CREAM OF THE CROP GATHER AT NAKAYAMA RACECOURSE
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 02:35PM 
Victoire Pisa
(Photo : Japan Racing Association)
ARIMA KINEN (Grade 1)
Nakayama, Turf, 2500m
25 December 2011
Sunday’s G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse is to Japan what the Kentucky Derby is to the US, the Melbourne Cup to Australia, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to France.
Racing fans are asked to contribute to the composition of the field, and 8 of the 10 top vote-getters will face the starter on Christmas Day, including the last two winners of the G1 Japan Cup, the reigning G1 Dubai World Cup hero, Victoire Pisa (Jpn) (Neo Universe), and a Japanese Triple Crown victor, Buena Vista (Jpn) (Special Week), who made amends for a disqualification in the 2010 Japan Cup by taking this year’s renewal and could go off a slender favorite in a race which attracted the better part of a half-billion (yes, billion) dollars in turnover last year.
Rose Kingdom (Jpn) (King Kamehameha), promoted to the 2010 Japan Cup win, reopposes here. Buena Vista, who makes her final career start, drew the inside gate. Alongside her is Victoire Pisa (Jpn) (Neo Universe), who led home a one-two finish for the island nation in the World Cup this past March. Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold) swept the G1 Satsuki Sho, G1 Tokyo Yushun and G1 Kikuka Sho to complete the Triple Crown. The Arima Kinen marks his first start against older rivals.
FINAL FIELD
| # | Horse | Sire | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buena Vista (Jpn) | Special Week (Jpn) | Iwata | Matsuda |
| 2 | Victoire Pisa (Jpn) | Neo Universe (Jpn) | Demuro | Sumii |
| 3 | Hiruno d’Amour (Jpn) | Manhattan Café (Jpn) | Fujita | Kon |
| 4 | Pelusa (Jpn) | Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) | Ando | Fujisawa |
| 5 | Eishin Flash (Jpn) | King’s Best | Lemaire | Fujisawa |
| 6 | King Top Gun (Jpn) | Mayano Top Gun (Jpn) | Shibata | Sameshima |
| 7 | To the Glory (Jpn) | King Kamehameha (Jpn) | Fukunaga | Ikee |
| 8 | Rose Kingdom (Jpn) | King Kamehameha (Jpn) | Goto | Hashiguchi |
| 9 | Orfevre (Jpn) | Stay Gold (Jpn) | Ikezoe | Ikee |
| 10 | Tosen Jordan (Jpn) | Jungle Pocket (Jpn) | Williams | Ikee |
| 11 | Jaguar Mail (Jpn) | Jungle Pocket (Jpn) | Shii | Hori |
| 12 | Earnestly (Jpn) | Grass Wonder | Sato | Sasaki |
| 13 | Red Davis (Jpn) | Agnes Tachyon (Jpn) | Take | Otonashi |
| 14 | Rulership (Jpn) | King Kamehameha (Jpn) | Mndzabal | Sumii |
Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News
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