The G1 Arima Kinen, with its eligible runners chosen by fan vote, is one of the most popular races in Japan. Its lucrative purse-the winner's share equal to that of the G1 Japan Cup-makes it enticing for horsemen and owners as well, and as such the first and third from this year's Japan Cup, Cheval Grand (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and Kitasan Black (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}), are back to face off again at Nakayama on Sunday. Kitasan Black, the $1.60 (3-5) favourite and reigning Japanese Horse of the Year, has done things the hard way this year. The winner of the G1 Osaka Hai and G1 Tenno Sho Spring-the latter over Cheval Grand-to open his 5-year-old campaign, Kitasan Black slipped to ninth in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at the end of June and was given the customary summer holiday. He had to call on all his reserves to best Satono Crown (Jpn) (Marju {Ire}) in a boggy G1 Tenno Sho Autumn on Oct. 29, and just four weeks later did all the hard work on the front end in the Japan Cup before being run down well inside the final furlong by Cheval Grand and Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). Kitasan Black finished third in this in 2015 and second last year, and looks to close out his career in style before heading to stud at Shadai next year. Trainer Hisashi Shimizu said he instructed Kitasan Black's work rider to push him hard last week and he was pleased with the result. “I'm getting pretty excited,” the trainer said. “Kitasan Black won the most fan votes by a landslide and he hasn't won this race yet. I very much want him to get good results this time.”
Hugh Bowman, named the Longine's World Best Jockey in the aftermath of his Japan Cup win, reunites with Cheval Grand. The 5-year-old was earning his first Group 1 win in the Tokyo feature and while he was sixth in this last year he was beaten just 2 3/4 lengths. Cheval Grand is a son of the Arima Kinen winner Heart's Cry, and previous wins over this trip and further suggest the distance won't be a problem. “In the shape he's in now, he should be able to handle the tighter turns of Nakayama,” said trainer Yasuo Tomomichi. “And I'm counting on Bowman to do it again.”
Kitasan Black's year-long rival Satono Crown looks to bounce back from a 10th-place finish in the Japan Cup. Sixth behind Kitasan Black in the Osaka Hai, Satono Crown bested both Kitasan Black and Cheval Grand in the Takarazuka Kinen before coming out a nose behind Kitasan Black in the Tenno Sho Autumn. Satono Crown contests the Arima Kinen for the first time, having sat it out last year in favour of the G1 Hong Kong Vase, which he won over Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and he gets the services of Ryan Moore on Sunday, under whom he won a Group 3 win 2014.
Looking to upset the favourites will be another son of Heart's Cry, the 3-year-old Suave Richard (Jpn). The chestnut finished second behind Rey de Oro in May in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), and while Rey de Oro went on to frank that form with his Japan Cup second Suave Richard has enjoyed a quieter campaign. He comes into this off a 2 1/2-length win over elders in the G2 Copa Republica Argentina on Nov. 5. and will enjoy a four-pound weight break on Sunday.
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