The Japan Cup (G1, 2,400m) was established in 1981 with the aim of raising the standard of Japanese thoroughbreds to world-class level. In the early years, the difference in strength between our local thoroughbreds and the invited runners from overseas was clear—the foreign horses won easily in the first three running. However, the Japanese-trained horses gradually improved to the stage where they have now gained a big lead in wins—28 wins in 42 starts—and the most recent victory by a foreign-trained horse was in the 25th (2005) running by Alkaased.

The Japan Cup was also ranked third among the annual list of top 100 G1 races in the world published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in 2020, which goes to show how much the race has contributed to raising the level of horse racing in Japan. The improvement in the level of Japanese horses can also be seen in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR). Ten years ago in 2013, Japanese-trained horses with a rating of 115 or higher accounted for 31 (10.1%) of the 306 horses listed but in 2022, 48 (16.7%) of the total 288 are Japanese-trained thoroughbreds.

Two foreign horses initially accepted the invitation to run in the 43rd Japan Cup, but with Continuous from Ireland canceling his visit to Japan, Iresine from France will be the only foreign runner taking part this year. Though the Japanese fans would have liked to see more foreign participants competing in Japan, Iresine is a competent horse well worth watching with a rating of 120. The new international stables at Tokyo Racecourse, completed last year, allow horses to enter directly from the airport and undergo quarantine procedures while training without the burden of traveling to and from the quarantine facility within the Horse Racing School as was the case before. With these facility improvements, we look forward to seeing many competent foreign horses come to Japan in the future.

Now, let’s take a look at the key Japanese horses that will take on the challenge of Iresine. This year’s quality field of Japanese horses includes Equinox, who is currently rated at top of the LWBRR, and Liberty Island who made a clean sweep of this year's Triple Crown for fillies.

Equinox (JPN, C4, by Kitasan Black): 129L, 7 wins / 9 starts
Last year’s Horse of the Year Equinox turned in two runner-up efforts in both the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1, 2,000m) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m) in the spring of his three-year-old campaign and registered his first G1 victory in his fall debut against older foes in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (2,000m). The son of Kitasan Black continued to accumulate wins in the Arima Kinen (2,500m), the Dubai Sheema Classic (2,410m), the Takarazuka Kinen (2,200m) and the most recent Tenno Sho (Autumn), which he won back-to-back with a record time of 1:55.2, and aims to extend his G1 winning streak to six in the coming Japan Cup. He has shown overwhelming performances in all his races, especially in his first overseas endeavor, the Dubai Sheema Classic, where he assumed command after a good start and easily pulled away in the final stretch, holding off high quality foes that were proven G1 horses such as Westover, Shahryar, Win Marilyn, Rebel’s Romance and Russian Emperor as well as Zagrey and Mostahdaf who subsequently became G1 winners. His dominating performance has gained the attention from around the world. He has maintained his top rate of 129, issued in March when winning the Dubai Sheema Classic, with continued success and remains the sole leader to this day.
Rated 129 as of his victory in the 2023 Dubai Sheema Classic.

Liberty Island (JPN, F3, by Duramente): 120L, 5 wins / 6 starts
After experiencing her only defeat in her second career start, the Artemis Stakes (G3, 1,600m), where she struggled to find a clear path in the early stretch and finished second, Liberty Island registered four consecutive G1 victories, winning the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (1,600m) as a two-year-old and then securing her fillies’ Triple Crown title with her most recent victory in the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m). Her six-length victory in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m) was especially impressive in that the winning time was 2.1 seconds faster than that of the Tokyo Yushun held at the same track the following week. Expectations are high for Liberty Island who is often compared to Almond Eye, the 2018 fillies’ Triple Crown winner who went on to win the 2018 Japan Cup as a three-year-old, and the Duramente filly is considered to have the best chance against Equinox in her first challenge against older horses.
Rated 120 as of her victory in the 2023 Yushun Himba.

Do Deuce (JPN, C4, by Heart’s Cry): 120L, 5 wins / 10 starts
Do Deuce won last year’s Tokyo Yushun, beating Equinox by a neck. He was then sent to France upon request from his owner whose dream is said “to win the Arc with jockey Yutaka Take.” The Heart’s Cry colt finished fourth in the Prix Niel (G2, 2,400m) but disappointed to 19th in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1, 2,400m). Do Deuce easily won his four-year-old comeback this season, the Kyoto Kinen (G2, 2,200m), by a 3-1/2-length margin. He traveled abroad again to take part in the Dubai Turf (G1, 1,800m) with high expectations but unfortunately had to withdraw due to lameness in his left foreleg. In the following Tenno Sho (Autumn), he finished seventh to Equinox under a last-minute replacement jockey as Yutaka Take was injured on the day of the race. He will once again take on Equinox in the same stage as the Tokyo Yushun.
Rated 120 as of his victory in the 2022 Tokyo Yushun and the 2023 Kyoto Kinen.

