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Tosen Jordan Marks Record-Smashing Victory in Tenno Sho (Autumn)

Seventh pick Tosen Jordan partnered with Italian jockey Nicola Pinna upset a strong field that included race favorite Buena Vista and six other G1 winners to claim the Tenno Sho (Autumn) with an overwhelming speed of 1:56.1. The son of Jungle Pocket broke Vodka's record time marked in 2008 by as much as 1.1 seconds and also renewed the 2,000-meter record set in Japan. This record-smashing victory brought trainer Yasutoshi Ikee his first Tenno Sho title and second G1 title in two weeks, following Orfevre's dominating victory in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1) just last Sunday.

The race took off with frontrunner Silport immediately taking the front, as expected, to set a fast pace, running 5-6 lengths ahead of Big Week and Earnestly who led the remaining field in the backstretch. Buena Vista traveled in midfield toward the front with second pick Dark Shadow shadowing the race favorite on the outside, while Pinna settled Tosen Jordan around 11th from the front, in close pursuit behind the top two favorites.

As the field turned for home for the uphill climb, Eishin Flash was the first to nail the front with 300 meters to go, while To the Glory and Tosen Jordan also exploded from the outside. Buena Vista, finding room on the inside, followed suit with Dark Shadow also edging its way forward. With five horses breaking loose from the remaining pack around the 200-meter pole, Tosen Jordan gradually but powerfully pulled away and held off the tenacious challenge by Dark Shadow in the last furlong to a record-breaking victory. Sixth choice Pelusa who headed the rear pack in the backstretch, produced remarkable charge from behind, running the last three furlongs the fastest in the field and overtaking Buena Vista right before the wire to finish third, 1/2 length behind the runner-up and 3/4 length in front of the race favorite.

Jockey Nicola Pinna commented: "Winning a G1 race had been my dream since I came to Japan so I am very happy now. The horse ran a perfect race today. It was like maneuvering a machine. I thought that a longer distance would suit him better, so today's fast pace suit him quite well and I was able to reserve him in the rear."

Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee noted: "I thought that he would have a better chance of winning if the race development required stamina rather than burst of speed. So I was delighted when the pace became fast. I plan to challenge him in the Japan Cup then and the Arima Kinen."

1. Tosen Jordan (JPN), bay, horse, 5-year-old
   Jungle Pocket / Every Whisper (Northern Taste)

   Breeder: Northern Farm	Owner: Takaya Shimakawa
   Trainer: Yasutoshi Ikee	Jockey: Nicola Pinna
   16 Starts, 9 Wins
   Added money: ¥135,864,000	Career earnings: ¥451,296,000
   Principal Race Performances:	'11 Sapporo Kinen (G2)  1st
   	'11 American Jockey Club Cup (G2)  1st
   	'10 Copa Republica Argentina (G2)   1st

   
   
2. Dark Shadow (JPN), chestnut, colt, 4-year-old
   Dance in the Dark / Matikanehatusimada (Private Account)

   Breeder: Yukiko Hosokawa	Owner: Tomokazu Iizuka
   Trainer: Noriyuki Hori	Jockey: Francis Berry

   
   
3. Pelusa (JPN), chestnut, colt, 4-year-old
   Zenno Rob Roy / Argentine Star (Candy Stripes)
   

   Breeder: Shadai Farm	Owner: Hidetoshi Yamamoto
   Trainer: Kazuo Fujisawa	Jockey: Norihiro Yokoyama

* Tenno Sho (Autumn)
"The Emperor's Cup" was first held in 1905 to encourage the horse racing sport through annual events that gave the winner the highest honor of being awarded the Imperial prize. Then the Tenno Sho (Autumn) was established in 1937 together with its counterpart, Tenno Sho (Spring), under the name "Teishitsu Goshoten Kyoso" and held biannually in both the Eastern and Western part of Japan. Both the spring and autumn races, which secured its status as the most prestigious event for older horses, were run over 3,200 meters in the early years. Later, the autumn version was shortened to 2,000 meters in 1984 so that the spring version could determine the best stayer while the Tenno Sho (Autumn) would be the main target for middle-distance champions. This also gives the three-year-olds, who find the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1, 3,000m) to be beyond their suitability an alternative G1 as the ultimate goal for their autumn campaign. The Tenno Sho (Autumn) entered a new chapter in its long history when opening its doors to foreign contenders as an international race in 2005. However, no foreign contenders have taken part yet.
Last year's winner Buena Vista (JPN) proceeded to finish second in two major G1 events against top male G1 runners and concluded the season with the highest honor, JRA's Horse of the Year title of 2010. Winless yet although with two runner-up efforts in G1 starts after an eighth place finish over all-weather tracks in Dubai, Buena Vista returned to defend her title in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) this year.
The high quality line-up of this year consisted of seven G1 winners. 2010 Japan Cup winner Rose Kingdom (JPN) came off a comfortable 1-1/4-length victory in the Kyoto Daishoten (G2, turf, 2,400m) while carrying top weight at 59 kg. Earnestly (JPN), third in this race last year, became a G1 winner in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1, turf, 2,200m) in June and had come off another grade-race win in the All Comers (G2, turf, 2,200m). Other G1 winners included Eishin Flash (JPN), Jaguar Mail (JPN), Shadow Gate (JPN), and Big Week (JPN).
Dark Shadow (JPN) had won three and finished second twice in five starts since the beginning of the 2011 season, among which he captured his first two grade-race titles in the Epsom Cup (G3, turf, 1,800m) and the Mainichi Okan (G2, turf, 1,800m) leading up to his G1 debut. The Dance in the Dark colt also had a strike rate of five out of five at Tokyo Racecourse. Tosen Jordan (JPN) missed out on most of his spring campaign with a shoulder problem but proved well back to form when winning his third career grade-race victory in the Sapporo Kinen (G2, turf, 2,000m) in August.