Almond Eye is Cherry Atop a Strong Arima Kinen Field

Japanese fans got almost everything they wished for in the Dec. 22 Arima Kinen (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse, and punters the world over will get a good look at Japan's likely international competitors for 2020 and beyond.

The prospective field for the last major race of the year for older horses—also known as the Grand Prix—was spectacular even before Almond Eye dropped in late. The 4-year-old Lord Kanaloa filly, Japan's reigning Horse of the Year, was to contest the Dec. 8 Longines Hong Kong Cup (G1) at Sha Tin, but an ill-timed fever prevented her from traveling.

So Almond Eye's enthusiastic Japanese fans will get what they wanted—another look at her in action before the calendar turns.

That desire is documented. The Arima Kinen is one of two annual races in which fans vote for the horses they want to see in the field. Despite her late rerouting, Almond Eye was the No. 1 choice with nearly 110,000 votes. Eight of the fans' top 10 choices and 10 of the top 13 were nominated to the field.

Jockey Christophe Lemaire, who journeyed to the Miho Training Center a week out from the race to work Almond Eye, said the filly seems healthy now.

"Her movement was very good this week," Lemaire said. "She easily took the lead and she had a whole lot more left over. She's in good shape. … There are a lot of horses that pose a threat, but I still think she's the best horse I've ridden." 

The runner-up in the fan voting is also in the field. Lys Gracieux is a 5-year-old Heart's Cry mare who won the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) in June and the Oct. 26 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (G1) in Australia.

"It's not just about entering a horse here," said Lys Gracieux's trainer, Yoshito Yahagi, who saddles his first Arima Kinen starter. "It's about the fans as well and having a horse they want to see run. 

Suave Richard wheels back from his Nov. 24 victory in the Japan Cup (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse. He could be the first to turn the Japan Cup/Arima Kinen double since Deep Impact in 2006. Oisin Murphy, who gets the return call, sounded confident before getting his gate wish, drawing post 2.

"Ideally, I would be drawn toward the inside and be running close to the pace," said Murphy, whose split-second decision-making in the stretch was crucial to the Japan Cup result. "I think Almond Eye will make a simple run up the outside, so I would like to have the most ground-saving trip I can get. I don't think the course is tricky. I can handle it, no problem."

Fierement won the Tenno Sho Spring (G1) in only his sixth start. The 2017 Japan Cup winner, Cheval Grand, returns after finishing ninth in this year's Cup.

Saturnalia, winner of last December's Hopeful Stakes (G1) for 2-year-olds, remains a fan favorite, gets a weight break, and has Christophe Soumillon in the irons.

Another 3-year-old, World Premiere, won the Kikuka Sho (G1) in his first top-level bid after passing up the spring classics. Yutaka Take will ride the Deep Impact colt. Velox, another sophomore, defeated World Premiere in a grade 2 event a month before the Kikuka Sho. The Just a Way colt will be partnered by Yuga Kawada.

The Arima Kinen is run right-handed at 2,500 meters (about 1 5/16 miles) on the Nakayama turf. It starts on the outer course, circles past the grandstand for a circuit of the inner course, and finishes with a steep climb through the final 200 meters. The race is open to international runners, but none were entered.

While a few of the starters—notably 7-year-old Cheval Grand—are nearing the end of their careers, the younger rivals already have significant international experience. Following a year when Japanese runners scored group 1 wins as far afield as Australia, Hong Kong, and England, much will be expected in 2020.

Arima Kinen contenders Kiseki and Fierement competed in this year's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Longchamp, with Kiseki finishing seventh and Fierement reporting last on the testing turf. Almond Eye was a candidate for the Arc, but her midyear schedule was curtailed as she recovered from a Dubai trip.

Cheval Grand was not embarrassed while racing in England and Dubai, and Suave Richard was third in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on World Cup Night. In addition to the Cox Plate triumph, Lys Gracieux has a second and third to show from two trips to Hong Kong's rich group 1 races.