Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) - Preview

Kitasan Black

Satono Diamond

Cheval Grand

Sciacchetra

Dee Majesty

Gold Actor

Albert

Kyoto Racecourse is the venue for one of Japan’s most prestigious long distance races on Sunday, April 30, the Tenno Sho (Spring), or Emperor’s Cup as it is known in English. Going back as far as the early 20th century, different racing clubs around Japan held their own Emperor’s Cup races, before its current format began in 1937/38, making it a race steeped in history. The Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) is run over 3,200 meters of the outer track at Kyoto, taking in roughly one and a half circuits of the turf course. This will be the 78th running of the spring race, and adding in the autumn races makes it the 155th overall.

It is a race for 4-year-olds and up, and with the exception of a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares, all horses carry a set weight of 58kgs. There have been 19 nominations for a maximum field of 18, and the total purse for the race is a cool ¥325 million, with ¥150 million going to the winner. The race record time is still held by the great Deep Impact, the last first favorite to win the race, and he did so in a time of 3 minutes, 13.4 seconds, back in 2006.

Lead up races to this year’s Tenno Sho (Spring) have been the Grade 2 Hanshin Daishoten run over 3,000 meters in March, the Grade 2 Nikkei Sho run over 2,500 meters at Nakayama in March, and the newly promoted to Grade 1 status, Osaka Hai, run earlier this month over 2,000 meters at Hanshin. Winners of the Tenno Sho (Spring) in the last 10 years have been four, five or six year-olds, with 4-year-olds just getting the upper hand with four victories, while five and six year-olds have three wins apiece. Five second favorites have won in the last decade, causing the first favorite to draw a blank in that period.

It looks like a clash of the titans on Sunday, when Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond renew their rivalry, but there’s plenty of more talent in the lineup to make sure they don’t have it all their own way. As the great race beckons, final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later in the week. The big race is Race 11 at Kyoto on Sunday, with a post time of 15:40 local time. Here’s a look at some of the contenders:

Kitasan Black: 2016 JRA Horse of the Year, Kitasan Black’s reputation is without dispute, as he just seems to be getting stronger and stronger. Galloping away to win last year’s Japan Cup, the 5-year-old has won nine times from a 15-race career, and has only been unplaced once. Four of his wins have been at Grade 1 level, including the recent Osaka Hai at Hanshin over 2,000 meters earlier this month, and let’s not forget, he won the Tenno Sho (Spring) last year. He’s already won over a billion yen in prize money. Jockey Yutaka Take, who is pegged for the ride again on Sunday, has ridden him seven times and seems to really get the best out of him. Kitasan Black has been flying in training, putting in a six furlong time of 82.7 seconds, three furlongs at 38.1 seconds, and a final furlong of 11.7 seconds, on the woodchip course at the Ritto Training Center on April 19. Trainer Hisashi Shimizu commented: “It was a great win last time, and I was relieved that all went well, given the status of the horse, and the expectations of the fans. He came out of the race well, and we just gave him an easy three or four days. I’m looking forward to taking on Satono Diamond, and I just hope all goes smoothly leading up to the race.”

Satono Diamond: The 4-year-old by Deep Impact has started favorite in all but one of his races, and jockey Christophe Lemaire has ridden him each time, including his biggest victories in last year’s Grade 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) and the year-ending Grade 1 Arima Kinen (Grand Prix). Two of his seven wins have been over 3,000 meters. In training, Satono Diamond recorded very similar times to Kitasan Black at the Ritto Training Center on the woodchip course on April 20. Working with stablemate, Prophet, his six furlong time was 82.8 seconds, three furlongs in 38.3 seconds, and a final furlong time of 11.8 seconds.  Assistant trainer at the Yasutoshi Ikee stable, Yuki Iwasaki, said, “He’s worked well with his training partner recently, recording a good time in the last furlong. I think having had the one race this year, he’s open to a lot more improvement.”

Cheval Grand: A horse who is always knocking on the door, the 5-year-old by Heart’s Cry was bred at Northern Racing, is owned by Kazuhiro Sasaki, and is trained by Yasuo Tomomichi. He was third in last year’s Tenno Sho (Spring), and finished in the same spot in last year’s Japan Cup. He was second to Satono Diamond in his only race this year, the Grade 2 Hanshin Daishoten over 3,000 meters in March. His recent regular jockey, Yuichi Fukunaga, will partner him on Sunday. Trainer Tomomichi said, “He ran well last time, and was slightly unlucky in being marked a lot of the way by the eventual winner. We didn’t send him to the farm after that, like we did last year, as he has a tendency to gain weight. His training has been fine so far.”

Sciacchetra: Rising through the ranks quite impressively, this 4-year-old colt by Manhattan Cafe is four wins from just six starts, and has always been in the first three. His latest win came in the Grade 2 Nikkei Sho over 2,500 meters at Nakayama in March. He runs in the Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd. colours, and is trained by Katsuhiko Sumii. The big names connected with him are completed by his big race jockey, Hironobu Tanabe. Assistant trainer Yasuyuki Tsujino commented: “We’ve been surprised by his rapid improvement. There have been no problems after his last run; no damage or stiffness, and his training has gone as expected. Being by Manhattan Cafe, we think his career has some way to go.”

Dee Majesty: Last year’s Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner is looking to try and rediscover some of his sparkle, after finishing sixth most recently to Sciacchetra in the Grade 2 Nikkei Sho. It’ll be just his second run at Kyoto, after finishing fourth at the track in last year’s Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), run over a distance of 3,000 meters. The 4-year-old colt by Deep Impact is trained by Yoshitaka Ninomiya, and a stable staff recently commented: “He was a little heavy for his last race in the Nikkei Sho, but given that, and the fact it was his first run this year, I think his sixth place finish wasn’t bad at all. As the weather warms up, his condition gets better, and in training he’s worked well.”

Gold Actor: The 6-year-old by Screen Hero is a pretty consistent type, having finished in the first three 13 times from a 19-race career to date. He’s taken on Grade 1 races five times, and has one top-level victory to his name, the 2015 Arima Kinen (Grand Prix). In his only run this year, he finished fifth to Sciacchetra in the Grade 2 Nikkei Sho. It will be his third time to tackle the Kyoto course, and it’s looking as if jockey Norihiro Yokoyama will get the ride on Gold Actor for the first time. Assistant trainer, Toshiaki Sasajima, said, “He just needed to run a little better in his last race. He’s come out of it fine, and has been training in his usual way.  He was a little unfortunate in last year’s race, drawing a wide gate, and getting a bit worked up before running, so hopefully that won’t happen this time.”

Albert: In his three Grade 1 races so far, Albert’s best finish has been sixth, and that was the Tenno Sho (Spring) last year. He proved his staying power, however, when winning his only race this year, the Grade 3 Diamond Stakes over 3,400 meters at Tokyo in February, when he was sent off as the favorite. The 6-year-old was bred at Northern Farm, and is trained by Noriyuki Hori. Assistant trainer, Kazutomo Mori, said, “He’s come back from the farm, and there’s little change in him. He looks in good condition. He finished sixth in the race last year, and we felt there was a bit of a difference between him and the other Grade 1 horses. However, given his powerful victory most recently, this might not be the case now.”