Champions Cup (G1) - Preview

W Heart Bond

Narukami

Meisho Hario

Wilson Tesoro

Sixpence

Outrange

Luxor Cafe

Ramjet

After a thrilling Japan Cup won by Calandagan last Sunday, the final leg of the Japan Autumn International Series of races will be held this Sunday (December 7), when the Grade 1 Champions Cup will be staged at the Chukyo Racecourse, just outside the city of Nagoya.
It is the dirt version of the Japan Cup, and it was formerly known as the Japan Cup Dirt, when it was first run in the year 2000 at Tokyo over 2,100 meters, and the inaugural race was won by Wing Arrow. It was run at Tokyo until 2007, with the exception of the year 2002, when it was run at Nakayama, after which it was shifted to the Hanshin Racecourse in the year 2008, and run over 1,800 meters. The race’s varied history meant there was another switch to Chukyo in 2014, the year that it was also renamed the Champions Cup, and that’s where it’s been run ever since, with the distance remaining at 1,800 meters. It is just over a circuit of the left-handed dirt course at Chukyo, meaning there are four corners for the runners to take on, with dexterity being one of the keys to the race.
It's always been open to international runners, and there have been 29 of them in the history of the race so far. Fleetstreet Dancer’s win in 2003 has been the only overseas winner to date, with America’s Pavel being the last foreign runner, and the 4-year-old colt finished 15th in 2018. There were nine nominations from overseas runners this year, including Mystik Dan, the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, but unfortunately none will make the trip to Japan, leaving the race at the mercy of Japan’s dirt specialists.
The Grade 1 Champions Cup is one of just two top-level JRA dirt races (the other being the February Stakes), and is for 3-year-olds and up. There have been 24 nominations for a maximum field size of 16, so there’s plenty of competition for a berth in the race, with prize money levels mostly determining which horses will get a start. There’s only a kilo difference between the weight carried by 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds and above (57kg and 58kg respectively), with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares. Record time for the race is held by Chrysoberyl, who won in a time of 1 minute 48.5 seconds in 2019, and was also the last 3-year-old winner. The last ten years have seen four first favorites win, and five and six-year-olds have shared the honors in that same time period, with three wins apiece. Sound True was the last gelding to win, back in 2016, with the only filly or mare ever to win the race being the 6-year-old Sambista in 2015. This year’s winner’s purse is JPY120 million (in the region of USD800,000).
Two lead-up races to this Sunday’s Grade 1 Champions Cup have been the Miyako Stakes, run at Kyoto over 1,800 meters, and the Musashino Stakes, run at Tokyo over a mile. Both of these are Grade 3 races and were run in November.
Final declarations and the barrier draw for this Sunday’s race will be available later in the week. Post time for the race is 15.40 Japan time, and it is Race 11 on the Chukyo card.

Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to take on the 26th running of the Grade 1 Champions Cup:

W Heart Bond: The 4-year-old filly by Kizuna is proving to be quite something, with six wins from her seven career starts, and always finishing in the first two. All her races have been on dirt, and she’s coming off a good win in the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes over 1,800 meters at Kyoto in November. Trainer Ryuji Okubo said: “She quickly got a forward position last time, and managed to fend off the second horse and win in record time, so it was an impressive performance. She’s been at the stable since, and as she seemed a bit tired after that race, we’ve taken good care of her.” Jockey Ryusei Sakai is looking for a hat-trick of wins in the Grade 1 Champions Cup, after winning the last two years with the outstanding Lemon Pop, and will surely be doing his best to make W Heart Bond just the second filly or mare to win the race.

Narukami: Another horse that’s been stringing together a number of wins is the 3-year-old colt, Narukami. He’s won his last four races on dirt, ranging in distance from 1,700 to 2,000 meters. The Darley Japan home-bred is by Thunder Snow, and has only ever been unplaced once in his six career races to date. Assistant trainer Hiroyuki Yamazaki said: “He’s always a bit flighty in the first week after returning from the farm, but gradually he becomes more relaxed. Since the Kozukata Sho, he’s been a bit tense when taking the bit and racing well forward, and we want him to be more balanced, but he’s been running well in recent training.” Jockey Keita Tosaki has struck up a good partnership with him and is expected to take the ride again on Sunday.

