Japan has spent decades trying to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. This year, its challenge includes a rider who already knows how to win it.
Cristian Demuro will partner Admire Terra in the Group 1 contest over 2400m at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, October 4. The Italian jockey has won the Arc twice, aboard Sottsass in 2020 and Ace Impact in 2023, and took his first ride on the Japanese contender during a racecourse gallop on Tuesday.
Admire Terra covered around a mile in the workout and quickened along the home straight. Demuro was pleased with how the five-year-old balanced himself around ParisLongchamp, an encouraging first look at a course that can be demanding for visiting horses. A gallop cannot settle the question of how he will perform in the Arc, but it gave horse and rider a chance to learn about each other before race day.
Trained by Yasuo Tomomichi, Admire Terra brings proven stamina to France. The son of Rey de Oro won the Group 2 Hanshin Daishoten over 3000m in March and finished a close third in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3200m in May. His most recent run, a ninth in the Sapporo Kinen over 2000m in August, leaves him with form to improve upon. The Arc’s longer trip may offer a better test of his strengths.
Demuro’s booking gives the Japanese team valuable local experience. He is the reigning French champion jockey and has handled two very different Arc winners: Sottsass prevailed on testing ground, while Ace Impact produced a powerful late run in 2023. His knowledge of ParisLongchamp could matter as much as Tuesday’s positive workout once the draw, pace and ground come into play.
Japan has come agonisingly close before. El Condor Pasa finished second in 1999, Nakayama Festa repeated that placing in 2010, and Orfevre was runner-up in both 2012 and 2013. Those four near misses have kept the country’s pursuit of the Arc alive, even as its horses have won major races across the rest of the world.
Admire Terra is not Japan’s only hope this year. Meisho Tabaru also galloped at ParisLongchamp on Tuesday and is set to be ridden by Yutaka Take. The pair give Japan two contrasting chances, with Admire Terra’s stamina and Demuro’s course knowledge at the heart of one campaign.
There is still much to prove against Europe’s leading middle-distance horses. Yet Admire Terra has now seen the track, his rider likes how he handled it, and the team can turn its attention to the final stages of preparation. For Japan, the aim remains the same: to turn years of near misses into a first Arc victory.
By Scott Bailey
