The Arima Kinen is a Grade I

Conditions races

Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...

 flat

Flat racing

Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...

 horse race

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 open to Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

s which are three-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,500 metres (approximately 1 mile and 4½ furlongs) at Nakayama Racecourse

Nakayama Racecourse

is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 165,676. It was built in 1990. It has 15,944 seats.-Physical attributes:Nakayama Race Course has two grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course....

, and it takes place annually in late December. It is one of the two "All-Star" races in Japanese horse racing; the other is the Takarazuka Kinen

Takarazuka Kinen

The Takarazuka Kinen is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 2,200 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in late June...

 in late June.

The event was first run in 1956, and it was initially titled the Nakayama Grand Prix (中山グランプリ). The following year it was renamed in memory of Yoriyasu Arima

Yoriyasu Arima

was a Japanese politician before and during World War II. His wife was the daughter of Prince Takeda Tsunehisa.-Biography:Arima was born in Tokyo as a son of the former daimyo of Kurume Domain...

 (1884–1957), the founder of the race. The distance was originally set at 2,600 metres, and it was shortened to the present length, 2,500 metres, in 1966.

The majority of the runners in the field are selected by a vote from racing fans, while the remainder are determined by the amount of prize money won.

Until 1999 the Arima Kinen was open to Japanese trained horses only. However, the Japan Racing Association

Japan Racing Association

The Japan Racing Association is a public company established to operate Chūō Keiba and to manage racecourses, betting facilities, and horse-training facilities....

 introduced a new condition in 2000 which allowed for the participation of a foreign trained horse, if it had won that year's Japan Cup

Japan Cup

The is the most prestigious horse race run in Japan. It is contested at the end of November at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters over the grass. With a purse of ¥476 million , the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.The Japan Cup is an invitational event...

. The Arima Kinen was classed as a Domestic Grade I until 2006, and it was then promoted to an International Grade I in 2007. Consequently, it is now possible for more foreign trained horses to compete in the race. The maximum number of these was set at four in 2007, and this increased to six for the 2008 running.

Records

Speed record:

• 2:29.5 – Zenno Rob Roy (2004)

Most wins:

• 2 – Speed Symboli (1969, 1970)
• 2 – Symboli Rudolf
  Symboli Rudolf
  Symboli Rudolf was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse who won the Japanese Triple Crown, sired by Partholon, a son of Milesian, out of Sweet Luna, a daughter of Speed Symboli...
  
   (1984, 1985)
• 2 – Oguri Cap
  Oguri Cap
  Oguri Cap was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, sired by Dancing Cap. Oguri Cap was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 1991.- Racing career :Major Racing Wins...
  
   (1988, 1990)
• 2 – Grass Wonder (1998, 1999)
• 2 – Symboli Kris S
  Symboli Kris S
  Symboli Kris S is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred race horse. He was voted Japanese Horse of the Year in 2002 and 2003. He was retired at the end of 2003 and was syndicated for $15-million. He stands at stud at Shadai Stallion Station on the island of Hokkaido in Japan.-References:**...
  
   (2002, 2003)

