Equinox has been perfect for more than a year – five Grade 1 wins, most recently a second victory in the Tenno Sho, and has been rated No. 1 throughout in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings.
The star 4-year-old Japan bred is the heavy favorite to complete an unbeaten season when he takes on 17 rivals in the $7.25 million (1,085,000,000 yen) Japan Cup on turf at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday.
The Japan Cup is among the most prestigious races in the country, and one of the most prominent year-ending races in the world, coming three weeks after the Breeders’ Cup.
It seems a fitting place for Equinox to complete a dominant campaign to wrap up a second Japan Horse of the Year honor.
Post time for Sunday’s 43rd Japan Cup is 15:40 p.m. JST (1:40 a.m. Sunday, ET).
Meet Equinox: Offspring of Kitasan Black, a Contender in the Japan Cup
A son of 2016 Japan Cup winner Kitasan Black, Equinox is trained by Tetsuya Kimura and will be ridden by his regular jockey Christophe Lemaire.
Only one challenger is not a Japan-bred, Iresine. The 6-year-old gelding from France comes into the 2,400-meter (about 1 ½ miles) Japan Cup after a victory in the Prix Du Counseil de Paris (G2) at 1 3/8 miles.
While Equinox is the odds-on favorite, Liberty Island could pose a strong threat as the likely second betting choice.
The 3-year-old filly has won all three of her races in 2023 – all Grade 1s against fillies — and has an overall record of five wins from six starts. The daughter of Duramente, won the Shuka Sho at Kyoto on Oct. 18 by six lengths following wins in the Japanese 1000 Guineas and the Japanese Oaks.
Equinox’s Unparalleled Performance: Breaking Records and Expectations
Liberty Island is trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida and will be ridden by Yuga Kawada, who was aboard the Shuka Sho.
In the Tenno Sho, Equinox, with his trademark closing speed, traveled off the rails in third, took the lead with 300 meters to go, and pulled away for a 2 ½-length victory.
In his one race outside Japan, Equinox kicked off 2023 with a victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse. It was his first gate-to-wire victory, by 3 ½ lengths in track record time.
Equinox has shown he is in a class of his own, and it’s difficult to pick against him … then again, the race still has to be run, at a mile-and-a-half, with 18 horses.
The picks: 1 Liberty Island 2 Equinox 3 Danon Beluga
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
