'Thank you and merry Christmas!' - Lemaire delight at Equinox's Arima Kinen romp

Tenno Sho Autumn winner Equinox made it a second Group 1 success with a dominant victory in the Arima Kinen at Nakayama on Christmas Day.

A son of Kitsan Black out of the winning King Halo mare Chateau Blanche, the Tetsuya Kimura-trained three-year-old was posting his fourth career success in pulling two and a half lengths clear of the fast-finishing Boldog Hos in a field of 16.

The only mare in the line up, Geraldina, was a further length and a half back in third.

Equinox is owned by Silk Racing Co and earned connections JPY403,360,000 (approx £2.52m/€2.85m) for winning the extended mile and a half turf contest for three-year-olds and up, that is traditionally held as the year-end big event and is the world's biggest betting race, dwarfing the Grand National.

Winning rider Christophe Lemaire said: "Thank you, and merry Christmas everyone! It was also Christmas Day when I won on Heart's Cry in 2005, and again on Satono Diamond in 2016.

"I got off to a really good start this time, so we were pretty near to the front. We raced in midfield but after I handled him to the outside [coming round the home bend] he used his best stride, as the strongest horse in the race.

"From the beginning, he showed good ability. He is a son of Kitasan Black, so he wasn't fully mature during his Classic summer, but he has become very strong since the autumn. I'm really looking forward to next year. There were many fans today. I feel great. Thank you for supporting Equinox."

Trainer Testuya Kimura added: "Before the race, he was as calm and energetic as he was at the Tenno Sho Autumn. I watched it with confidence. I watched his powerful running and I was relieved when he finished first.

"The genius part of this horse is that he wins easily when it's not easy.

"This is just my personal opinion, but I want to go to Saudi Arabia in February and make him a world-standard horse and face the world. I think Equinox is a horse worth going overseas with and showing to horsemen around the world."

Equinox is not quoted for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but it might not be long before he is.

For the runner-up's jockey Yuichi Fukunaga, this was a last Arima Kinen before his planned retirement in February.

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