Winners since 1998

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
1998	Grass Wonder	3	Hitoshi Matoba	Mitsuhiro Ogata	Y. Hanzawa	2:32.1
1999	Grass Wonder	4	Hitoshi Matoba	Mitsuhiro Ogata	Y. Hanzawa	2:37.2
2000	T M Opera O T M Opera O T M Opera O was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, sired by Opera House, a son of Sadler's Wells, out of Once Wed, a daughter of Blushing Groom. T.M. Opera O was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 2004.T.M. Opera O was the world's all-time leading money-earner...	4	Ryuji Wada	Ichizo Iwamoto	Masatsugu Takezono	2:34.1
2001	Manhattan Cafe	3	Masayoshi Ebina Masayoshi Ebina is a Japanese jockey. Nicknamed Ebi-Shō.He is best known for riding El Condor Pasa.That won the Japan Cup and second in Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe .In 2010 he won the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown with Apapane....	Futoshi Kojima	Ken Nishikawa	2:33.1
2002	Symboli Kris S Symboli Kris S Symboli Kris S is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred race horse. He was voted Japanese Horse of the Year in 2002 and 2003. He was retired at the end of 2003 and was syndicated for $15-million. He stands at stud at Shadai Stallion Station on the island of Hokkaido in Japan.-References:**...	3	Olivier Peslier Olivier Peslier Olivier Peslier is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Peslier competes in flat racing mainly in France but travels often around the world for the big international races....	Kazuo Fujisawa Kazuo Fujisawa is a trainer of Thoroughbred race horses. He has been a licensed trainer in Japan since 1987 and since 1993 has won the training title eleven times....	Symboli Stud	2:32.6
2003	Symboli Kris S Symboli Kris S Symboli Kris S is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred race horse. He was voted Japanese Horse of the Year in 2002 and 2003. He was retired at the end of 2003 and was syndicated for $15-million. He stands at stud at Shadai Stallion Station on the island of Hokkaido in Japan.-References:**...	4	Olivier Peslier Olivier Peslier Olivier Peslier is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Peslier competes in flat racing mainly in France but travels often around the world for the big international races....	Kazuo Fujisawa Kazuo Fujisawa is a trainer of Thoroughbred race horses. He has been a licensed trainer in Japan since 1987 and since 1993 has won the training title eleven times....	Symboli Stud	2:30.5
2004	Zenno Rob Roy	4	Olivier Peslier Olivier Peslier Olivier Peslier is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Peslier competes in flat racing mainly in France but travels often around the world for the big international races....	Kazuo Fujisawa Kazuo Fujisawa is a trainer of Thoroughbred race horses. He has been a licensed trainer in Japan since 1987 and since 1993 has won the training title eleven times....	Shinobu Oosako	2:29.5
2005	Heart's Cry	4	Christophe Lemaire Christophe Lemaire Christophe Patrice Lemaire is a French-born jockey. He takes his middle name from his father, who made a name for himself in the world of French handicap racing.In 1999 he obtained the licence required for a French jockey, and began racing...	Kojiro Hashiguchi	Shadai Racehorse	2:31.9
2006	Deep Impact	4	Yutaka Take Yutaka Take is a Japanese jockey who is a multiple champion in his homeland and won the Japan Cup in 1999 on the horse Special Week...	Yasuo Ikee	Kaneko Makoto Holdings Makoto Kaneko is the President, CEO and Representative Director of Zuken Inc., a public listed multinational corporation in the Tokyo Stock Exchange.Makoto Kaneko is better known as a prominent horse owner in Japan...	2:31.9
2007	Matsurida Gogh	4	Masayoshi Ebina Masayoshi Ebina is a Japanese jockey. Nicknamed Ebi-Shō.He is best known for riding El Condor Pasa.That won the Japan Cup and second in Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe .In 2010 he won the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown with Apapane....	Sakae Kunieda	Fumie Takahashi	2:33.6
2008	Daiwa Scarlet Daiwa Scarlet is a Japanese racehorse which won the 2007 Oka Sho, Shūka Sho, Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup and the 2008 Arima Kinen....	4	Katsumi Ando	Kunihide Matsuda	Keizo Oshiro	2:31.5
2009	Dream Journey	5	Kenichi Ikezoe	Yasutoshi Ikee	Sunday Racing	2:30.0
2010	Victoire Pisa	3	Mirco Demuro	Katsuhiko Sumii Katsuhiko Sumii is a Japanese horse trainer.He trained the first and second placing horses in the 2006 Melbourne Cup, Delta Blues and Pop Rock.- Famous Horses :* Delta Blues - Won Melbourne Cup , Kikuka Sho (born March 28, 1964, Kanazawa, Ishikawa) is a Japanese horse trainer.He trained the first and second...	Yoshimi Ichikawa	2:32.6