Arima Kinen Betting Odds

Race Details:

Date: 2024.12.22
Grade: I
Open To: Thoroughbreds 3 YRs and Higher
Track: Turf
Length: 2,500 M
Location: Nakayama Racecourse, Japan


The Arima Kinen (officially known as the "Grand Prix") is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan.

The race is a Grade I race that is open to thoroughbreds aged 3 years and above.

Arima Kinen is a fan ballot race, which makes it unique. The race is run at the Nakayama Racecourse, which is a 2,500 meter right-handed turf course.


2022 Winner:

Yutaka Take, a legendary jockey, achieved his fourth win in the Arima Kinen, the world's largest race in terms of betting turnover. Riding DO DEUCE, the 54-year-old Take secured his 81st Grade 1 victory under the Japan Racing Association.

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The "Arima Kinen" is one of the two "All Star" races in Japan, with the "Takarazuka Kinen" being the other.

The inaugural "Arima Kinen" was run in 1956 and was eventually renamed in the memory of Yoriyasu Arima.

This race is unusual in that the majority of the participating horses are selected by fan balloting. The event is open mainly to Japanese trained horses, though foreign trained horses that have won the Japan Cup are also allowed to participate.

There is no limit as to how many times a horse can enter this race, so there have been multiple winners in the past.

The most recent horse to win the event multiple times was "Orfevre", who won in both 2011 and 2013.

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The race is one of the richest in Japan, with a substantial purse that attracts top-quality competitors. "Kinen" in Japanese means "memorial."

It's held in late December, making it one of the final major races on the Japanese racing calendar.

The fan involvement gives the Arima Kinen a festival-like atmosphere. With the public having a say in which horses compete, there's a heightened sense of anticipation and excitement.

The race is not just a major event in the horse racing calendar; it's also a significant cultural event in Japan. It attracts wide media coverage and garners interest from people who aren't regular followers of horse racing.

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