Like the Melbourne Cup the Arima Kinen is a race that stops a nation and with Orfevre having his final outing this years race will be keenly anticipated across the thoroughbred world.
Voted number 1 in the public poll (the public can nominate the runners) the five year old 2011 Japanese triple crown winner and also winner of this in 2011 comes here off the back of another second in the Arc where he went down 5 L to Treve.
Last year in the Arc he looked the winner only to throw it away by idling. He returned to run in the Japan Cup in November going down a nose to the wonderful Gentildonna but this year he’s had a further month to recuperate from his travels to Europe and his trainer Yasutoshi Ikee reports “He’s very calm – almost too calm by his standards.”
Gold Ship last years winner will be ridden by Ryan Moore who won the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes a juvenile G1 in Japan last week. Gold Ship was beaten 8 L in the Japan Cup and hasn’t won since June when he took the summer Grand Prix, The Takarazuka Kinen. He’ll be fitted with blinkers for the first time and in his final piece of work Ryan found him impressive.
Admire Rakti will be ridden by another foreign jockey in Craig Williams who has plenty of experience having ridden in this the last two years. The partnership only went down a1 L in the Japan Cup when fourth, the same place he recorded in the Tenno Sho in October.
Tosen Jordan also trained by Yasutoshi Ikee finished third last time out when ridden by William Buick in the Japan Cup. The partnership hasn’t survived with Hiroyuki Uchida back in the plate but the seven year old is in top form and could produce here again.
Others to watch out for are Win Variation runner up to Orfevre on three occasions and To The Glory who’ll be ridden by Christophe-Patrice “Starcraft” Lemaire.
This field is dominated by five year olds with seven of the sixteen runners however four year olds have a better win ratio than their elders over the last ten years, 2.8% 5 yo, 18.8% 4 yo.
There’s only two four year olds running this year. Love Is Boo Shet and Gold Ship. Yutaka Take rides Love Is Boo Shet who is stepping into G1 company for the first time and will start at long odds.
If the blinkers concentrate the mind of Gold Ship with Ryan Moore in the saddle the pair may prove the more reliable answer to spoil the Orfevre final party.
Recommendation : Gold Ship win bet on the PMU