Almond Eye and Lemaire primed for epic battle in star-studded Grand Prix

Arima Kinen (Grade 1) | 3yo+ | 1m4½f

She is the Queen of the East but trainer Sakae Kunieda and jockey Christophe Lemaire will not take anything for granted when Almond Eye steps in front of a capacity Nakayama crowd to face one of the best middle-distance fields assembled anywhere in the world this year.

A winner of the Dubai Turf and the Tenno Sho Autumn this season in addition to her four Grade 1 successes at three, Almond Eye easily topped the fans' poll which is a key part of assembling the Arima Kinen field, though her presence in the line-up is largely due to a minor temperature which ruled out a proposed trip to Hong Kong at the start of the month.

Facing her will be not only an array of Japan's best middle distance equine talent, but also many of the world's best jockeys.

Japan Cup winner Suave Richard is reunited with Oisin Murphy, Damian Lane will once again be on Cox Plate heroine Lys Gracieux, while Ryan Moore (Kiseki) and Christophe Soumillon (Saturnalia) will look to bow out of their successful spells in the country with a bang.

Almond Eye has not run over further than 1m2f since landing the 2018 Japan Cup but Lemaire is relaxed about the step up in trip around a track that is less demanding than Tokyo.

"She won over the Tokyo 2,400 metres [a mile and a half] easily in record time, and has stamina, so she should be okay over 2,500 meters at Nakayama," said Lemaire, who has drawn stall nine ahead of what is a short run to the first turn. "Whenever I ride her, I’m confident.

"Lys Gracieux is a very good horse, but I think Almond Eye is the best. Suave Richard, Kiseki, there are a lot of horses that pose a threat, but I still think she's the best horse I've ridden."

Murphy never left the rail on Suave Richard in the Japan Cup and will be pleased to get the number two stall.

"I think Almond Eye will make a simple run up the outside, so I would like to have the most ground-saving trip I can get," said Murphy, who dismissed fears expressed by work watchers this week that Suave Richard's final gallop had been below par.

"His time this week was a bit slow, which I think had everyone worried, but I felt that mentally he was in a much better state."

In a year when Japan's international raiders have carried much before them, Lys Gracieux holds a special place after her stunning success at Moonee Valley, a track with short home straight not unlike the one at Nakayama.

The five-year-old daughter of Heart's Cry will make her final career start and is a first Arima Kinen runner for her vastly experienced trainer, Yoshito Yohagi.

"It's not just about entering a horse here," said Yohagi. "It's about the fans as well and having a horse they want to see run. She’s an independent horse and always gives it her all."

Similar comments apply to another mare making her career swansong, the ultra-consistent Aerolithe, who ran a huge race to hold on for third to Almond Eye after making the running in the Tenno Sho.

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