The Group 1 Arima Kinen (2500m), held at Nakayama Racecourse this Sunday, 27 December, is one of only a handful of races that transcend the racing circle into the realm of national fame.

This year marks the iconic race’s 65th running and though huge returns may be difficult, satisfaction is sure to be had as the field of 16 is packed with eight G1 winners and the race remains a wide-open contest.

Japan’s racing fans vote to see their favourites run and six of their top 10 picks are making an appearance, but any one of the champions and quite a few more could conceivably make it to the winner’s circle of the 2500m turf blockbuster at Nakayama Racecourse.

A number of contenders from the 2019 Arima Kinen are back to give it another run and, with the top two finishers from last year out of the picture, hope is all around.

Headlines are focusing around two names leading into the race. The first is Chrono Genesis, a four-year-old filly and a newcomer to the contest. She topped the field in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen (2200m) by six lengths in early summer and she has figured in the money for all her four starts this year, three of them at the top-level.

Her most recent run was the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn (2000m), where she ran a close third behind Almond Eye as well as Fierement, a five-year-old who won the spring version of the Tenno Sho this year and had preceded that with a fourth placed effort in the 2019 Arima Kinen.

Last year, the Deep Impact-sired stayer went into the Arima Kinen after returning from a poor showing in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris. He’ll be fresher this year, with two less outings and no overseas travel. Christophe Lemaire has the reins and is looking to rewrite his own record for most Grade 1 wins in a year, as well as rewriting his own record for prize money earned.

The Arima Kinen carries a 300 million yen (approx. HKD$22.4 million) winner’s bounty, an amount surpassed by no other race in Japan and is equal to the Japan Cup top prize.

Curren Bouquetd’or, the fourth-place finisher in the Japan Cup is back for her final start of the year. The same age as Chrono Genesis, Curren Bouquetd’or has come achingly close to winning a G1 on four occasions but has yet to land a big one. Her Japan Cup may have been her strongest run, with her only a nose off this year’s super trio.

Loves Only You, Salacia, Authority, and World Premiere are all names worth noting. World Premiere finished third here last year and was sixth in the Japan Cup and Authority is an up-and-coming youngster who just aced the G2 Copa Republica Argentina (2500m) at Tokyo in early November. Salacia and Loves Only You finished second and third in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2200m).

Another fan favourite is Kiseki. The six-year-old is back for his third time and looking to improve on his two previous fifth-place finishes. Having only placed once from his four G1 starts out of six this year, if Kiseki’s stamina and tenacity can be brought into play, he just may have a good chance at snaring a top spot.

Lucky Lilac went to Hong Kong in December last year and finished second in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and, as would be expected, passed on the 2019 Arima Kinen. This will be her first Arima Kinen tilt and her final racetrack appearance before retirement.

In the shadow of Almond Eye as a three-year-old, Lucky Lilac has shone bright from last year’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup. She won it for the second time this year, along with the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m), as she captured two of her three G1 bids from among the five starts that followed her second in Hong Kong.

The Arima Kinen distance may be a stretch, as her wins have all come at a mile up to 2200m. That said, her third and second in her two starts at 2400m still brought returns.

Also, though the 121lb she’ll carry will be a plus, the tighter turns of Nakayama may not suit this Orfevre mare, who tops scales easily past half a ton.

In the Arima Kinen, anything can happen and often does. Though the favourite has won half of the last 20 runnings, it has also not made the money five times in the same period, while double-digit longshots have appeared in the top three eight times.