2026 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Profiling the Japanese contenders

Jon Vine

Editor

Last updated: Wed 30 Sep 2026 08:49

Jon Vine 2 hours ago

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Meisho Tabaru and Admire Terra represent Japan at the 2026 Arc
Japan has never won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe despite decades of attempts
Both horses aim to bring a historic victory to Japanese racing

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. (Getty)

Two Japanese contenders will line up in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, with Meisho Tabaru and Admire Terra carrying the hopes of a great racing nation on their shoulders.

Japanese horse racing has become a superpower on the world thoroughbred racing stage, capturing major honours at massive festivals like the Dubai World Cup and the Breeders' Cup. There is, however, one race that continues to elude Japan – the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Keisuke Imamura, who works as the general manager at the Japan Racing Association in France, conducted an interview ahead of the 105th edition of the Arc, outlining his country's desperation to win Europe's most prestigious Flat race.

"The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a special race for the Japanese racing community, and it’s also probably the best known international race in Japan," Imamura explained.

"It’s been more than 50 years since the first Japanese horse took on The Arc, but we still haven’t won it. For everyone involved in Japanese racing, winning The Arc would be a long-held dream."

On Sunday, two horses will carry the flag for Japan in the 2026 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Here's a closer look at the two Japanese contenders.

Meisho Tabaru

Legendary Japanese jockey Yutaka Take will ride Meisho Tabaru in Sunday's feature at Longchamp. This five-year-old colt is a two-time Group One winner on home soil, having won the last two renewals of the valuable Takarazuka Kinen.

Take's mount romped to an excellent three-length triumph in the Takarazuka Kinen last season before targeting the Autumn Tenno Sho at Tokyo. Following a narrow defeat to Croix Du Nord in this season's Osaka Hai, Meisho Tabaru turned the tables on his countryman in the Takarazuka Kinen, claiming a narrow victory to successfully defend his crown.

Croix Du Nord is a familiar name to all Arc punters. Takashi Saito's star beat future Arc winner Daryz when the two first met in the Prix Niel before finishing down the field in the Arc itself, where he was inconvenienced by a horrible wide draw in stall 17.

Meisho Tabaru's sire, Gold Ship, finished 14th behind Treve on his own attempt at Arc glory in 2014. Mamoru Ishibashi's five-year-old seems sure to improve on his sire's result and could even challenge the likes of Daryz and Maltese Cross on Sunday.

Admire Terra

Fellow five-year-old Admire Terra isn't nearly as decorated as Meisho Tabaru. Yasuo Tomomichi's raider is yet to win a Group One, but there will be no doubts around his ability to see out this 12-furlong distance.

Admire Terra is a two-time Group Two winner and was campaigned over two miles during the first half of this season. Yutaka Take guided Tomomichi's colt to an impressive victory in the Hanshin Daishoten before Admire Terra finished a half-length third behind Croix Du Nord in the Spring Tenno Sho at Kyoto.

Reigning French champion jockey Cristian Demuro will ride Admire Terra in Sunday's feature, and he's been pleased with the way his mount has settled in Paris since arriving from Japan. If he does manage to land a favourable draw on Thursday, then Admire Terra has every chance of outrunning his current lengthy odds.

Verdict

Japanese challengers in the 2025 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe:

Meisho Tabaru

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Admire Terra

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