Arima Kinen 2015

December 27, 2015 - 1m 4½f (2,500 meters), Nakayama, Japan

Preview: December 25, 2015

The horse race with the highest betting turnover worldwide will be the last race for Japan's probably best-liked horse Gold Ship. And it would not come as a complete surprise, would the grey win the Arima Kinen for the second time.
While Japan Cup winner Shonan Pandora will miss the race due to an injury, Lovely Day will be the top favourite again. In Kitasan Black and Lia Fail he will face two strong three-year-olds this time, who had skipped the Japan Cup in favour of the Arima Kinen.

After winning the Takarazuka Kinen, the Kyoto Daishoten and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) impressively, Lovely Day had entered the 2015 Japan Cup as clear favourite, where he then got narrowly beaten by Shonan Pandora and the outsider Last Impact. Because Shonan Pandora will now miss the Arima Kinen Lovely Day will be the first favourite in Nakayama again. Still it is a question, if he will have the necessary form at the end of a long season.

Gold Ship disappointed in the Japan Cup, but he had just terminated a long break and had never really handled the Tokyo track anyway. With that race in his legs the grey should now be fit for his very last performance. The grey already won the Arima Kinen in 2012, finished third 2013 and 2014. At the beginning of this year Goldship had proved his staying ability by winning the Hanshin Daishoten (Gr.2, 3,000 m) and the Tenno Sho (Spring) (Gr.1, 3,200 m). Afterwards he missed the start in the Takarazuka Kinen before he had a five month break.

No three-year-old cold took part in this year's Japan Cup, two of them will be serious contenders in the Arima Kinen. After his win over Real Steel in the Hanshin St Leger-Trial (2,400 m) Lia Fail entered the Japanese St Leger (3,400 m) as favourite, where he crossed the line narrowly behind Kitasan Black. Due to the short time between both events both colts left out the Japan Cup, they will no come well rested to Nakayama. Traditionally horses who were successful in the St Leger have often performed well in the Arima Kinen.

Also aged three is the filly Rouge Buck, who was regarded clear favourite in the Japanese Guineas and Oaks earlier this year. Due to an injury she missed almost half a year before getting fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Gr.1, 2,200 m) in November. That race was won by the four-year-old Marialite, like Shonan Pandora a daughter of Deep Impact, who run most of her career on dirt. Gold Actor, winner of the Copa Republica Argentina (Gr.1, 2,500 m) on November 8 is four years of age too. The cold got third in last year's St Leger and was recently rested in the Japan Cup to be fit for the Arima Kinen.

Ten of the sixteen Arima Kinen starters are selected by a fan vote, the remaining six are specified by their amount of prize money. The Arima Kinen is an extremely popular event in Japan, 166,000 visitors are expected on the Nakayama racecourse.

To watch a video of the race without knowing the result you can go to Japanracing, look for Arima Kinen and click on the video button.