SET the clocks for an early rise if you want to see one of the flat season races of the year in the Japan Cup at 6.40am tomorrow. With JPY500 million to the winner, it has seven Group 1 winners in the line-up - including Equinox, the four-year-old colt who has topped the world’s rankings since this season.

The Japanese fillies’ Triple Crown winner Liberty Island, three-time Group 1 winner Titleholder, the 2022 Japanese Derby winner Do Deuce, four-year-old filly Stars On Earth who won two of last year’s fillies’ classics, the 2022 Japan Cup winner Vela Azul, and Panthalassa, with two Group 1 wins in Meydan and Riyadh, make up a star-studded home challenge.

The only foreign raider in the 12-furlong Group 1 at Tokyo is the Group 1 Prix Ganay winner Iresine, a French-trained six-year-old gelding trained by Jean-Pierre Gauvin. Iresine is set to be ridden by Marie Velon. This is a step up on his European form and a placing looks his best prospect.

Equinox is currently on a five-race winning streak since he was beaten in the 2022 Japanese Derby. It includes the most impressive of wins in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic from a field that contained Westover and Mostahdaf.

Equinox came into the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last month with four Group 1 wins behind him, and crushed the field for his second win of the race, and in record time. It was his seventh win out of his nine career starts.

Christophe Lemaire has ridden the Kitasan Black colt in all of his races and rides again.

Equinox has to give a notable 9lb to this year’s Fillies’ Triple Crown winner Liberty Island. He is drawn in stall two with Liberty Island in one beside him. That Duramente daughter won the three-year-old classics this season.

The Japan Cup will be her first time against older horses. Most of her wins were characterised by an impressive turn of foot.

Of the others, Do Deuce was never out of the three from his debut in 2021 to winning the Japanese Derby in spring 2022, five starts later when he beat Equinox by a neck.

He finished well down the field in Alpinista’s Arc and returned after seven months for a seventh-place finish in the Tenno Sho (Autumn). Keita Tosaki rides for his first time.

Titleholder landed three Group 1s by mid-2022, and then ran in the 2022 Arc but made little impression. He was then aimed for the Arima Kinen, but finished well behind Equinox.

This year, he won a Grade 2 but was pulled up lame in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (Spring). Returning at the end of September, Titleholder scored a second in the Grade 2 at Nakayama and should be primed for this. Another keen running sort, will he set it up for Equinox?

Stars On Earth is another by Duramente and has never finished out of the first three in any of her 10 career starts including two fillies’ classics last year.

Her second in this year’s Group 1 Osaka Hai shows she can be competitive against males. She missed the Tenno Sho (Autumn), due to a hoof issue and hasn’t raced since May. William Buick comes in for the ride but she is drawn 17 of 18.

Five-year-old Danon Beluga was fifth here last year under Yuga Kawada and his best run this campaign was a second to Lord North in the Dubai Turf. Joao Moreira continues the partnership.

The six-year-old Vela Azul was last year’s Japan Cup winner, but his four starts since have been disappointing. Hollie Doyle steps in for the ride with Ryan Moore still feeling the effects of last week’s fall.

Panthalassa could play a leading role. He picked up another Group 1 overseas this spring in Saudi. He very nearly got the run on Equinox in last year’s Tenno Sho (Autumn), being caught late and beaten a length over 10 furlongs.

He loves to go to the front but the distance may stretch him. He hasn’t raced since the end of March due to an injury.

It looks set for a great finale and Equinox should have the filly’s measure.