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, ‘Banker’, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Nakayama Racecourse – Track Analysis (Arima Kinen Day):

As a drastically undulating course with wicked corners and abbreviated stretch runs, fields for both the featured G1 Arima Kinen and the Goodluck Handicap to dispute over 2500m 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, runners drawing high numbers will either be floated wide, or having to tuck back behind other horses and save ground. Still, as a deep route with a presumably sedate pace through the early markers, runners still have plenty of time and space to position nicely when they file by the grandstand for the first time.

Then, with one full lap still to complete, and again the aforementioned 600m section by the side of the course, runners will race downslope all the way until another terse up-hill run some 250m from home. While such undulations are taxing on the front-runners, the final corner is also quite sharp just before turning for home, deep closers may as well have to loop the field from out wide to avoid traffic. Also, with just a 300m stretch drive, horses from off the pace need to kick into high gears through the turn, or leave themselves too much to do down the lane.

In the 2018 edition of the Arima Kinen, while the strip was listed as good, former Japan Cup runner-up KISEKI was blazing the trail up front – until his fading at the 200m marker. The eventual tierce of BLAST ONEPIECE, REY DE ORO and CHEVAL GRAND, all saving early for a big finish, then unleashed their late runs from out wide, and BLAST ONEPIECE, who took command inside the final 200m, managed to hold off REY DE ORO and reign supreme.

For the rest of the day’s undercard, the 1200m Christmas Cup on turf will, likewise to the 2500m trip, break on the outer course, then travel some 600m before hitting that sharp turn for home, and runners trying to sneak up on the rail will need more than a little luck, where big packs often clog the middle or outside paths up front; rather, a perfect trip here should be to stalk somewhere from second to fifth position, along the second flight, before overhauling the early leaders down the stretch. Meanwhile, in the 1800m Noel Sho on turf, runners have to negotiate a swift first turn at merely 100m or so after the break, then racing up and downhill all through the backstretch like Happy Valley, and a bad draw here is never an omen. Onto the dirt strip, fields for both 2yo 1 win and the 2019 Farewell Stakes at 1200m will have a full 400m drive on the backside, and front-runners would often dazzle all the way home, whereas another 1800m contest carded for 3yo and up 1 win will see runners file by likewise 300m of the homestretch before hitting the first turn; coupled with an uncontested early pace, outside-drawn runners still stand a fighting chance.

With intermittent rain that is still teasing through Nakayama as of late, this year’s running of the Arima Kinen would be contested in similar conditions, now forecast as cloudy with showers for Sunday. Should the ground crew keep up in maintaining a good strip – both turf and dirt – runners sent to the front early, particularly at sprints, may enjoy better results.

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