FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here CREAM OF THE CROP GATHER AT NAKAYAMA FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI MALIBU S. Sunday=s G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama is to Japan what the Kentucky Derby is to the U.S., the Melbourne Cup to Australia, the Arc de Triomphe to France. The racing fan is asked to contribute to the composition of the field, and eight of the 10 top votegetters will face the starter on Christmas Day, including the last two winners of the G1 Japan Cup, the reigning G1 Dubai World Cup hero and a THE FACTOR GOES AN EASY HALF-MILE Japanese Triple Crown As 2011 reaches its close, it has been a season of victor. Buena Vista (Jpn) ups and downs for Fog City Stable and George Bolton=s (Special Week {Jpn}), who The Factor (War Front), but the grey colt has a chance made amends for a to put a permanent positive spin on the campaign in disqualification in the 2010 Buena Vista japanracing.jp Monday=s GI Malibu S. After firing a six-furlong bullet in Japan Cup by taking this 1:11 4/5 over Hollywood=s Cushion Track Dec. 17, the year=s renewal, could go off a slender favorite in a race $250,000 Barretts May topper from 2010 was put which attracted the better part of a half-billion (yes, through his paces yesterday with a much easier half- billion) dollars in turnover last year. Rose Kingdom (Jpn) mile in :48 3/5. AHe went very nicely, and [trainer] Bob (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), promoted to the win, [Baffert] worked him reopposes here. Buena Vista, who makes her final at a nice pace and he career start, drew the inside gate. Alongside her is has lots of options,@ Victoire Pisa (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), who led home Bolton commented. a one-two finish for the island nation in the World Cup Whereas The Factor this past March. Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) swept drew inside and was the G1 Satsuki Sho, G1 Tokyo Yushun and G1 Kikuka used up on the pace Sho to complete the Triple Crown. The Arima Kinen when fourth in the marks his first start against older rivals. Field p2 GI Ancient Title S. and when eighth in the GI Breeders= Cup Dirt The Factor Horsephotos Mile in his last two starts, Bolton sees Monday=s wide draw as an asset. AHopefully with an outside post he doesn=t have to commit to the front,@ he explained. ABob has always said he doesn=t have to be on the lead, and my hope is he can rate a little bit.@ With wins in the GII San Vicente S. and in the GII Rebel S. early this year, Bolton admits things haven=t worked out as planned. AIt certainly has been a season of extreme elation and some disappointment,@ he offered. ABut he=ll stay in training in 2012 and he=s in good shape right now.@ Bolton foresees The Factor remaining in California to compete in the sprint series at Santa Anita before considering the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at the end of March. And then? AI wouldn=t be surprised to see him in the GI Met Mile,@ Bolton stated. In other Wednesday works at Hollywood, El Pocho (Chi) (The Mighty Tiger) went three-eighths of a mile from the gate in a bullet :35.60; and Centralintelligence (Smarty Jones) breezed a half in :47.60. (859) 233-4252 www.claibornefarm.com P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 12/23/11 • PAGE 2 of 3 • thoroughbreddailynews.com PREVIEWS Sunday, Nakayama, Japan, post time: 1:25 a.m. EST ARIMA KINEN-G1, ¥380,000,000 ($4,862,149), 3yo/up, 2500mT PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER 1 Buena Vista (Jpn) Special Week (Jpn) Iwata Matsuda 2 Victoire Pisa (Jpn) Neo Universe (Jpn) Demuro Sumii 3 Hiruno d’Amour (Jpn) Manhattan Café (Jpn) Fujita Kon 4 Pelusa (Jpn) Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) Ando Fujisawa 5 Eishin Flash (Jpn) King’s Best Lemaire Fujiwara 6 King Top Gun (Jpn) Mayano Top Gun (Jpn) Shibata Sameshima 7 To the Glory (Jpn) King Kamehameha (Jpn) Fukunaga Ikee 8 Rose Kingdom (Jpn) King Kamehameha (Jpn) Goto Hashiguchi 9 Orfevre (Jpn) Stay Gold (Jpn) Ikezoe Ikee 10 Tosen Jordan (Jpn) Jungle Pocket (Jpn) Williams Ikee 11 Jaguar Mail (Jpn) Jungle Pocket (Jpn) Shii Hori 12 Earnestly (Jpn) Grass Wonder Sato Sasaki 13 Red Davis (Jpn) Agnes Tachyon (Jpn) Take Otonashi 14 Rulership (Jpn) King Kamehameha (Jpn) Mndzabal Sumii All carry 126 pounds, bar Buena Vista, Orfevre & Red Davis, 121. RACETRACK ROUND-UP Europeans Join Mott Roster... Juddmonte's Group 1 winners Mutual Trust (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) and Announce (GB) (Selkirk) have been transferred from Andre Fabre to Bill Mott, according to Racing Post. Mutual Trust, who bagged the June 12 G3 Prix Paul de Moussac and July 3 G1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly, shipped Stateside in September after