Arima Kinen

Arima Kinen
有馬記念

Grade I race
Location	Nakayama Racecourse
Inaugurated	1956
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat race
Website	japanracing.jp
Race information
Distance	2,500 metres (1m 4½f)
Track	Turf, right-handed
Qualification	Three-years-old and up
Weight	55 kg (3yo); 57 kg (4yo+) Allowances 2 kg for fillies and mares 2 kg for S. Hemisphere 3yos
Purse	¥383,400,000 (2008)

The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,500 metres (approximately 1 mile and 4½ furlongs) at Nakayama Racecourse, and it takes place annually in late December. It is one of the two "All-Star" races in Japanese horse racing; the other is the Takarazuka Kinen in late June.

The event was first run in 1956, and it was initially titled the Nakayama Grand Prix (中山グランプリ). The following year it was renamed in memory of Yoriyasu Arima (1884–1957), the founder of the race. The distance was originally set at 2,600 metres, and it was shortened to the present length, 2,500 metres, in 1966.

The majority of the runners in the field are selected by a vote from racing fans, while the remainder are determined by the amount of prize money won.

Until 1999 the Arima Kinen was open to Japanese trained horses only. However, the Japan Racing Association introduced a new condition in 2000 which allowed for the participation of a foreign trained horse, if it had won that year's Japan Cup. The Arima Kinen was classed as a Domestic Grade I until 2006, and it was then promoted to an International Grade I in 2007. Consequently, it is now possible for more foreign trained horses to compete in the race. The maximum number of these was set at four in 2007, and this increased to six for the 2008 running.

Speed record:

• 2:29.5 – Zenno Rob Roy (2004)

Most wins:

• 2 – Speed Symboli (1969, 1970)
• 2 – Symboli Rudolf (1984, 1985)
• 2 – Oguri Cap (1988, 1990)
• 2 – Grass Wonder (1998, 1999)
• 2 – Symboli Kris S (2002, 2003)

• japanracing.jp – "The 53rd Arima Kinen" (2008)
• pedigreequery.com