G1 Guide And Tips: Champions Cup

Race Information

History

The G1 Champions Cup, formerly known as the Japan Cup Dirt, was created as a dirt equivalent to the prestigious Japan Cup.

The race has undergone a number of changes over the years, including a drop in distance from 2100m to 1800m with the shift from Tokyo to Hanshin in 2008. Fast forward to 2014 and it underwent yet another venue – and directional (left-handed) – change to Chukyo, as well as the more significant rebranding to ‘Champions Cup’ in a bid by the Japan Racing Association (JRA) to enhance its international appeal.

First run in 2000, the inaugural edition was won by Wing Arrow under Yukio Okabe, who remains the oldest successful jockey. The most winning jockey is legendary veteran Yutaka Take, who boasts four victories (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007) to date and will partner Meisho Hario in 2025.

The first horse to claim multiple wins was Kane Hekili (2005, 2008), with the latter victory coming second-up after a 28-month injury (bowed tendon) enforced layoff. The only other dual winners of the race went back-to-back – the first was Transcend (2010, 2011); then came reigning champ Lemon Pop who has since been retired, denying him the chance of an unprecedented hat-trick of wins.

Statistics

Top Contenders

NARUKAMI (Thunder Snow x Omnipresence); 3YO

Trainer: Hiroyasu Tanaka

Jockey: Keita Tosaki

Biggest win: Jpn1 Japan Dirt Classic (2025)

Since transferring to trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka in the spring, Narukami has surged to stardom with an unbeaten string of four consecutive victories. In particular, his October Jpn1 Japan Dirt Classic win announced him as a major player. He powered clear to beat Natural Rise – who was chasing the Dirt Triple Crown – by three lengths, then left Luxor Cafe a further 12 lengths away. The result sent a major shock through the division.

Since the race was renamed the Champions Cup and shifted to Chukyo in 2014, only two three-year-olds have managed to win it: Le Vent Se Leve and Chrysoberyl. Both were derailed by injury not long after, but they left behind the same aura Narukami is building now – bottomless monsters on a winning streak.

One concern is the lack of variety in the way he has raced so far. He has tracked the pace in front or in second in almost all of his races and has never been involved in a genuine battle for the lead. From barrier 12, a relatively wide draw, can he still seize the early lead? Even so, with a showdown against Forever Young on the horizon, this is not a race he can afford to lose.

W HEART BOND (Kizuna x Persistently); 4YO

Trainer: Ryuji Okubo

Jockey: Ryusei Sakai

Biggest win: G3 Miyako Stakes (2025)

Named for the star on her face that looks like hearts stacked vertically, she has, true to that name, been piling up the ‘W’s’. In allowance races she has won every start by at least three lengths in dominant fashion, and after overcoming a fracture in September last year, she finally joined the ranks of graded stakes winners in November this year with victory in the G3 Miyako Stakes.

That said, the conditions for fillies in the Champions Cup are even tougher than for the aforementioned three-year-olds. The only filly to have won the race is Sambista, who caused an upset at 66.0 odds in 2015. There have in fact been very few cases of fillies lining up as leading contenders at all, and Sodashi – who finished 12th as second favourite in 2021 – is the only example.

In the Jpn3 Breeders Gold Cup in August, where she suffered the first defeat of her career, she engaged in a prolonged battle for the lead with Awesome Result, and although both became exhausted and faded in the end, she still clung on for second. In the Miyako Stakes as well, she tracked a strong pace in second and stopped the clock in track-record time.

She thrives in tough, attritional races but this is a new level.

LUXOR CAFE (American Pharoah x Molly’s Follies); 3YO

Trainer: Noriyuki Hori

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Biggest win: G3 Musashino Stakes (2025)

A three-year-old talent who headed to the Kentucky Derby on the back of four straight wins, he struggled with the muddy dirt at Churchill Downs and finished 12th. Five months later, when he returned in the Japan Dirt Classic in September, he wound up a well-beaten third, 12 lengths behind Narukami.

However, in the key trial, the G3 Musashino Stakes, he crushed the older horses with a three and half length romp. It was an emphatic victory that reassured his followers and sent his rating sky high.

One concern is that he will start from the outside barrier 16. Lemon Pop did win from 15 in 2023, but no horse has ever won from barrier 16, and none has even finished in the top three. Looking back, his full brother Cafe Pharoah also started from this gate in 2021 and was beaten into 11th. Does he have the ability to break that negative trend?

SIXPENCE (Kizuna x Finley’sluckycharm); 4YO

Trainer: Sakae Kunieda

Jockey: Christophe Lemaire

Biggest win: G2 Mainichi Okan (2024)

He had endured a frustrating career, suffering heavy defeats as one of the favoured runners in turf Group 1 races such as the Tokyo Yushun, Osaka Hai and Yasuda Kinen. However, he found a new ray of hope when finishing second in his first dirt attempt, the Jpn1 Nambu Hai, a bold move aimed at shedding his ‘Group 2 horse’ label.

In the Nambu Hai, jockey Mikamoto kept him wide throughout, thereby avoiding kickback and helping him to battle on for second. In the Champions Cup he has drawn wide in barrier 11 and how he copes with kickback will again be a key factor.

In his final gallop on Wednesday, he recorded the joint-fastest time of the day on the uphill course at the Miho Training Centre. Trainer Kunieda, who reaches the mandatory retirement age next year, would be sending out his first JRA male G1 winner since Danon Platina in 2014 should Sixpence win – it would also be his first victory in a dirt Group 1.

