Arima Kinen

Grade I race
Arima Kinen
Nakayama Grand Prix
有馬記念
中山グランプリ

Location	Nakayama Racecourse
Inaugurated	1956
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat race
Website	japanracing.jp
Race information
Distance	2,500 metres (1m 4½f)
Track	Turf, right-handed
Qualification	Three-years-old and up
Weight	55 kg (3yo); 57 kg (4yo+) Allowances 2 kg for fillies and mares 2 kg for S. Hemisphere 3yos
Purse	¥379,400,000 (2010)

The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,500 metres (approximately 1 mile and 4½ furlongs) at Nakayama Racecourse, and it takes place annually in late December. It is one of the two "All-Star" races in Japanese horse racing; the other is the Takarazuka Kinen in late June.

The event was first run in 1956, and it was initially titled the Nakayama Grand Prix (中山グランプリ). The following year it was renamed in memory of Yoriyasu Arima (1884–1957), the founder of the race. The distance was originally set at 2,600 metres, and it was shortened to the present length, 2,500 metres, in 1966.

The majority of the runners in the field are selected by a vote from racing fans, while the remainder are determined by the amount of prize money won.

Until 1999 the Arima Kinen was open to Japanese trained horses only. However, the Japan Racing Association introduced a new condition in 2000 which allowed for the participation of a foreign trained horse, if it had won that year's Japan Cup. The Arima Kinen was classed as a Domestic Grade I until 2006, and it was then promoted to an International Grade I in 2007. Consequently, it is now possible for more foreign trained horses to compete in the race. The maximum number of these was set at four in 2007, and this increased to six for the 2008 running.

Records

Speed record:

• 2:29.5 – Zenno Rob Roy (2004)

Most wins:

• 2 – Speed Symboli (1969, 1970)
• 2 – Symboli Rudolf (1984, 1985)
• 2 – Oguri Cap (1988, 1990)
• 2 – Grass Wonder (1998, 1999)
• 2 – Symboli Kris S (2002, 2003)

Winners since 1998

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
1998	Grass Wonder	3	Hitoshi Matoba	Mitsuhiro Ogata	Y. Hanzawa	2:32.1
1999	Grass Wonder	4	Hitoshi Matoba	Mitsuhiro Ogata	Y. Hanzawa	2:37.2
2000	T M Opera O	4	Ryuji Wada	Ichizo Iwamoto	Masatsugu Takezono	2:34.1
2001	Manhattan Cafe	3	Masayoshi Ebina	Futoshi Kojima	Ken Nishikawa	2:33.1
2002	Symboli Kris S	3	Olivier Peslier	Kazuo Fujisawa	Symboli Stud	2:32.6
2003	Symboli Kris S	4	Olivier Peslier	Kazuo Fujisawa	Symboli Stud	2:30.5
2004	Zenno Rob Roy	4	Olivier Peslier	Kazuo Fujisawa	Shinobu Oosako	2:29.5
2005	Heart's Cry	4	Christophe Lemaire	Kojiro Hashiguchi	Shadai Racehorse	2:31.9
2006	Deep Impact	4	Yutaka Take	Yasuo Ikee	Kaneko Makoto Holdings	2:31.9
2007	Matsurida Gogh	4	Masayoshi Ebina	Sakae Kunieda	Fumie Takahashi	2:33.6
2008	Daiwa Scarlet	4	Katsumi Ando	Kunihide Matsuda	Keizo Oshiro	2:31.5
2009	Dream Journey	5	Kenichi Ikezoe	Yasutoshi Ikee	Sunday Racing	2:30.0
2010	Victoire Pisa	3	Mirco Demuro	Katsuhiko Sumii	Yoshimi Ichikawa	2:32.6

Earlier winners

• 1956 - Meiji Hikari
• 1957 - Hakuchikara
• 1958 - Onward There
• 1959 - Garnet
• 1960 - Star Roch
• 1961 - Homareboshi
• 1962 - Onslaught
• 1963 - Ryu Forel
• 1964 - Yamato Kyodai
• 1965 - Shinzan
• 1966 - Korehide
• 1967 - Kabuto Ciro
• 1968 - Ryuzuki
• 1969 - Speed Symboli

• 1970 - Speed Symboli
• 1971 - Tomei
• 1972 - Ishino Hikaru
• 1973 - Strong Eight
• 1974 - Tanino Chikara
• 1975 - Ishino Arashi
• 1976 - Tosho Boy
• 1977 - Ten Point
• 1978 - Kane Minobu
• 1979 - Green Grass
• 1980 - Hoyo Boy
• 1981 - Amber Shadai
• 1982 - Hikari Duel
• 1983 - Lead Hoyu

• 1984 - Symboli Rudolf
• 1985 - Symboli Rudolf
• 1986 - Dyna Gulliver
• 1987 - Mejiro Durren
• 1988 - Oguri Cap
• 1989 - Inari One
• 1990 - Oguri Cap
• 1991 - Dai Yusaku
• 1992 - Mejiro Palmer
• 1993 - Tokai Teio
• 1994 - Narita Brian
• 1995 - Mayano Top Gun
• 1996 - Sakura Laurel
• 1997 - Silk Justice

References

• japanracing.jp – "The 53rd Arima Kinen" (2008)
• pedigreequery.com

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