Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Nakayama Racecourse – Track Analysis (Arima Kinen Day):


As an amply undulating course that features tight corners and short stretch runs, fields for both the featured Arima Kinen and the Goodluck Handicap contested over 2500m on turf on the clockwise Nakayama strip will, immediately after the break, roll downhill while bearing right for an extended 600m section. Again, due to the sharpness of this first corner, outside-drawn runners will either be parked wide, or forced to tuck back behind the pack and save ground. That being said, as a route race with presumably a softer early pace, runners still have plenty of time and space to position properly when they pass the grandstand for the first time.

After that, with one full lap still to complete, and certainly the afore-mentioned 600m section by the side of the course, runners will descend all the way until another abrupt up-hill run some 250m from home. With such undulations, front-runners are facing quite a tough task, yet again, as the final corner is quite sharp just before turning for home, deep closers may as well have to make their moves from out wide, or simply get stuck in traffic with nowhere to go. Also, with just a 300m stretch run to the finish, horses from off the pace need to start rolling through the turn, or leave themselves too much to do down the lane.

Meanwhile, for the Christmas Rose Stakes and the Christmas Cup – both contested over the precise Sprinters Stakes course of 1200m on turf – inside-drawn runners have to break sharp and rush to the front early, or risk getting shut off when their competition drops to the rail swiftly from out wide. Whereas for the 1200m trip on dirt – the stage for both the 3yo and up allowance and the 2017 Farewell Stakes – forwardly-placed runners usually enjoy a better trip when the track is listed as fast.

In the 2016 running of the Arima Kinen, the eventual tierce – SATONO DIAMOND, KITASAN BLACK and GOLD ACTOR – all stayed in touch with the first flight early, whereas SATONO DIAMOND, guided by Christophe Lemaire aboard, reeled in KITASAN BLACK and GOLD ACTOR to strike home just in time.

With intermittent rain at Nakayama that will nevertheless recede on race day Sunday – now forecast as cloudy – this year’s running of the Arima Kinen Day should still be staged on good goings, and speed horses up front should constitute the majority of the race selections.

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