Global Weekly Preview: Japan’s Arima Kinen gets popular vote

Racing is constantly trying ways to promote itself universally, particularly in areas where it may not necessarily be popular with the wider public.

That said, it strikes me that the Japanese model created for the G1 Arima Kinen is one of the best promotional tools employed to achieve this aim.

The 62nd running of this key race in the Far East will take place on Sunday 24 December at Nakayama Racecourse, east of Tokyo, in its traditional Christmas holiday slot. 

What makes the race different to all others on the calendar is that a public vote decides the final make-up of the field.

This is the type of audience participation that the sport surely needs if it is going to succeed in extending its boundaries to take in new fans.

If the result of the race were to be decided by popular vote, then the imposing Kitasan Black would already be declared the winner by 200 metres. This will be the five-year-old’s last race before he is retired — and it will be his third attempt at winning the Arima Kinen, a race that has so far eluded him.

Satono Diamond, winner of last year’s race, polled the second highest number of votes,  but unfortunately for his followers, he now misses the engagement.

But Satono Crown, in the same ownership, will take his place in the field, as too will this year’s G1 Japan Cup winner Cheval Grand, the latter to be ridden by Australia’s Hugh Bowman.

The Arima Kinen, with its total prizemoney of 300 million yen, equal to that of the Japan Cup, holds its place as the most important race at the rear end of the season, and long may it continue.

While hundreds of thousands of fans continue to vote for their favourite horses, it maintains a link with the public that racing desperately needs in order to prosper.