Japan, one of the world’s leading racing nations, has the ambition of winning the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, a major international race that no Japanese horse has yet managed to win.

Winner of the Hanshin Daishoten (Group 2), Admire Terra will be one of the two Japanese Thoroughbreds lining up in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday. His trainer Yasuo Tomomichi will be taking part in the race for the third time, following Makahiki, 14th in 2016, and Do Deuce, 19th in 2022. Having arrived in France around three weeks before the race, Admire Terra will be ridden by Cristian Demuro, a two-time Arc winner with Sottsass in 2020 and Ace Impact in 2023, who rode him for the first time during a training gallop at ParisLongchamp.

The other Japanese contender, Meisho Tabaru, comes into the Arc following a plan that his connections have been developing since his victory in the Takarazuka Kinen (Group 1). His trainer Mamoru Ishibashi — like his counterpart Yasuo Tomomichi with Admire Terra — has chosen to send him directly into the race without a prep run in France. This will also be Mamoru Ishibashi’s first runner in France. He will be ridden by Yutaka Take, a true living legend of international racing, who is preparing to ride in his twelfth Arc and is celebrating his 40th year as a jockey this year. Yutaka Take finished on the Arc podium in 2001 aboard Sagacity, who was owned by Jean-Luc Lagardère.

[Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer of Admire Terra]

“Admire Terra arrived in France around three weeks ago. Thanks to the help of France Galop, the entire team here and Satoshi Kobayashi [a Japanese trainer based in Chantilly, editor’s note], we have been able to carry out a very good preparation.

I arrived the day before yesterday [Monday, editor’s note] and, when I saw Admire Terra again, I found exactly the same horse as in Japan. He is just as calm and his behaviour has not changed. For me, that means the preparation has gone very well.

We did some light work this morning with one of Satoshi Kobayashi’s horses. Admire Terra is in very good condition and we are ready for the race.”

Why not run in a prep race in France?

“On my two previous visits, the horses had run in a prep race in France. Those experiences made me realise that it was quite difficult to come to France, run in a prep race and then prepare for the Arc in good conditions.

So this time we have changed the way we do things. Admire Terra continued his preparation in Japan before spending his final three weeks in France. That is an important difference compared with my two previous attempts.”

Meisho Tabaru: an Arc project born after the Takarazuka Kinen

[Mamoru Ishibashi, trainer of Meisho Tabaru]

“The project began last year, in 2025, when the horse won the Takarazuka Kinen. Together with the owner, we had decided that the horse would remain in Japan for the autumn races in 2025. But we had also said that, the following year, if everything went well, we could take on the challenge of the Arc. We followed that programme and that is why we are here today.”

Why go directly to the Arc after his victory in the Takarazuka Kinen on 14 June?

“Meisho Tabaru has often had a lot of time between his races. We thought about the question and discussed it a lot. We even considered running in a prep race. But, in the end, we felt there was no problem with going directly to the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after the Takarazuka Kinen. So I don’t think it is a problem.”