🔗 Share this article

A former JRA representative observes, “If you’re living in Japan and read a sports section, the top three activities are featured. One is baseball, next is sumo, and the final one is horse racing. Racing is ever-present, and these athletes are stunning. The challenge and passion are palpable, and a challenge to the Arc because we’ve been trying to win for over five decades. This is the reason Japanese people are so attached.”

Renewed Ambition

A multitude of devotees journeying to Paris and millions more following live broadcasts, the season is here once again. Since Speed Symboli, the first Japanese-trained runner at the Arc, finished 11th back in 1969, 32 more attempted without success. At Longchamp, three more – this year’s candidates – aim to break the streak.

As an example of determination despite painful and often bitter experience, few stories compare across sports. Supporters of England may grumble over decades of disappointment, however, the team does at least have a global title. In recent decades, Japanese horse racing has developed as the wealthiest and top-performing globally. Yet the result after enormous spending and countless journeys is a string of increasingly agonising disappointments.

Heartbreak and Near-Misses

• El Condor Pasa was narrowly defeated by the champion while in front until the last moment.
• The legendary Deep Impact, attracting huge crowds, was less than a length behind that year though subsequently disqualified for banned medication.
• The 2010 entry lost by a mere head the victor.
• Orfevre took command a furlong out but wandered and was chased down in the closing strides.

Heavy going along with ill fortune, with the draw and in the race, have been factors in the string of losses. Runners used to firm turf in Japan falter on testing tracks common in Paris at Longchamp in early October. An expert perspective suggests it was an evolving strategy. “If you are an owner taking a classic race, the natural conclusion is: ‘The Arc is possible,’ yet that isn’t true while it seems alike, the challenges are unique.

“The Japanese turf are very level with domestic runners developed into sprint specialists, overseas, more versatile athletes, because the surface appears pristine but when you walk on it, it’s totally different. And that’s why trainers and owners have adapted their approach to select entrants able to handle variety and greater resilience.

This Year's Hopefuls

It is certainly striking that the three Japanese challengers for this year’s Arc experienced an almost European training regimen: time off in summer and then a run in a trial. While not the largest squad ever sent overseas – four runners in 2022 placed apart in the lower positions – yet they possess impressive quality.

Could this be the breakthrough when the travelling fans are rewarded for their indefatigable devotion behind their stars.

“Fundamentally, gambling is prohibited across the country with just four authorized betting sports, one of which is thoroughbred racing,” he adds. “Yet the governing body has succeeded to reshape perceptions from purely a betting sport into a broader entertainment that everyone can enjoy, uniting enthusiasts to the events uniquely to other countries.

“For local supporters, as top competitors participating, supporters make the trip, to share in the challenge. Victories in Hong Kong and other regions and most places on comparable tracks, and this is the box that we have wanted to tick for decades.”