Titleholder (JPN, H5, by Duramente): 124L, 7 wins / 17 starts
With three G1 titles under his belt—the 2021 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1, 3,000m), the 2022 Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1, 3,200m) and the Takarazuka Kinen—Titleholder challenged in the Arc last fall but struggled with the heavy going to finish 11th and was below form in the following Arima Kinen where he finished ninth. He bounced back with an overwhelming eight-length victory in the Nikkei Sho (G2, 2,500m), then aiming to defend his title in the following Tenno Sho (Spring), he pulled up during the race due to lameness in his right foreleg. The son of Duramente resumed racing with a runner-up effort in his comeback start, the All Comers (G2, 2,200m). While his races have had its ups and downs, there are many fans that look forward to seeing the son of Duramente take advantage of his early speed in the Japan Cup.
Rated 124 as of his victory in the 2022 Takarazuka Kinen and the 2023 Nikkei Sho.

Vela Azul (JPN, H6, by Eishin Flash): 123L, 6 wins / 26 starts
Last year’s Japan Cup champion Vela Azul had just two wins in his first 16 career starts on dirt but his switch to turf immediately proved successful as he registered four wins out of six starts including the Japan Cup. He was tested on dirt again in his season debut this year in the Dubai World Cup (G1, dirt, 2,000m) but finished a disappointing 13th. While unable to regain the stellar performance he showed last fall, finishing eighth and seventh in the Takarazuka Kinen and the Kyoto Daishoten (G2, 2,400m), respectively, he will aim to make a comeback with Ryan Moore, with whom he won on this stage last year.
Rated 123 as of his victory in the 2022 Japan Cup.

Panthalassa (JPN, H6, by Lord Kanaloa): 120MD (120I in 2022), 7 wins / 26 starts
Panthalassa has G1 titles on both turf and dirt, winning last year’s Dubai Turf and this year’s Saudi Cup (G1, dirt, 1,800m). He has the stamina to run wire-to-wire and his performance in last year’s Tenno Sho (Autumn) where he set a rapid pace, running the first 1,000 meters in 57.4 seconds, and sustaining the lead until just before the wire was impressive. In his second dirt-race challenge, the Saudi Cup, he aggressively took the lead from the innermost stall and held off the strong late charge by Country Grammer to clear the wire with a 3/4-length margin. While also entered in the Champions Cup (G1, dirt, 1,800m) on December 3, it appears that he will head for the Japan Cup, and if so, much attention will be focused on his racing tactics in the race as a frontrunner.
Rated 120 as of his runner-up effort in the 2022 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and victory in the 2023 Saudi Cup.

Stars on Earth (JPN, F4, by Duramente): 114M (115L in 2022), 3 wins / 10 starts
Last year’s Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m) and Yushun Himba winner Stars on Earth, though with only three wins out of 10 career starts, is a consistent runner, coming within the top three in all her races. In particular, the Duramente filly—Liberty Island and Titleholder are also his offsprings—has marked two wins, a runner-up and two thirds in her five recent G1 starts, finishing less than 0.1 second from the winner in the three races she lost.
Rated 114 as of her third-place finish in the 2023 Vicotria Mile while her Yushun Himba victory was rated 115.

Danon Beluga (JPN, C4, by Heart’s Cry): 119M, I, 2 wins / 9 starts
After defeating subsequent Satsuki Sho Victor Geoglyph in the Kyodo News Hai (G3, 1,800m) as a three-year-old, Danon Beluga showed potential as a high-class runner, finishing within the top five in all his four G1 starts. The Heart’s Cry colt kicked off this season in the Dubai Turf where he closed in strongly in the final stretch and was just 3/4 length short of Lort North in second. He continued to fare well in the Sapporo Kinen (G2, 2,000m) and the Tenno Sho (Autumn), coming in fourth in both. He will aim to improve his fifth-place finish last year by making use of his strong late charge from behind over Tokyo’s long stretch.
Rated 119 as of his third-place finish in the 2022 Tenno Sho (Autumn), runner-up effort in the 2023 Dubai Turf and fourth-place finish in the 2023 Tenno Sho (Autumn).