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Japan Cup: Almond Eye Bows Out With Victory In Battle Of Triple Crown Winners

Almond Eye reprised her triumph in the Japan Cup from a 2018 Horse of the Year campaign by defeating the undefeated duo of Triple Crown winner Contrail and filly Triple Crown winner Daring Tact in Sunday's 40^th edition of the Grade 1 international classic at a mostly empty Tokyo Race Course in Tokyo, Japan.

Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, the 5-year-old mare by Lord Kanaloa (a grandson of the former Lane's End stallion Kingmambo) charged to the lead in the final furlong, overtaking front-runner Kiseki – who had opened up as much as a 20-length advantage – and easily holding off Contrail by 1 ¼ lengths. Daring Silk was a neck back in third in the field of 15 that included just one international competitor, Way to Paris, who finished 10^th after delaying the start by refusing to be loaded into the starting gate.

For Almond Eye, it was the perfect way to end a career that included a record eight Grade 1 victories in Japan (plus one in Dubai) and career earnings of 1,915,263,900 (approximately $18.4 million). She won 11 of 15 starts overall with two seconds and one third. Among her victories were the three filly Triple Crown races in 2018, making this the first race in Japan featuring three Triple Crown winners.

Almond Eye ran the 2,400 meters (1 ½ miles) on a firm but visibly chewed up turf course in 2:23.0, more than two seconds slower than the course record of 2:20.6 she established in 2018.

Bred in Japan by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Racing, Almond Eye races for the Silk Racing Co. Ltd. racing club and is trained by Sakae Kunieda. She was produced from the stakes-winning Sunday Silence mare Fusaichi Pandora, whose grandam, Sex Appeal (by Buckpasser), produced two European champions, El Gran Senor and Try My Best. Sex Appeal was produced from Best in Show (by Traffic Judge), a broodmare of the year whose other foals included Kentucky Oaks winner Blush With Pride. The latter's foals included Better Than Honour, dam of two Belmont Stakes winners and a broodmare of the year herself.

Yoshida indicated Almond Eye will be bred in 2021, possibly to Epiphaneia, the 2014 Japan Cup winner standing at the Yoshida family's Shadai Stallion Station. Epiphaneia is a son of Symboli Kris S, a grandson of Roberto. He was produced from Cesario, a daughter of the Sunday Silence stallion Special Week who came to the U.S. to win the Grade 1 American Oaks Invitational at Hollywood Park in 2005.

“Since this was her final start, it was very special for me and I'm thrilled we were able to win,” said Lemaire. “After winning the Victoria Mile in the spring, we had three weeks to get her prepared for the Yasuda Kinen in which she was second. She had an extra week this time and was tuned up beautifully. She was relaxed in the gate, broke smoothly and was able to sit in a good position. The turf condition near the rails was much better than last week so I don't think the inner draw was a problem. The pace was just right for her and she responded well in the stretch. The others closing in on us didn't worry me at all. Almond Eye is a perfect mare and doesn't have any weak points. Her career as a race horse ended today but I look forward to riding her children.”

Trainer Kunieda added: “She looked good since arriving at the racecourse—she has definitely matured mentally. We were worried about the rough going near the rails, but Christophe did a good job in finding a good path. The pace was ideal for Almond Eye and her response was totally different from that in the Tenno Sho (Autumn). Since expectations of an eighth G1 title were enormous in her last Tenno Sho start, we did feel pressure but today, all we wanted was for her to come back safe and sound. The victory is such a bonus, we couldn't be happier. She has given us so much excitement and joy and it has been fulfilling to be a part of her career. It would be great if I could be involved in training her colt or filly someday.”

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Japan Racing Association limited attendance to just over 4,500 in the cavernous racecourse that typically attracts over 100,000 fans for major Grade 1 races like the Japan Cup. Wagering on the Japan Cup was approximately $262 million, with $357 million bet on the day's program.

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Triple Crown Showdown In Japan Cup

The G1 Japan Cup rarely fails to deliver an epic clash of sexes and generations at Tokyo Racecourse on the last weekend in November, and this year’s lineup on Sunday features a historic showdown of three individual Triple Crown winners.

Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) is the most widely known of those internationally, Silk Racing’s 5-year-old having swept the Japanese fillies’ Triple Crown in 2018 en route to victory in this race. She dropped back in trip to take the G1 Dubai Turf the following spring, and has since added two renewals of the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn over 2000 metres as well as the G1 Victoria Mile. The Japan Cup has been earmarked as Almond Eye’s last race before she retires to stud.

Jockey Christophe Lemaire partnered Almond Eye in a work on Thursday and he said, “I was very happy with the horse’s condition. Riding Almond Eye is always very special for me. Today was the last fast work of her career and she was very focused and she was enjoying herself the whole time. The only difference between her fast work today and her work before the Tenno Sho was the pace. Today, I didn’t want her to overdo it, but wanted her to keep some power in reserve. She has gotten stronger and looks to be in good condition.

“Two years ago she was three years old and she only carried 53 kg in the Japan Cup. This time she’s five and it’s quite a different race. The 3-year-olds this year are incredibly strong and I think it’s going to be a good race.”

Those 3-year-olds are unbeaten stars Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), who one week apart in October swept the fillies’ and colts’ Triple Crowns. While none of the seven prior colts to win the Triple Crown have taken the Japan Cup in the same year, filly Triple Crown winners have done it twice: Almond Eye and Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in 2012. Contrail and Daring Tact have had four and five weeks’ rest, respectively, from their wins in the G1 Kikuka Sho and G1 Shuka Sho. While Daring Tact steps back up in trip, Contrail is coming down from the 3000 metre journey of the Kikuka Sho.

Lemaire said of the opposition, “Both Contrail and Daring Tact are amazing horses and they’ve given us some very good races. They showed us both speed and stamina. The two of them are very talented. So I think this year’s Japan Cup is going to be quite difficult. It’s very hard to tell who will win. I’ll think about my strategy two days before the race.”

This year’s Japan Cup has drawn one international challenger, the French raider Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}). The 7-year-old entire has been a model of consistency over the past four seasons but has proven better than ever in 2020, winning G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and, over this trip, the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in June. He was last seen finishing ninth in a heavy-ground G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 4.

“After the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud victory in June, it was decided to challenge the Japan Cup and give the horse an opportunity of a lifetime at the end of his career,” said Zoe Pfeil, assistant to trainer Andrea Marcialis. “The race tactics will be Mirco Demuro’s call and whether the horse should fare well against the Triple Crown winners will depend on whether Way To Paris is relaxed in the later stages and able to show his good turn of foot. We are confident that the turf at Tokyo Racecourse, not to mention the 2400-meter distance, will suit our horse and we are looking forward to seeing how he handles it.”

Not to be discounted in a contentious lineup are Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), last year’s G1 Hong Kong Vase winner who won the G2 Kyoto Daishoten over this trip on Oct. 11, and Curren Bouquetd’or (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who rides a frustrating streak of four straight second-place finishes in top company, including last year’s Japan Cup and the G2 Sankei Sho All Comers S. on Sept. 27.

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Asian Notebook: Almond Eye Confirmed For Japan Cup

Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) is likely to have the final start of her illustrious career in the G1 Japan Cup (2400m) at Tokyo Racecourse, her trainer Sakae Kunieda announced through the Twitter account of the Silk Horse Club syndicate that campaigns her.

The 5-year-old daughter of Fusaichi Pandora (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) swept the Japanese Filly Triple Crown in 2018 and capped a Horse of the Year campaign with a smooth 1 3/4-length defeat of front-running Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) in the Japan Cup. She added the G1 Dubai Turf and G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) last season and most recently became the first horse in the history of the Japanese turf to win eight Group 1 races when successfully defending her Tenno Sho title Nov. 1.

Also confirmed for the Japan Cup are the twin Triple Crown winners of 2020, the colt Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), neither of whom has tasted defeat in their careers.

Almond Eye’s connections opted for the Japan Cup over a trip to Hong Kong for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup Dec. 13, a race for which she was entered last term, but did not ultimately make the journey. Sha Tin is the destination for another Asian-based runner, as connections confirmed that three-time defending champion Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton has accepted the call aboard Inferno (Aus) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint. Trained by Cliff Brown for owner Glenn Whittenbury’s Barree Stable, the 4-year-old is eight-for-nine lifetime and exits a flashy success in the Oct. 25 Lion City Cup at Kranji Racecourse in Singapore.

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