The home team with 18 consecutive victories or the overseas team with a strong line-up? The mood is more competitive than usual pre-race build-up to the Japan Cup. The leading Japanese horse is Do Deuce, who will retire at the end of the year, after a return to his best form in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn). The leading overseas horse is Auguste Rodin, winner of six G1 races, including the English and Irish Derby. Yutaka Take will once again take the ride on Do Deuce. Take was the main jockey of Deep Impact, the sire of Auguste Rodin.

Scheduled to be his last race before retiring to the covering shed, it only seems appropriate that his last racecourse excursion take place in Japan. Auguste Rodin, an Irish-bred son of Deep Impact, has won six G1 races in a career that has lived to expectations. Preparations are well under way for the best possible finale in his father's homeland.

He arrived at Tokyo Racecourse on the evening of November 14th after a 27.5-hour flight. He trained lightly with his stablemate Hypnosis on the 17th. Assistant Keating said "The horse is in good condition and I am very happy with him. I'm hoping the track will be fast on race day, so I'm hoping it doesn't rain any more."

"I was really looking forward to him coming to Japan" said Ryan Moore, who will be onboard. No stranger to success in Japan, the jockey has won Japan Cup twice, Gentildonna in 2013 and Vela Azul in 2022.

Moore recognizes that it is not easy to win being an 'outsider' to the race. "Coming to Japan is away from home and the domestic horses are strong, especially over 2400 metres. It will be a big challenge. "His form is similar to horses that have won the Japan Cup in the past. He has won G1 races in Europe and the USA and he's a very capable horse. I am confident that this horse will be able to compete on the basis of the results he has achieved so far." Expectations are high for the famous 'Iceman', he is expected to deliver the same 'shock' that his father Deep Impact has done so many times before.