FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. -- No chills and thrills of heated battle accompanied the lead runner down the stretch at Nakayama on Sunday. Indeed, the space between the winner and the runnerup was so great the actual moment race favorite Symboli Kris S. crossed the line was anticlimatic. Even the stands, packed with some 124,000 fans, were surprisingly quiet. There was, simply put, no competition.
Olivier Peslier, on favorite Symboli Kris S, pumps his fist after winning the Arima Memorial at Nakayama Racecourse in Chiba Prefecture.
In record time and by a record 9 lengths, the 4-year-old son of Kris S. annihilated the field of the Arima Memorial to capture the Grade 1 year finale for the second year in a row.