Absent Foreign Runners, 15 to Line Up for Japan Cup

With no foreign entries and star filly Almond Eye detoured to Hong Kong, the 39th running of the Japan Cup in Association with Longines (G1) is a wide-open affair with 15 starters ranging from a 3-year-old filly to a 7-year-old previous winner.

The Japan Racing Association attributes the first absence of an international contender to, among other factors, "the increasing standard of racing in Japan. … Japanese horses are becoming increasingly hard to beat."

The field assembled for the Nov. 24 race would, in fact, be a tough one for a traveler to crack, although a few days of pre-race rain might benefit the European visitors.

Among the runners set for the 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) around the Tokyo Racecourse turf are the 2016, 2017, and 2018 winners of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1)—Makahiki, Rey de Oro and Wagnerian—and 2017 Japan Cup winner Cheval Grand.

Cheval Grand, who also finished fourth (2018) and third (2016) in the Japan Cup, makes his first start in his homeland since Dec. 23, when he finished third in the Arima Kinen Grand Prix (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse. The 7-year-old son of Heart's Cry was second in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic Sponsored by Longines (G1) at Meydan, sixth in the QIPCO King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot, and eighth in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York. Oddly enough, the latter race was won by Japan.

"Two races ago, the ground was pretty bad, and I think that hurt," Cheval Grand's trainer, Yasuo Tomomichi, said after the barrier draw. "And last time out, I think the course suited him but the distance was a bit short. … As far as I can tell, he's well recovered from his travels."

Rey de Oro, one of three in the race by King Kamehameha, finished second to Cheval Grand in the 2017 Japan Cup, then skipped last year's renewal in favor of the Tenno Sho (Autumn, G1), his most recent win. He finished sixth in the Sheema Classic.

Wagnerian is one of four runners sired by Deep Impact, the 2006 Japan Cup winner and the country's dominant sire until his death this year. The 2019 Japan Cup has been designated the "Deep Impact Memorial" in his honor. Wagnerian seeks a jump start after finishing fourth and fifth in his past two starts. Makahiki has not won since September 2016.

Curren Bouquetd'or, a 3-year-old daughter of Deep Impact, benefits from a weight swing while testing older males for the first time. She was second in the Yushun Himba (G1, Japanese Oaks) and the Shuka Sho (G1) at Kyoto.

"I did think of running her in the all-female Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1)," trainer Sakae Kunieda said. "But she has done well at Tokyo, and the 53 kilograms (about 116.8 pounds) she'll be carrying puts her at an advantage." Her opponents carry 57 kg (125.6 pounds).

Although no international horses are competing, international riders will take up the slack. Nearly half the jockeys expected to ride were born outside Japan, including Ryan Moore (England), Oisin Murphy (Ireland), Christophe Soumillon (Belgium), William Buick (Norway), and Frankie Dettori (Italy).

The race starts at midstretch and is run left-handed. Around the first turn, Mount Fuji is visible in the distance, should two days of rainy weather lift in time. The long stretch run features a significant climb into the final sprint for the finish.