Japan Cup 2025: Tokyo Awaits Another Clash of Titans
- Turf Diario
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
With Calandagan as the lone international challenger and a star-studded home team lining up against him, the iconic race promises another high-voltage edition this Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse
This Sunday, Nov. 30, Tokyo Racecourse will host the 45th running of the GI Japan Cup (2400m, turf), one of the most prestigious contests on the global calendar. With a winner’s purse of ¥500 million (approximately $3.2 million) and more than double that in total prize money, the race retains every bit of its historic luster.
For 2025, there will be just one international raider, but one of exceptional caliber: Calandagan, newly crowned Cartier Horse of the Year in Europe. The son of Gleneagles, trained in France by Francis-Henri Graffard, arrives off three consecutive Group 1 victories and with remarkable consistency—13 starts, never off the board.
Victorious this year in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Champion Stakes, and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Calandagan was also runner-up in the GI Dubai Sheema Classic, beaten there by Danon Decile(Epiphaneia), another leading protagonist in Sunday’s field. The French star arrived in Japan on Nov. 20 following a 27-hour trip, accompanied by travel partner Le Nomade (Mastercraftsman).
His groom and exercise rider, Jeremy Lobel, sounded pleased: “He arrived exactly as he was at home. He’s eating well, he’s relaxed, he’s adapting to the environment and hasn’t lost any condition,” he said from the International Stables at Tokyo.
A victory would make Calandagan the first France-trained winner of the Japan Cup since Le Glorieux (Cure the Blues) in 1987, and only the second ever for the country.
Japan’s home team, as usual, is overwhelming. Leading the local defense is Danon Decile, the highest-rated runner in the field. Winner of the 2024 Japanese Derby and this year’s Dubai Sheema Classic, where he defeated Calandagan by 1 1/4 lengths, he returns with an elite résumé. Trainer Shogo Yasuda detailed his preparation after a disappointing effort at York:
“In England he got very nervous and his breathing became difficult. The pace didn’t suit him. But the race didn’t affect him physically. That’s why we kept him in Europe over the summer. He came back in perfect condition.”
Joining him is Masquerade Ball (Duramente), fresh off his GI Tenno Sho (Autumn) victory with Christophe Lemaire, who reunites with a horse whose progression has been remarkable. Trainer Takahisa Tezuka added a note of caution: “I don’t think the distance will be an issue, but I am a bit concerned about his mental state given how recently he ran in the Tenno Sho. We’re monitoring him day by day.”
The statistics are in his favor: the last three Tenno Sho winners who went on to the Japan Cup won both races.
Another major player is Croix du Nord (Kitasan Black), the 2025 Japanese Derby hero, returning home after an unsuccessful tilt at the Arc. Trainer Takashi Saito explained: “He drew an outside gate and never got into rhythm. He was pulling the whole way. The horse he beat previously ended up winning, so I don’t think it was a question of ability.”
Dry conditions at Tokyo are a significant plus for him.
The field also includes a deep lineup of proven class: Tastiera (Satono Crown, 2023 Japanese Derby), Durezza(Duramente, Kikuka Sho winner), Justin Palace (Deep Impact), Shin Emperor (Siyouni), Deep Monster (Deep Impact), and Admire Terra (Rey de Oro), all capable of landing a major blow on a stage as demanding as Tokyo.
Tokyo’s long stretch and its famous uphill climb will once again be judge and executioner. Only three horses have ever made all the running to win the race, and in the last decade the favorite has prevailed on six occasions.
It has been 19 years since a foreign horse lifted the trophy—Alkaased (Kingmambo) in 2005 under Lanfranco Dettori.
And so the central question lingers:
Can Calandagan break Japan’s iron grip on its greatest race?
