Champions Cup (G1) - Preview

Awardee

Nonkono Yume

Copano Rickey

Apollo Kentucky (yellow cap)

Gold Dream

Hokko Tarumae

Sound True

Roi Jardin

The top-level action continues this week at Japan Racing Association venues, but moves from Kitasan Black’s spectacular wire-to-wire victory in the Japan Cup at Tokyo to Nagoya’s Chukyo Racecourse for the Champions Cup. It is one of only two JRA Grade 1 races held at Chukyo and one of only two JRA Grade 1s run over dirt.

The Champions Cup is in its third year under its current name and under its present conditions, over 1,800 meters on dirt and on a left-handed track. The race is, however, the reincarnation of the Japan Cup Dirt and thus is said to this year mark its 17th running. The Champions Cup boasts a first-place prize of 97 million yen and a total purse of nearly 210 million yen. The race is open to 3-year-olds and up, includes geldings, and a maximum field of 16 runners is permitted.

A special appeal of the Champions Cup is the fact that it showcases not only top dirt runners in the JRA-sponsored races, but many of the winners and top finishers from the biggest races sponsored by local government operated (NAR) tracks throughout Japan. This year is no exception. Although there are no representatives from overseas, the lineup glitters with class acts, gems of dirt racing in Japan.

This year’s 17 nominees include four Grade 1 dirt champions, including the winningest of them all, Hokko Tarumae, back for his fifth bid in the race and seeking his second win. The winners of the top races from the municipal tracks are out in force as well, with the Kashiwa Kinen, Teio Sho winner and two-time Grade 1 winner Copano Rickey just off a win of the Nanbu Hai in Morioka. Awardee, winner of the JBC Classic at Kawasaki, is looking to add to fill out his current six-race winning streak with a lucky seven.

The Champions Cup will be the 11th race on the Sunday, Dec. 4 card of 12 at Chukyo Racecourse. Post time is set for 15:30 local time. Here is a look at the expected top picks in this year’s Champions Cup.

Awardee, a 6-year-old by Japanese Derby winner Jungle Pocket and out of Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner Heavenly Romance, is expected to be the race favorite and may just give Yutaka Take, who has ridden Awardee for his last six races, his second big win in as many weeks. Currently 10 for 23, the American-bred Awardee just beat Hokko Tarumae to the line by 3/4 length in the JBC Classic at Kawasaki on Nov. 3. The win of the 2,100-meter JBC Classic followed wins in Awardee’s last six races, all over dirt following a move from turf and over distances from 1,800 to 2,100 meters. Awardee is trained by former jockey Miko Matsunaga, who rode Heavenly Romance to her win of the Tenno Sho (Autumn).

“It was a very strong win last out,” Matsunaga said. “This will be his first time over the Chukyo 1,800 meters and I think the lap times will be quite different from that last race. We’ll just have to see how well he can handle it. I’m considering him a challenger in this year.”

Nonkono Yume, a 4-year-old gelding by Twining is 6-for-14 and just off a fourth-place finish in the JBC Classic. Runnerup to Sambista in last year’s Champions Cup, Nonkono Yume has scored two seconds and two fourths since then. Paired with Christophe Lemaire over his last nine outings, he is expected to have Ryan Moore in the saddle this start. “He’d lost a lot of weight for his last start but I think it was due to the haul to the track and not due to his having been gelded,” trainer Yukihiro Kato of Miho Training Center said. “That said, he was very quiet in the paddock, unlike earlier races. This time out, I’m hoping to get him to hold back patiently and then bring him wide in the stretch.”

Seventh in last year’s Champions Cup, the Gold Allure-sired Copano Rickey is back for his third Champions Cup, having finished 14th in 2014. Lemaire looks set to take the reins this time out after Hironobu Tanabe guided Copano Rickey to a win of the Nanbu Hai at Morioka on Oct. 10 and to a fifth-place finish in the JBC Classic at Kawasaki last out. Take was paired with Copano Rickey for his wins of the Kashiwa Kinen and Teio Sho earlier this year after they finished seventh in the Grade 1 February Stakes at Tokyo. “I think the slow pace affected him last time out. We move now to Chukyo and I’d like to see a race like he had for his win of the Tokai Stakes there,” trainer Akira Murayama of Ritto Training Center said.

Apollo Kentucky, a 4-year-old American-bred by Langfuhr hails from the Ritto stable of Kenji Yamauchi. Stepping up to his first Grade 1 challenge off a win of the 1,800-meter Grade 3 Miyako Stakes at Kyoto, Apollo Kentucky has seven wins from 17 starts thus far, in addition to three seconds and two thirds. “He’s a big horse,” Yamauchi said, “and if you put the brakes on somewhere, it’s hard getting his engine going again afterward. So, last out, running on the outside helped, as did the 56 kg he was carrying. It’ll be his first time at Chukyo and we’ll see how well he can do.” Apollo Kentucky will run under 57 kg this time.

Gold Dream, a 3-year-old colt by Gold Allure has yet to finish out of the money in his seven career starts. He has four wins, one third and two seconds, including a second in his latest outing, the mile Grade 3 Musashino Stakes at Tokyo on Nov. 12. Mirco Demuro, who rode Gold Dream’s last start, is pegged for the ride on Sunday.

Not to be forgotten is veteran Hokko Tarumae, who ran third in the Nanbu Hai and second last out in the JBC Classic to Awardee. Now 7 years old, Hokko Tarumae is looking none the worse for wear and has superior stubbornness on his side.

The 6-year-old gelding Sound True is winless this year but has made the top three spots in all but one of his five 2016 outings. He ran third in the Champions Cup last year and finished only a neck behind Nonkono Yume after being forced wide and over extra ground for most of the race. Roi Jardin, a 5-year-old by King Kamehameha, is back as well after a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes. Fourth in last year’s Champions Cup, Roi Jardin drew the outside gate last year, raced from the rear, but managed a gutsy squeeze-through in the stretch to finish in fourth place. A draw more to the inside would stand him well.