running 10th in the Aug. 15 G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville. Twice a winner at the Group 3 level, Announce registered a career high when annexing the Aug. 21 G1 Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville, and was denied by a pixel when runner-up in the Oct. 2 G1 Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp. She was scratched from the Breeders' Cup meet after colliding with an equine ambulance. Other ex-Europeans to bolster Mott's Payson Park winter team include four-time listed winner Principal Role (Empire Maker), recent GI Hollywood Derby fourth Slumber (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) and MSP Imperial Pippin (Empire Maker). "They're great horses to get," Mott told the trade daily. "They're not used up, they are usually sent with some gas left in the tank, and you know they are already graded-stakes quality. The challenge is to get a Grade I win over here, particularly with some of those who just missed out over there.@ The Hall of Fame horseman added, AMutual Trust came over in September and we were hoping to run him in the fall, but he got a little virus. We didn't run him, but he's doing well now. We might try to give him a run at the current Gulfstream meeting and then look at the [GI] Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. Announce might run later on at Gulfstream, but I think the other fillies will need time to acclimate, so they won't run probably until April." All horses in the TDN are bred in North America, unless otherwise indicated TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 12/23/11 • PAGE 3 of 3 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Racetrack Roundup cont. Meydan Masters Heads First Two DIRC Programs... The Dubai Racing Club has extended invitations to a dozen of the world=s top jockeys to compete in the Meydan Masters International Jockeys= Challenge over the course of the first two days of the Dubai International Racing Carnival Thursday, Jan. 5 and Friday, Jan. 6. They will compete in a points-based competition conducted over four races. Points are accumulated based on the riders= finishes in the race, and the winner is determined by the highest point total secured in those races. Great Britain=s Richard Hills won the inaugural event in 2010 and Calvin Borel of the United States was champion in 2011. The 12 confirmed riders are; Mickael Barzalona, Maxime Guyon and Christophe Lemaire from France; William Buick, Ryan Moore, Colm O'Donoghue and Tom Queally from Great Britain and Ireland; Italy=s Mirco Demuro and Frankie Dettori; Kenichi Ikezoe from Japan; Andrasch Starke from Germany and Australia=s Craig Williams. The jockeys have combined to win a total of 61 Grade/Group 1 races around the world in 2011, including the Dubai World Cup (Demuro), Caulfield Cup (Williams), W.S. Cox Plate (Williams), Melbourne Cup (Lemaire), King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. (Buick) and Prix de l=Arc de Triomphe (Starke). Craig Williams and Dunaden following the Hong Kong Cup HKJC.com Crucial Time For Maryland Horse Racing The Baltimore Sun Betting On Barrel Racing Causing Rift In Florida Dara Kam, Palm Beach Post Guest Blog: Fasig-Tipton=s Dennis Lynch Filson.com www.coolmore.com AROUND THE WORLD FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011 Gural, NJSEA Reach Meadowlands Deal: New York-based real estate developer Jeffrey Gural has signed a 30-year lease with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) for the 1:29p 3rd-GP, $60K, OC/N3X, 3yo/up, 1m Meadowlands. According to Daily Racing Form, the HRTV BOYS AT TOSCONOVA (Officer), winner of last year’s GI agreement will allow for a six-day Thoroughbred Hopeful S. and second in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, meeting in the spring, as well as 15 days of all-turf makes his third start of the year off a 2 1/2-length allowance racing in the fall. The Thoroughbred horsemen will be tally at Aqueduct Nov. 11. brisnet.com pps required to cover Aincremental costs@ such as a starting gate crew. Earlier this week, the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen=s Association and the NJSEA reached an agreement to run 141 days at Monmouth Park in 2012. 3rd-GPX (NW1X) Slew’s Exchange (Exchange Rate) overcomes trouble. 5th-GPX (Msw) News Pending (Harlan’s Holiday) sneaks through on the rail. 3rd-FGX (Msw) Typhoon Charlie (Vindication) wins convincingly. 8th-FGX (Msw) Glamalert (Vindication) splashes home much the best. TDN P AROUND THE WORLD • 12/23/11 • PAGE 2 of 6 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Capt. Candyman Can Gearing Up for Return: Grade I winner Capt. Candyman Can (Candy Ride {Arg}) breezed five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 Tuesday morning at Palm Meadows as he prepares for the GIII Mr.