Champions Cup (G1) - Preview

Lemon Pop

Crown Pride

Wilson Tesoro

Sunrise Zipangu

Peptide Nile

Hagino Alegrias

Gaia Force

Seraphic Call

Dura Erede

Mick Fire

Rounding out the four Grade 1 races that make up the JRA’s Japan Autumn International Series, the Champions Cup will be run at Chukyo Racecourse near Nagoya this Sunday (December 1). It’s run on dirt over 1,800 meters at the left-handed track, and this year sees the 25th running of the race.
Originally called the Japan Cup Dirt, it’s been an international race since its inaugural year, when it was run at Tokyo in the year 2000, and the distance of the race then was 2,100 meters. It was later run at Hanshin from 2008 until 2013, after which the venue was changed to Chukyo, and at that time it then became known as the Champions Cup.
It’s a race for 3-year-olds and up, and has had a total of 29 runners from overseas so far, with America’s Fleetstreet Dancer the only foreign winner back in 2003. The last runner from abroad was Pavel in 2018, and although six American horses were nominated to run this year, none of them will be making the trip to Japan for this Sunday’s race.
That leaves the big race at the mercy of some of the best dirt horses currently running in Japan, and there have been 20 final nominations for a maximum 16 runner field. Notable winners of the race in recent years include Le Vent Se Leve (2018), Chrysoberyl (2019) and T O Keynes (2021). The first two mentioned won as 3-year-olds, and Chrysoberyl holds the record time for the race, which is 1 minute 48.5 seconds, while Le Vent Se Leve is now making a bit of a name for himself as a stallion.
In the last ten years, first favorites have only won three times, and in that same time period, 5-year-olds have won four times. Weights are set at 56kg for 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds and above carry 58kg, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares. This year’s winner’s check is JPY 120 million (in the region of USD 850,000).
One recent JRA race leading into Sunday’s race has been the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes, run over 1,800 meters at Kyoto early in November.
Post time for the Grade 1 Champions Cup is 15.30 local time, and it will be Race 11 on the twelve-race card at Chukyo. Final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later in the week.
Here’s a look at some of the horses expected to take on the race:

Lemon Pop: Last year’s winner of the race, and winner of last year’s JRA award for the Best Dirt Horse, Lemon Pop is back for another shot this year, and will be aiming to become just the second horse in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. Transcend accomplished the feat in 2010 and 2011. Recent comments on the horse from assistant trainer Hiroyuki Yamazaki were: “After the Nambu Hai, the horse went to the Darley Midway Farm for a break, and came back to the stable on November 5. His first work since returning was on the woodchip course. It’ll be his last race before retiring, and being the horse that won the first Grade 1 for the stable, we all hope he’ll show his best this time too.”

Crown Pride: The 5-year-old by Reach the Crown has a good record in dirt races, and last time successfully defended his title in the Grade 3 Korea Cup, with an overwhelming victory in the race. He was a bit disappointing in last year’s Grade 1 Champions Cup when he finished eleventh, but trainer Koichi Shintani hopes things will be different this time. “His result in the race last year wasn’t so good,” commented the trainer. “I think he was a bit tired after the race in Korea, so this year we’ve taken measures to make sure this isn’t the case. There’s a good feeling about him right now, and the gate he draws, and the start he gets, will be two of the main points this time.”

Wilson Tesoro: Coming off a strong win in the JBC Classic over 2,000 meters at Saga in early November, the 5-year-old by Kitasan Black will be hoping to go one better in this year’s Grade 1 Champions Cup, after finishing second last year. Trainer Hitoshi Kotegawa said: “The horse was in good condition for his last race, and we can now look to this next one with him. Jockey Yuga Kawada got everything right in his last run, and I was pleased with the win. The horse was tired after the 20-hour journey back from the course, but it wasn’t long before we had him running again as usual.” Yuga Kawada once again takes the ride on Wilson Tesoro.

Sunrise Zipangu: The 3-year-old colt by Kizuna ran in this year’s Grade 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and also the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), but is now taking on dirt races and proving that he can run well in them, with his recent win in the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes. “He got back to winning ways last time,” said assistant trainer, Masanari Tanaka. “Despite drawing a wide gate, the jockey did well, and the horse showed some good footwork. I think racing left-handed this time will make things smoother for him.” Jockey Yutaka Take will ride Sunrise Zipangu, and is looking for his fifth win in the Champions Cup, and consecutive weeks of Grade 1 wins, after bringing the house down at Tokyo last Sunday, when winning on Do Deuce in the Grade 1 Japan Cup.

Peptide Nile: A surprise winner of this year’s Grade 1 February Stakes, the 6-year-old by King Kamehameha has just had two runs since, and recently finished second to Lemon Pop in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai over a mile at Morioka. Trainer Hidenori Take said: “It was his first race in a while last time, but he’d done some good work in training, while we had to consider the long transportation to the track. I thought he ran well, and he’s since had a break at the farm and has come back to the stable in good condition.” If Peptide Nile wins this week, he’ll become the fifth horse to win the Grade 1 February Stakes and the Grade 1 Champions Cup in the same year. Yusuke Fujioka, the regular rider for Peptide Nile, will be the jockey this time too.

Hagino Alegrias: The 7-year-old by Kizuna has earned his connections over JPY 200 million in prize money, and gave trainer Hirofumi Shii his first graded race win, when winning the Grade 3 Sirius Stakes in 2023. He won the race again this year, as he makes it his prep race for the Grade 1 Champions Cup, in which he finished sixth last year. “I had to give him full marks last time, when he ran so well under the top weight of 59.5 kg,” the trainer said. “We sent him to the farm after that, with this race in mind for him next. Since returning, he’s worked solo on the uphill, and a week before the race we intend to have the jockey ride him.” His race jockey is Mirai Iwata, who has enjoyed success with Hagino Alegrias, but is still yet to win a JRA Grade 1 race.

Trainer Haruki Sugiyama sends his versatile runner, Gaia Force, to the race, and the 5-year-old finished fourth in this year’s Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen, as well as scoring a second-place finish in the Grade 1 February Stakes early in the year.
Top jockeys in this Sunday’s race include Cristian Demuro (Seraphic Call), Ryan Moore (Dura Erede), and Christophe Lemaire gets the ride on Mick Fire, the NAR horse that put together seven straight wins last year, and finished fourth to Lemon Pop in his last race, the Mile Championship Nambu Hai.

Regretfully, Ramjet, the up and coming 3-year-old colt by Majestic Warrior, will miss the race due to a stone bruise, and regular dirt runner Meisho Hario will also have to sit out the race with a muscle injury, but there still looks to be plenty of talented runners in this year’s Grade 1 Champions Cup.