Meisho Hario: The 8-year-old has been around quite a while on Japan’s dirt racing scene, but is still very capable when it comes to these big races. He finished sixth in this year’s Grade 1 February Stakes, and most recently was second to Mikki Fight in the JBC Classic over 1,800 meters at Funabashi in November. “The winner last time is a strong horse,” said assistant trainer, Atsushi Obayashi. “Having said that, Meisho Hario ran a good race. In the backstretch, things looked good, and he put in a better performance than we expected. He improves for a race and there’s a good feeling about him now.” Jockey Yutaka Take, who’s won the Grade 1 Champions Cup four times, will deputize for the injured Suguru Hamanaka.

Wilson Tesoro: The 6-year-old by Kitasan Black is another consistent performer, who has traveled to different countries to take on big races, and has won plenty of prize money for his connections. He has nine career wins on dirt to his name, and he has finished second in the Grade 1 Champions Cup the last two years, so another big run can be expected. He’s coming off a fifth-place finish in the JBC Classic, a little way behind Meisho Hario. Trainer Noboru Takagi commented: “His fifth-place finish in the JBC Classic was a bit unexpected, and even though he didn’t seem tired after winning the Nambu Hai, he might just have been so. That and the deep dirt track at Funabashi probably went against him. He’ll be back for the Champions Cup, where he’s finished second two years in a row to Lemon Pop.” Wilson Tesoro’s regular jockey, Yuga Kawada, will once again be in the saddle.

Sixpence: Previously having only run in turf races, and winning three Grade 2s on turf, Sixpence would surprise many as he and his connections turn their attention to dirt races with him. In his only start on dirt so far, the 4-year-old colt by Kizuna finished a creditable second to Wilson Tesoro in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai at Morioka in October. Trainer Sakae Kunieda said: “It was his first race on dirt in the Nambu Hai last time and he drew a wide gate, but ran well all the same. He became a target for the winning horse to run down in the end, but he looks to have prospects in dirt races. After that run, he had a break at Northern Farm Tenei, and came back to the stable on November 19.” Jockey Christophe Lemaire teams up once again with trainer Kunieda, and the rider is looking for his third win in the race, while it will be the first Champions Cup victory for the trainer, if he can pull it off.

Tenka Jo: Never out of the first three in twelve starts, Tenka Jo is a stablemate of Meisho Hario, and the 4-year-old filly has won six times, with a few of her wins coming in NAR races. She finished second in her last race, the JBC Ladies’ Classic over 1,800 meters at Funabashi in November. Comments from assistant trainer Atsushi Obayashi were: “She started slowly last time, but managed to finish well in the end. Even though she’s lost her last two races, she’s had two good second-place finishes. With a short time between races, she’s had a short break at the farm, and there doesn’t seem to be any change in her condition.” Jockey Yusaku Kokubun gets the ride on Tenka Jo, with Kohei Matsuyama booked to ride Outrange.

Others among the nominations include Luxor Cafe, Ramjet and Outrange. Luxor Cafe was an easy winner of the Grade 3 Musashino Stakes last time, and the 3-year-old colt by American Pharoah is unbeaten in two races over 1,800 meters.
Ramjet has had experience at plenty of different racecourses, including those overseas in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. He’s coming off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Miyako Stakes in November, and although he hasn’t won in a while, he’s unbeaten in two starts at Chukyo. Jockey Kosei Miura will be looking for just his second JRA Grade 1 win, after winning the Sprinters Stakes earlier this autumn on Win Carnelian.
Outrange was sent off favorite in the same race as Ramjet last time, but could only finish seventh, with the track being rated sloppy that day. His previous two results were second and first, and jockey Kohei Matsuyama won the Grade 1 Champions Cup on T O Keynes in 2021.