Arima Kinen 2025: The Grand Prix That Brings Japan to a Standstill
- Turf Diario
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
This Sunday, Nakayama Racecourse will host a race unlike any other, one in which fans themselves vote their favorites to bring the year to a close with peak emotion
This Sunday, Japanese racing will once again stage its final, thunderous crescendo of the year with the running of the Arima Kinen (G1), the most popular and symbolic race on the calendar. With the Hopeful Stakes (G1) set for the previous day, the Arima reclaims its traditional role as the season’s closing act, played out at the unmistakable Nakayama Racecourse.
It will be the 70th running of a race unlike any other in the world—not only because of its demanding 2500 meters on turf, but also for its unique selection system, which blends sporting merit with fan voting. From 22 nominees, 16 runners will go to post in a contest that offers Japan’s richest winner’s prize, matching that of the Japan Cup (G1): ¥500 million to the victor from a total purse of ¥1.09 billion.
The Arima Kinen is, above all else, the race of the fans. Each year, the Japanese public votes for the horses they most want to see compete, and in 2025 the response was emphatic. Regaleira (Suave Richard), the defending champion, topped the ballot with more than 612,700 votes—more than triple her total from 2024. Alongside her, five other members of the Top 10 made the final field: Meisho Tabaru (Gold Ship), Justin Palace (Deep Impact), Museum Mile (Leontes), Danon Decile (Epiphaneia) and Redentor (Rulership), a clear reflection of strong popular backing.
Nakayama’s inner turf course is central to the race’s mystique. The start is positioned at the end of the backstretch, on a section of the outer track, and almost immediately the field must scramble for position—making wide draws a distinct disadvantage. That reality is precisely why the Arima Kinen caps its field at 16 runners.
After passing the grandstand for the first time, the field completes two full circuits of a punishing layout: a steep climb in the stretch—two meters of elevation in less than 300 meters—another rise entering the backstretch, and then a long downhill run before the final turn. Two laps, two hills, and an unrelenting examination of stamina, balance, and courage.
The race is open to 3-year-olds and up, including geldings. Three-year-old colts and fillies carry 56 kilos, while older runners shoulder 58. Post time is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. local, as the 11th race on a 12-race program.
As noted, the focal point once again is Regaleira, who arrives off her third G1 victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Nov. 16. That success added to her résumé alongside the 2023 Hopeful Stakes (G1) and, of course, last year’s Arima Kinen—where she made history by becoming the first 3-year-old filly in 64 years to win the race.
That breakthrough came at a physical cost: a fracture sidelined her until the Takarazuka Kinen (G1), where she returned with a distant 11th-place finish. The close of her season, however, was emphatic—an All Comers (G2) victory at Nakayama followed by her Kyoto triumph. Should she win again, Regaleira would join an ultra-exclusive club alongside Speed Symboli (Royal Challenger), Symboli Rudolf (Partholon), Grass Wonder (Silver Hawk) and Symboli Kris S. (Kris S.), and would become the first female to capture back-to-back Arima Kinen titles. This time, she will be partnered by Christophe Lemaire, the current leading rider.
Among her principal challengers is Danon Decile, a 4-year-old with two G1 wins to his name—the Japanese Derby and the Dubai Sheema Classic. Third in last year’s Arima and again third in the Japan Cup, he most recently produced an epic performance against Calandagan (Gleneagles), finishing within half a second of the course record in a race remembered for a bizarre post-finish incident. Keita Tosaki retains the mount.
The 2025 Satsuki Sho (G1) hero Museum Mile will attempt to add a second major crown. He won the St. Lite Kinen (G2) at Nakayama and figured prominently in both the Derby and the Tenno Sho (Autumn). The Arima will be his longest test to date, but he arrives fresh and strengthened.
Also lining up is Meisho Tabaru, winner of the Takarazuka Kinen, whose task will be to emulate his sire and carry his speed across a distance he has yet to fully master.
Veteran Justin Palace, winner of the Tenno Sho (Spring), makes his fourth and final appearance in the Arima, as this will be his farewell race, with Taisei Danno aboard.
Another compelling presence is Shin Emperor (Siyouni), a globe-trotting warrior who has contested the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), the Irish Champion Stakes (G1), and races in Riyadh and Dubai. He now seeks to crown an international campaign with a defining victory on home soil.
The Arima Kinen is more than a race—it is a national ceremony, a fusion of sport, emotion, and tradition. At Nakayama, with packed grandstands and the country watching, Japan bids farewell to the year in an all-or-nothing showdown, a contest that forgives no mistakes and crowns the true champion of winter.
There is no doubt about it: this Sunday, all roads lead to the Arima Kinen, closing not only Japan’s G1 season, but the world’s as well.
