Rising for one final and thunderous statement, Nakayama Racecourse hosts Japan’s final race meeting of the year on Sunday, December 28, headlined by the Arima Kinen (G1), the country’s most anticipated year-end contest. The 12-race programme brings together emerging two-year-olds, established performers, and elite open-class runners, building steadily toward the ¥960,040,000 Grand Prix over 2500 metres.
As the last major fixture on the domestic calendar, the meeting serves as both a conclusion to the season and a decisive stage for the year’s leading horses, with the Arima Kinen standing as the focal point of Japanese racing’s annual finale.
The curtain will lift at 9:50 am with Race 1, a 2-Year-Old Maiden over 1200 metres, where 16 juveniles will take their first competitive steps, chasing ¥10,600,000 and the promise of a future not yet written. That sense of raw ambition will deepen at 10:20 am in Race 2, another 2-Year-Old Maiden, stretched to 1800 metres with 16 runners, where early talent will be tested by balance and restraint.
Speed will return sharply at 10:50 am with Race 3, a 1200-metre Maiden again featuring 16 two-year-olds, before the programme begins to mature at 11:20 am in Race 4, a 2-Year-Old Allowance over 1200 metres, carrying a richer ¥15,200,000 and signalling the first real rise in class.
Midday will belong to anticipation and discovery. Race 5 at 11:50 am, a 2-Year-Old Newcomer over 1800 metres, will unveil 16 unraced prospects competing for ¥14,250,000, followed at 12:40 pm by Race 6, another Newcomer, this time over 2000 metres with a demanding 18-runner field, where stamina quietly enters the equation.
The afternoon will then shift gears as experience takes control. Race 7 at 1:10 pm, an Allowance for 3-Year-Olds and Up over 1200 metres, will feature 16 seasoned runners and ¥15,200,000, tightening the competitive edge. Momentum will surge again at 1:40 pm with Race 8 – the Happy End Cup, an 1800-metre Allowance with 13 contenders chasing ¥29,890,000, aptly named as the year edges closer to its final chapter.
Staying power will define Race 9 at 2:15 pm, the Goodluck Handicap, an Allowance over 2500 metres with 14 runners, offering ¥29,880,000 and demanding both patience and resolve. Speed will then snap back into focus at 2:50 pm with Race 10 – the 2025 Farewell Stakes, a 1200-metre Allowance featuring 16 runners and ¥35,550,000, a final sharp test before greatness takes over.
At 3:40 pm, the noise will change. Race 11 – the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1) will command complete attention. Over 2500 metres, 16 elite open-class runners will clash for ¥960,040,000, carrying the weight of fan votes, seasonal narratives, and career-defining stakes. This is the race where champions are confirmed, where courage meets class, and where the year finds its final answer.
Contenders: Excite Bio, Shin Emperor, Justin Palace, Museum Mile, Regaleira, Meisho Tabaru, Sunrise Zipangu, Chevalier Rose, Danon Decile, Cosmo Kuranda, Mystery Way, Meiner Emperor, Admire Terra, Arata, Elton Barows, Tastiera
The season will close at 4:25 pm with Race 12 – the 2025 Final Stakes, an Allowance over 1600 metres with 16 runners contesting ¥35,530,000, sealing the calendar with one last surge of speed and competitive fire.
From first-time juveniles to Grand Prix immortality, Nakayama on December 28 will not simply conclude the year. It will define it.
Nakayama Racecards 28 December promise a thrilling close to the Japanese racing calendar, culminating in the much-anticipated Arima Kinen G1.
For more stories, results, and updates from the world of horse racing, stay tuned to Racebuzz.