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On Saturday good races in Nakayama and Hanshin and Sunday the Arima Kinen
At Nakayama on Saturday in the G1 Hopeful Stakes for the 2yos Danon The Kid remained unbeaten thanks in part to favourite Land of Liberty veering to the right as they came into the straight and then dumping the jockey. Jockey has a bruised chest, horse is fine. That had left the way clear for Orthoclase to take second and Yoho Lake third.
The Hanshin Cup was exciting as apart from the favourite Danon Fantasy finishing clearly ahead there was a wall of horses following and the judges finally decided that Maltese Diosa was second then a neck to Indy Champ then another neck to fifth another neck to sixth and a head to dead-heaters for seventh!
Sunday was the running of the Arima Kinen and it was a fairy-tale come true for Chrono Genesis who finished with the rare double of the two "grand-prix" races, the Takarazuka Kinen and the Arima Kinen. It also brought up a record 9th G1 in the year for Christophe Lemaire plus a record amount of prize money.
Salacia was the surprise second on 74.9, with Fierement a neck away third, followed home by Lucky Lilac, World Premiere and Curren Bouquet d'Or.
Nakayama were allowed to have just over 2500 in attendance but the turnover on the race in betting terms remained high – not a record but not too bad.