1) Shadow Diva—traveled around 7th along rails, outrun between 3rd and final corner, passed tired rivals
9th: (2) Something Just—took economic trip in 4th, boxed in turning last corners, even paced
10th: (16) Miss New York—ran around 9th, showed brief effort until 200m pole
11th: (14) Satono Garnet—settled in 2nd from rear, circled wide, never fired
12th: (3) Lune Rouge—saved ground around 9th, lacked needed kick while met traffic at 200m pole
13th: (15) Uranus Charm—sat 3-wide around 14th, advanced and entered in 3rd to lane, ran out of steam
14th: (9) Win Mighty—raced around 7th, met traffic 300m out, showed little
15th: (7) Rosa Glauca—broke poorly, hugged rails around 12th, found little room rounding last corners
16th: (6) Normcore—set pace, 5-6 lengths in front of rest of field in backstretch, faded after 200m pole
17th: (17) Espoir—traveled around 5th early, improved position, outrun after final corner
18th: (10) Caro Bambina—disadvantage at break, trailed in rear, no factor