USUALLY held in front of crowds of well over 100,000, the Japan Cup this year will be witness by just a fraction of that number of fans at Tokyo Racecourse tomorrow (6.40am).

In a normal year, having a horse the calibre of Almond Eye attempting to win not only her second Japan Cup but also an eighth Group 1 win would be enough to garner the interest of even the most nonchalant of racing fans.