Silk Racing Co.'s Equinox was third in the public voting that helped determine the starting field for the 67th running of the Grade 1, $7.5 million Arima Kinen, but the 3-year-old Kitasan Black colt was clearly the best of the 16 runners when they raced toward the finish of the 2,500-meter contest (approximately 1 9/16 miles) held on Christmas Day at Nakayama Racecourse in Tokyo, Japan.
Ridden by Christophe Lemaire for trainer Tetsuya Kimura, Equinox – a great-grandson of 1989 U.S. Horse of the Year Sunday Silence – overpowered his rivals with a devastating turn of foot in the final quarter mile to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 2:32.40 on good to firm turf on the clockwise course. He was sent off as the 13-10 favorite.
Another 3-year-old colt, Boldog Hos, finished second, with the 4-year-old filly Geraldina third and 5-year-old mare Izu Jo no Kiseki fourth. Efforia, reigning horse of the year and defending Arima Kinen champion, was fifth. Titleholder, a three-time G1 winner who received the most votes in the fans' all-star type balloting, finished ninth as the second wagering choice in an effort to rebound from a dull 11th-place finish in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Equinox raced in ninth position early while three or paths off the rail and in the clear as Titleholder set the early pace. When the field reached the final turn and began rounding toward the stretch run, Lemaire eased Equinox further to the outside with about three furlongs to go. The brown colt quickly overtook the frontrunners and opened up on his rivals en route to the victory.
The win was the fourth in six starts for Equinox, who was bred in Japan by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm. He won the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai at 2, and was second in two G1 events earlier this year: the Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas) and Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).
“What happens twice will happen thrice,” said Lemaire. “I won the Arima Kinen with Heart's Cry and Satono Diamond both on Christmas Day, and I'm really happy to be able to win the race on Christmas Day again. We were able to make a good start and the horse was keen to go so I held him and responded strongly when I brought him to the outside. Though he was not mature yet during his spring campaign, he became really strong from this fall and I look forward to his performance next year.”
The Arima Kinen is Japan's most popular race, having once attracted 177,779 to Nakayama for the farewell race of Oguri Cap in 1990. With attendance at major events still limited due to COVID-19, the Japan Racing Association reported a crowd of 39,670. Wagering on the day was over 65 trillion yen (about US$493 million) and 52 trillion yen (US$393 million) was bet on the Arima Kinen itself. The amount wagering on the full card compares favorably to the $263 million bet on the 2022 Kentucky Derby card and the $189 million wagered over two days of the 2022 Breeders' Cup.
The post Equinox Overpowers Older Rivals To Win Japan’s Arima Kinen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Given a large enough shedrow, it's not uncommon to come across a racehorse who's a little less self-assured than the rest. Sometimes they're just a nervous personality; sometimes they have a particular trigger that makes them uneasy, like a recent move or a neighbor they can't stand. Whatever the reason, these types often can be a puzzle for trainers, walking their stalls or weaving incessantly, putting excess wear on their shoes and soft tissues as they go.
When trainer Jane Cibelli acquired a horse who fit this mold, she did what many trainers before her had done – she called a friend to ask if they had a goat she could borrow.
The tradition of goats as companion animals for racehorses goes back decades if not centuries, and is supposedly the origin of the idiom “get your goat.” It's thought that Thoroughbreds take comfort in the presence of a goat because as fellow grazing herd animals they can substitute for the social interaction they'd normally get from another horse on the farm. No one seems to have made an academic study of whether other livestock species would serve just as well to calm Thoroughbreds, though our anecdotal reporting history of the Barn Buddies series suggests cows and sheep are also suitable, if less practical on the backstretch.
Cibelli and her assistant made a few calls and found someone who had a goat named Jeffrey they promised to put on the horse van from the Miami area to Palm Meadows quickly.
“He got off the van and I said, 'Oh he's huge. You could ride him,'” she said. “What he's taught me is how amazing animals are. We put him outside the horse's stall and it was an immediate 'Oh, thank goodness.' They looked at each other, and the horse had this glassy look in his eyes. Later, the horse was laying down looking at Jeffrey, and Jeffrey was laying down looking at him.”
To Cibelli's delight, Jeffrey has proven an intuitive companion to Thoroughbreds. It's the nature of racing barns to have horses who come and go, entering or leaving through claims or retirements. When one horse leaves, Jeffrey always seems to figure out who needs him next.
“He knows if a horse needs him,” she said. “When we first shipped into Palm Meadows, I had this one filly and she gets a little antsy whenever we move places. She wasn't really walking the stall but she was getting up tight, weaving, washing out. And immediately Jeffrey goes over to her and sat down in front of her stall and all was good. He's amazing.”
Jeffrey has his favorites, and he has his not-so-favorites among the racehorses. At Delaware Park, where the stalls have webbings he can climb underneath, he'll crawl into the stall with his favorite horses, while others may get a defiant head toss or knock of his horns on their doorframe as he goes by.
Jeffrey travels with Cibelli's string between South Florida and Delaware Park. He's not wild about the trip but knows the routine and gets his own box stall in the commercial horse van. Cibelli suspects he doesn't enjoy the colder weather up north, since as far as she knows he's always been a Florida guy.
“I do put a blanket on him, but the problem is finding a blanket that actually fits him,” she said. “You'd think a foal blanket would fit him, but it doesn't. The neck's too big. So I try to jimmy something together for him.
“He doesn't particularly like to be brushed or messed with. I think at some point he had kind of a rough life because he does stand up for himself. If there's something he doesn't like, he will turn around and let you know.”
Jeffrey has developed quite a reputation in the barn area, whether he's in Delaware or at Gulfstream, where he is based this winter. Cibelli often gets calls first thing in the morning from trainers in neighboring barns who report he has taken advantage of the training hour bustle to wander off visiting. He even recruited an assistant – a fellow goat joined Cibelli's string in Delaware last summer, to Jeffrey's apparent delight, but was not able to make the journey south with them.
Jeffrey seems to take seriously the need for collaboration between him and other staff, and often finds his way into Cibelli's office.
“I get here first thing in the morning and the cat I've had forever is like, 'Feed me, feed me,'” said Cibelli. “And I look around and the other cats who have decided to move in are also saying feed me. And then here comes Jeffrey. So before I do anything I've got to feed my menagerie.”
When he's not serving as sports psychologist to Cibelli's string, Jeffrey likes to kick back with a snack. Cibelli and her staff have found his palate trends towards the salty. Potato chips, Cheetos, and spicy, crunchy snacks are big favorites.
“He's got quite a following,” she said. “I was worried he'd be annoying, but everybody knows him. He's just a cool goat.
“I don't know how old he is, but he's got a home for the rest of his life.”
If you want to keep track of Jeffrey's exploits, you can find him on his very own Twitter account @jeffreybarngoat.
The post Barn Buddies Presented By Dapple Up: Jeffrey The Goat Goes Where He Is Needed appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Bet to win.
Newcastle 2.0 Operation Manna – win bet.
Newcastle 2.35 Heroique De Maulde – win bet.
