The international gala that is the Japan Cup will be run Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse with horses representing four nations chasing one of the biggest racing purses in the world.

Recent years have seen Japan Cup prize money rise to now stand at 648 million yen (over $US5.6 million) with 300 million yen going to the winner of the 37th running of the 2400m turf event.

The Japan Cup began as an effort to help raise the level of Japanese racing. Japan now competes highly competitively on an international level with the past 11 Japan Cup winners coming from the home team.

In the past 10 runnings Japanese runners have swept the top three spots. This year four horses – Guignol and Iquitos from Germany, Idaho from Ireland and Caulfield Cup winner Boom Time from Australia will try to loosen the iron grip Japanese horses have maintained on the Japan Cup.

Scheduled riders for the overseas raiders are Filip Minarik, Daniele Porcu, Ryan Moore and Cory Parish.

Only 19 horses, including the four invitees from abroad, were nominated for the race. With the withdrawal of Tante Alegria last week all will gain a berth.

Those 18 are of the highest quality and include three Japanese Derby winners, two double G1 winners and Kitasan Black, winner of last year’s Japan Cup.

The pride of singer Saburo Kitajima is aiming for his seventh Grade 1 victory and currently tops Japanese earnings with 712 million yen to his name.

The Japan Cup is the 11th and final race on Sunday’s card. Here’s a look at some of the top local choices:-

KITASAN BLACK: Despite his performance in the Takarazuka Kinen, this 5-year-old son of Black Tide returned to the track after the summer and did not disappoint in the Tenno Sho (Autumn). Now, with only two more starts scheduled before he is to be retired, his fans are more behind him than ever.

Last year he went wire to wire to beat the field by 2 1/2 lengths over Sounds of Earth. In the Tenno Sho (Autumn), he hit the gate and came out askew, but quickly gained his feet, traveled a ground-saving inside track over the sloppy going, was in the lead by the straight and held off an advancing Satono Crown to win by a neck.

The challenge by the 3-year-olds will be strong this year but this six-time Grade 1 winner shows no signs of being ready to relinquish his sovereignty.

REY DE ORO: Of the two 3-year-olds that pose a threat to the more established runners this year, Rey de Oro, a son of King Kamehameha, is considered the best of the classy youngsters being fielded by trainer Kazuo Fujisawa.

Rey de Oro is currently five for six and this year’s Japanese Derby winner. In the Derby, he beat Suave Richard to the line and the latter just bested a field of older horses in the Copa Republica Argentina, a G2 over 2500 meters at Tokyo. The only black mark on Rey de Oro’s career was the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), in which he broke late and finished fifth.

Last out, he topped Kiseki in the Kobe Shimbun Hai and Kiseki went on to win the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger). That was two months ago and he’s had enough time to recover.

Rey de Oro is a versatile colt with good racing sense and being Miho-based, compared to Ritto, it’s only a hop to the racetrack. He’ll be saddled with 55kg and Christophe Lemaire, who currently leads Japan’s jockeys with 173 wins, is in the saddle.

SATONO CROWN: The Noriyuki Hori-trained Satono Crown went from the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last year to Hong Kong, where he captured the Hong Kong Vase. The same age as Kitasan Black, the Marju-sired Satono Crown was far ahead in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), finishing third to Kitasan Black’s 14th.

This year Satono Crown won the Takarazuka Kinen and beat Kitasan Black in doing so. The tables were turned once again in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), but just barely. With an extra furlong this time out, Satono Crown may pose the biggest threat to Kitasan Black.

Mirco Demuro, currently the No. 3 rider in Japan with 156 wins, is expected to have the ride. Demuro has won the last two JRA Grade 1s – the Mile Championship and Queen Elizabeth II Cup – and has not missed the top three placings in a JRA Grade 1 since the Victoria Mile in mid-May.

CHEVAL GRAND: In last year’s Japan Cup, both Kitasan Black and runner-up Sounds of Earth had gone directly from the Kyoto Daishoten. This year, four horses are going directly to the Japan Cup from the Kyoto 2400m Grade 2.

Cheval Grand is one of them. Third place in his last start, Cheval Grand missed second place in the Japan Cup last year by a mere neck and had the Copa Republica Argentina as his previous start. This year, with a bit more time between races, he may be able to get closer to the top.

MAKAHIKI: The 4-year-old Deep Impact-sired Makahiki won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) last year and went on to win the Grade 2 Prix Niel in France before disappointing in the Arc. His four starts this year, two at the top level, two at the Grade 2 level, have reaped him a third, fourth, sixth and fifth.

His two starts at Tokyo – the Mainichi Okan and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) – were at 1800 and 2000 meters and brought him a sixth and fifth, respectively. This will be his first Japan Cup bid and a return to the Tokyo 2,400 meters will likely prove a plus.

RAINBOW LINE: Sixth in last year’s Japan Cup after running second in the Kikuka Sho, Rainbow Line surprised as 13th pick when he finished third in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), his best result in his four starts since the 2016 Japan Cup.

He was coming off a 4-month layoff and is expected to show improvement. If it comes down to late speed, this son of Stay Gold is a good bet to round out a wager.