WILSON TESORO (Kitasan Black x Chesutoke Rose); 6YO

Trainer: Noboru Takagi

Jockey: Yuga Kawada

Biggest win: Mile Championship Nambu Hai (2025)

In what feels like a festival of emerging stars, Wilson Tesoro is one of the more seasoned campaigners that cannot be overlooked. Denied by Lemon Pop in both 2023 and 2024 – finishing second on both occasions – this will be his third attempt at winning what’s proving an elusive Champions Cup.

This season began with a fourth in the Saudi Cup, but he then suffered a disappointing fifth in the Jpn1 Teio Sho in July, his first poor domestic run since February 2024. He bounced back with a four-length demolition in the subsequent Nambu Hai, only to be beaten again into a distant fifth in his latest start, the Jpn1 JBC Classic.

The consistency he had shown until now has been lacking this year, which is cause for some concern. Even so, his strong affinity with this race makes him an attractive prospect. As a proven ‘star veteran’ with a solid record, this shapes as a moment of truth for Wilson Tesoro.

MEISHO HARIO (Pyro x Meisho Ohi); 8YO

Trainer: Inao Okada

Jockey: Yukata Take

Biggest win: Miyako Stakes (2021)

A veteran who has been competing in top-level dirt races since 2021 and has won four Jpn1 races so far, he is now eight years old this season, and this race will be his final start. However, he won the Jpn1 Kawasaki Kinen in April and finished second in the JBC Classic last time out, showing this season that his strength remains unchanged.

In July, he was a late scratching from the Teio Sho after almost choking to death when his feed got stuck in his throat while being transported by horse float to Oi Racecourse. The truck stopped at a gas station where they borrowed a hose from a station attendant to flush out his throat, averting disaster. Without that attendant’s quick thinking, he probably would not be with us today.

His previous owner, prominent racehorse owner Yoshio Matsumoto, passed away in August – a victory here would be one dedicated to him. As Suguru Hamanaka was injured in a race last month, Yutaka Take will take the ride on Meisho Hario – the first time the two ‘veterans’ will have linked up on raceday.

Expert Analysis & Selections

MASANOBU TAKAHASHI

Angle: Repeat race

Just like Sound True, Gold Dream, Inti, Chuwa Wizard and last year’s race, which produced the exact same top three as 2023, the Champions Cup is a race where past performers are always worth another look.

Wilson Tesoro’s form has been up and down this season but his dominant Nambu Hai win shows his ability is not in doubt, and a return to his favourite course should help him show his true worth. For the same reason, Meisho Hario, who finished fifth here two years ago, can also be rated highly for his course affinity.

Selections: #8 Wilson Tesoro, #12 Narukami, #3 Meisho Hario, #2 W Heart Bond

HOMAN

Angle: JBC Day form

The Champions Cup is one of Japan’s two international Dirt G1s, and its field is typically drawn from top JRA group races and NAR’s Jpn1s. That makes JBC Day in early November – NAR’s biggest card, featuring three dirt Jpn1s – a crucial lead-up and formline.

The link is strong: in the past decade, eight Champions Cup top-three finishers had also run top three in that year’s JBC Classic. This year, only Meisho Hario fits that profile. He was also the lone closer to make ground in a JBC Classic run on front-runner-friendly Funabashi. At around 22-1, he’s a live longshot.

Selections:  #12 Narukami, #3 Meisho Hario, #16 Luxor Cafe, #10 Tenka Jo

STEVEN HO

Angle: Overseas experience

The Champions Cup serves as a stage for Japanese horses to showcase and cement their reputations. Horses with prior overseas racing experience tend to be more reliable. This year, Luxor Café and Wilson Tesoro stand out as contenders possessing overseas experience, potentially giving them an edge in this field. 

Wilson Tesoro has finished runner-up in the Champions Cup in the last two years and consistently demonstrated his capability at the elite level. Given the absence of Lemon Pop, seasoned Group 1 campaigner Wilson Tesoro can take top spot this year.

Selections: #8 Wilson Tesoro, #16 Luxor Cafe, #12 Narukami, #11 Sixpence

JAYSON KWOK

Angle: Nambu Hai formline

Over the past decade, the Nambu Hai has been one of the most trustworthy Champions Cup form guides. Back-to-back winner Lemon Pop (2023, 2024), plus Le Vent Se Leve (2018) and Gold Dream (2017), all ran first or second there before conquering this race. Add three more Champions Cup placegetters off the same pathway, and the message is clear: if you fire in the Nambu Hai, you’re a real player here.

The top two from this year’s race naturally demand respect, but I lean to the runner-up, Sixpence over Wilson Tesoro. It’s rare for a proven Group 2 turf horse to switch codes and hit a dirt race like that first try – his class showed there and his dirt ability is now confirmed. He strikes a similar profile to 2013 winner Belshazzar.

W Heart Bond is an intriguing mare, unbeaten in three starts at Chukyo. The veteran Meisho Hario also merits a look: he knows this surface inside out and remains competitive at eight. There’s a notable change, too – Yutaka Take takes over the reins from the injured Suguru Hamanaka.

Selections: #11 Sixpence, #8 Wilson Tesoro, #2 W Heart Bond, #3 Meisho Hario

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