By Heather Anderson
There will be no Autumn Triple Crown in Japan this year. Tenno Sho (Autumn) and Japan Cup hero Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), was retired to stud after a foreleg injury on Friday as the fan favourite for the G1 Arima Kinen. His absence, reduces the field to 15, however, the 2500-metre race still has nine Group 1 winners signed on.
Heading the ante-post betting is Urban Chic (Jpn) who will leave from stall three under Christophe Lemaire. The Silk Racing runner, one of two Suave Richard (Jpn) Group 1 winners in the field alongside Hopeful Stakes heroine Regaleira (Jpn), won the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) last out on Oct. 20. He is cutting back in trip 500 metres.
Lemaire said, “I rode him on Dec. 18 to check his responses, physical condition and such. I wanted to give him a good final workout without pushing him too much. Urban Chic has improved a great deal from the fall. He has matured and was much more powerful in the Kikuka Sho and won strongly. I think he'll do well here. I've won the Kikuka Sho and the Arima Kinen with a 3-year-old before, Satono Diamond [in 2016].”
Another 2024 Classic winner entering the fray is Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) hero Danon Decile (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), sixth to Urban Chic in the Kikuka Sho. Set to be ridden by Norihiro Yokoyama for Danox Co.–Danox also has Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the mix–the colt is looking for some redemption on Sunday.
Trainer Shogo Yasuda said, “This will be his first time facing older horses, and with the high caliber of the others, it's going to likely be the toughest race he's experienced so far. Of course, I've tried to prepare him such a way that he'll be able to handle it. I've been paying close attention to his mental state and am hoping he'll be able to show his stuff. I'm not particularly training him with any specific other horses in mind. I'm just focusing on him.”
Conquered by Do Deuce in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) when sixth in October, this spring's G1 Osaka Hai hero Bellagio Opera (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) could yet have a say in the Arima Kinen outcome. Third to Blow The Horn (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen, the 4-year-old colt will break from gate five under Kazuo Yokoyama.
Trainer Hiroyuki Uemura said, “Two weeks ago, I wanted to see how sharp his responses were, so we pushed him hard in work. The jockey [Kazuo Yokoyama] rode him on Dec. 11 and his condition has improved. Dare I say he's about where he was for the Osaka Hai. He has good racing sense and he's handled 2,400 meters well, so [the] key is going to be how he manages 2,500 meters.”
Second in this race to Do Deuce in 2023, dual Classic heroine Stars On Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) is hoping to bounce back after unplaced runs in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March, and in the Japan Cup to her old rival. She is joined by top-drawer winners and GI Breeders' Cup Turf second and third Rousham Park (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) and Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), while multiple group winner Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will provide some intriguing international form lines, as he finished second to Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G1 Cox Plate in October. Fresh off a victory in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Nov. 10, Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) steps beyond 2400 metres for the first time.
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