Japanese racing moves from the turf to the dirt and from Tokyo Racecourse to Chukyo Racecourse for the Champions Cup (G1) Dec. 7 with a few familiar names lining up alongside youngsters ready compete for the spotlight.
Called the Japan Cup Dirt until 2014, the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8-mile) race has grown in significance along with Japanese racing's recent emphasis on the surface.
Growing right along has been Wilson Tesoro. Now 6 years old, the son of Kitasan Black has carried the flag to some of the world's top dirt-track events, finishing fourth and seventh in the past two runnings of the Dubai World Cup (G1) and fourth in the 2025 Saudi Cup (G1). He makes a third appearance in the Champions Cup after finishing second in both 2023 and 2024 and won the Mile Championship at Morioka Racecourse in October.
Trainer Noboru Takagi takes a positive view.
"He should be just right going into this next race," said Takagi, who inherited the horse's care after his earlier runs in the Champions Cup. "His condition's good, and he has been moving well in a relaxed manner ... He does seem well suited to the Chukyo dirt track and runs well there."
Meisho Hario, an 8-year-old by Pyro, also makes a third start in the race after finishing seventh in 2021 and fifth two years later. He hit a hot stretch in 2022 and 2023, winning three listed races and finishing third in both the 2022 Tokyo Daishoten (G1) and 2023 February Stakes (G1)—all on dirt. In his last race, the veteran finished second to Mikki Fight in the listed JBC Classic at Funabashi Racecourse and trainer Inao Okada is hoping for a glorious finale for him.
"He ran well last time, having been off for a while, and he's better now than he was for that last race," Okada said. "He really comes on for a run. With all his experience and ability, I want him to do his best before he retires."
Ramjet, 4, also has traveled the globe, reporting third in the Sept. 7 Korea Cup (G3) in Seoul. The Majestic Warrior colt, however, finished sixth in the Saudi Cup and ninth in the Dubai World Cup early this year.
If youth is to be served, Luxor Cafe arguably could be first in line. The American Pharoah colt won the 2024-25 Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby invitation and finished 12th in the Run for the Roses after a less-than-ideal trip. After a break, he finished third in the listed Japan Dirt Classic at Oi Racecourse Oct. 8 and then won the Musashino Stakes (G3) at Tokyo Racecourse Nov. 15. Another good effort likely would see him back on the international circuit at age 4.
Florent Geroux is named to ride Luxor Cafe on a temporary license extended through December.
Also looking for a leg up in the 3-year-old division are Narukami and W Heart Bond.
Narukami's name might not be top of the mind internationally but that of his sire, Thunder Snow, surely is—both for his multiple group 1 wins including two in the Dubai World Cup but also for the antics that saw him pulled up shortly after the start of the 2017 Kentucky Derby (G1).
Narukami has won five of six starts, all on dirt, and comes off a victory in the Japan Dirt Classic. Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka said the colt has "gained more ability since this autumn and has matured more. There's still more to come from him."
W Heart Bond, a Kizuna filly, goes one up on that record with six wins and a second from seven starts. Three of the wins were at Chukyo and she returns from a victory in the Miyako Stakes (G3) Nov. 9 at Kyoto, an 1,800-meter test she won in race-record time despite a muddy track.
