Japan Cup 2013

November 24, 2013 - 1 ½ miles (2400 meters), Turf, 3yo +, Tokyo, Japan

Preview: November 21, 2013

The Japan Cup is one of the richest and most prestigious horse races of the world, but this year only a few of the big guns will show up at the Tokyo Racecourse on November 24th. Neither this years Arc second and fourth Orfevre and Kizuna nor Japanes St Leger winner Epiphaneia or recent Tenno Sho gainer Just A Way will participate.
So everything indicates a duel between defending champion Gentildonna and Gold Ship who has beaten Gentildonna in the Takarazuka Kinen earlier this year. Biggest threat of the two should be Eishin Flash, may be the stayer Admire Rakti or even the three-year-old Denim and Ruby.
The three foreign contenders Dunaden, Joshua Tree and Simeon won’t have more than an outside chance, not only because no foreign horse made it under the first three of the Japan Cup since 2006 and also the Arc-winners Danedream and Solemia failed to do so the past two years.

Gentildonna won the Japan Cup 2012, but she has not been in that tremendous last year’s form yet. Though she became second in the Dubai Sheema Classic she disappointed when finished only third in the Takarazuka Kinen at the end of June. After a break the Sei Ishizaka-trained filly lost by four length to Just A Way in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) on unloved soft ground recently. Ryan Moore will ride last year’s filly’s Triple Crown champion for the first time, he hopes for firm ground.
Gold Ship won the Japanese 2000 Guineas, the Japanese St. Leger and the Arima Kinen last year. In June he easily became first in the Takarazuka Kinen more than three lengths ahead of Gentildonna. After a four month break he disappointed with a fifth place in the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten in early October, but probably needed this outing and will arrive in top form at the Japan Cup.
Eishin Flash defeated great Japanese horses like Victoire Pisa, Rose Kingdom or Rulership when won the derby in 2010, never finished better than 8th in his three appearances at the Japan Cup though, also got beaten by Gold Ship in last year’s Arima Kinen. But the six-year-old colt ended his summer break with a win in the Mainichi Okan (Grade 2) and looked well in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) afterwards. In that race he was hemmed, still managed a third place behind Gentildonna, displayed decent final speed again.
Tosen Jordan finished second in the Japan Cup 2011, also became runner-up half a year later in the Tenno Sho (Spring). But the seven-year-old colt has disappointed in his two only starts this year, came a distant eleventh in the Tenno Sho (Autumn).
Denim and Ruby is the only three-year-old in the field and besides Gentildonna the only filly. Like Gentildonna she is a daugther of Deep Impact. Unraced as a two-year-old she displayed powerful drives down the stretch several times, still need to show a lot more in her first clash with the other gender.
In the above mentioned Kyoto Daishoten Gold Ship finished behind the outsiders Hit The Target, Uncoiled and Admire Rakti. While Hit The Target could not confirm this success in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), Uncoiled became fourth in that race a neck behind Eishin Flash. Stayer Admire Rakti showed a powerful late charge when became runner-up in the Grade 2 Copa Republica Argentina (2500m) recently.
Two of the three foreign horses took part in the Melbourne Cup. Simeon ended on a strong fourth place, he usually runs beyond 3.000 meters. Dunaden past the line far behind him in Australia, he had won the Melbourne Cup and the Hong Kong Vase two years ago, but hasn't shown much since. Ed Dunlop's Joshua Tree just won the Canadian International Stakes for the third time in October, but had been without a chance in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe before.

The Japan Cup is run on the Tokyo Racecourse since 1981. The final straight (Tokyo stretch) of the undulating course has an exceptional length of 525 meters and rises two meters for the first 225 meters.
The last foreign horse that could win the Japan Cup was Alkaased ridden by Frankie Dettori in 2005, his record time 2:22.1 still stands.

Important Japanese races 2012 and 2013:


Find the complete list of Japanese graded races on Horse Racing Japan.