2016 Japan Cup winner, Kitasan Black, owned by singer Saburo Kitajima is aiming for his seventh Grade 1 victory and currently tops the lot for earnings with 712 million yen to his name. Although he is only two more starts ahead of his scheduled retirement, his fans are more behind him than ever. The challenge by the 3-year-olds will be strong this year but this six-time Grade 1 winner shows no signs of being ready to relinquish his sovereignty. His biggest on-track competitor is Rey de Oro, a versatile colt with good racing sense. And, being Miho-based, compared to Ritto, it’s only a hop to the racetrack. He’ll be saddled with 55kg and Christophe Lemaire, who currently leads Japan’s jockeys with 173 wins, is in the saddle. This year Satono Crown won the Takarazuka Kinen and beat Kitasan Black in doing so. The tables were turned once again in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), but just barely. With an extra furlong this time out, Satono Crown may pose the biggest threat to Kitasan Black. Mirco Demuro, currently the No. 3 rider in Japan with 156 wins, is expected to have the ride. Demuro has won the last two JRA Grade 1s – the Mile Championship and Queen Elizabeth II Cup – and has not missed the top three placings in a JRA Grade 1 since the Victoria Mile in mid-May.
Cheval Grand missed second place in the Japan Cup last year by a mere neck and had the Copa Republica Argentina as his previous start. This year, with a bit more time between races, he may be able to get closer to the top but unlikely to beat his elders. Rainbow Line showed his ability on the rain-affected track when 3rd to Kitasan Black in the Gr.1 Tenno Sho Autumn last time out. Makahiki is the 4-year-old Deep Impact son, who won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) last year and went on to win the Grade 2 Prix Niel in France. This will be his first Japan Cup bid and a return to the Tokyo 2,400 meters will likely prove a plus.
