“If you’re living in Japan and you open a sports newspaper,” says Kanichi Kusano, until recently the Japan Racing Association’s representative in London, “three major sports come up. El Condor Pasa, Japan’s fourth Arc runner, finished half a length behind Montjeu in 1999 after leading to the final strides. View image in fullscreen Japanese racing fans at Hanshin. Thousands of fans will make the 12,000-mile round trip to Paris for the Arc this weekend. “From a Japanese fan’s aspect, when we have star horses lining up, of course people will travel, to feel part of the drama and the challenge.