Equinox looms heavy favorite in large Japan Cup field

Equinox, who will be a heavy favorite to win Sunday’s Grade 1 Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse, is not a perfect racehorse. He has been beaten, most recently when second in the Grade 1 Japanese Derby in 2022.

It’s what Equinox has done since then on a global basis that has left him widely considered the world’s leading runner. Equinox has won five consecutive races, a streak consisting of four victories in Grade 1 races in Japan and the Group 1 Sheema Classic in Dubai in March.

Equinox won the Sheema Classic by 3 1/2 lengths over Westover, who was second in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris last month, Europe’s leading race.

Equinox followed the Sheema Classic with victories in two races in Japan – the Takarazuka Kinen at 1 3/8 miles in June, and a course-record performance in the autumn running of the Grade 1 Tenno Sho at Tokyo Racecourse on Oct. 29, finishing 1 1/4 miles in 1:55.20.

Equinox, who is owned by Silk Racing Co. Ltd. and trained by Tetsuya Kimura, has 17 rivals in the Japan Cup and was still as low as 1-2 in early betting as of Thursday.

:: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets.

The race has a post time of 1:40 a.m. Eastern on Sunday or 10:40 p.m. Pacific on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

The Japan Cup has a purse of $7.22 million. If Equinox wins, Silk Racing Co. will receive a $3 million bonus for sweeping the Sheema Classic and Japan Cup in the same year.

A 4-year-old colt, Equinox has won 7 of 9 starts and will start in the Japan Cup for the first time Sunday. Last fall, Equinox won the autumn running of the Tenno Sho and did not race again until a win in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen in December.

On Sunday, Equinox, who races as a stalker, starts from post 2 and will be ridden by his regular rider, Christophe Lemaire.

Earlier this month at the Breeders’ Cup in California, Lemaire described Equinox as “exceptional.”

“It looks easy for him,” Lemaire said. “It’s because he’s all class.”

Equinox’s main rival is the brilliant 3-year-old filly Liberty Island, who drew the inside post.

A winner of 5 of 6 starts, Liberty Island has won four consecutive Grade 1 races in Japan, including the Triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies. She won the Japanese Oaks at 1 1/2 miles at Tokyo in May in her only previous start at the Japan Cup distance.

The Japan Cup field includes the 2022 winner, Vela Azul, and multiple French Group 1 winner Iresine. Both are rated as outsiders. Vela Azul will be ridden by Hollie Doyle, a late substitute for an injured Ryan Moore.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.