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Redentor Wins a Close Rally to Land His First G1 Victory in Tenno Sho (Spring)

Race favorite Redentor claimed his first G1 and second graded title in this year’s Tenno Sho (Spring), coming off his first graded win in the Diamond Stakes (G3, 3,400m) on February 22. Raced only over 2,000 meters since his debut in November of his two-year-old season, the son of Rulership broke his maiden in January of the following season and added another win in March but missed the spring classics. After registering two wins in allowance races in the summer, Redentor concluded his sophomore season with a runner-up effort in his first G1 challenge in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, 3,000m). Trainer Tetsuya Kimura, who has two Tenno Sho (Autumn) titles with Equinox in 2022 and 2023, won his 13th JRA-G1 title following his title in this year’s February Stakes with Costa Nova. Jockey Damian Lane, who has been riding under a short-term license since yesterday, notched his sixth JRA-G1 title after winning the 2023 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) with Tastiera.

First to break out of the gate, Redentor eased back and settled around 6-7th from the frontrunner. The Rulership colt continued to travel in mid-division by the rails and, unhurried as some of his rivals began to accelerate approaching the final corners, gradually angled out rounding the last corners to make bid from the outside. The dark bay responded willingly to jockey Damian Lane’s urging, took the front past the 200-meter pole and, although challenged by the fast-closing Byzantine Dream in the last 100 meters, managed to outduel the chestnut at the wire.

“I’m very privileged to ride in this special race and win it. I wanted to get the horse in a good position and good rhythm and get him to relax because he can get a little keen in the races. He was traveling very strong at the third corner and I had to be patient and wait and get him to the outside to give him a clear running. I think he’s still relatively young in the mind and immature and so he’s learning all the time, which means that he can continue to race at the top level over the next couple of years,” commented Damian Lane.

Slow out of the gate, sixth choice Byzantine Dream traveled the first lap in the rear, gradually advanced forward in the second lap and continued to improve his position turning the last corners wide to enter the lane on the heels of Redentor. The Epiphaneia colt launched a tremendous late charge that marked the fastest last three furlongs and dueled with the race favorite to the wire but finished a head short in second.

Unhurried in 11th early while racing wide throughout the trip, fourth pick Shonan la Punta gradually made headway, passing the winner with 1,200 meters to go. The Kizuna colt rallied for the lead at the early stretch and, although overtaken by the top two finishers after the 200-meter pole, easily secured third place by three lengths.

Other Horses:
4th: (5) Sunrise Earth—settled around 4th, gradually closed in on frontrunners, rallied for lead but no match for top finishers in last 150m
5th: (11) Meiner Emperor—tracked leaders in 3rd, led 1,200m to go, showed tenacity until 100m out
6th: (13) Justin Palace—positioned near rear, advanced at backstretch, entered stretch in 4th, failed to find another gear
7th: (9) Chevalier Rose—ran wide around 11th, lacked needed kick
8th: (3) Blow the Horn—saved ground around 9th, failed to respond at stretch
9th: (12) Warp Speed—sat around 14th, circled wide, passed tired rivals
10th: (7) Pradaria—tracked leader in 2nd, remained in contention until early stretch
11th: (15) Hayatenofukunosuke—settled around 6th outside winner, showed little at stretch
12th: (2) Win Erfolg—far rear throughout trip
13th: (10) Limit Buster—traveled around 10th, unbale to reach contention
14th: (4) Jean Kazuma—rallied for lead to set pace, faded after 3rd corner
15th: (1) Arata—hugged rails around 5th, dropped back after 1,200m pole

THE 171ST TENNO SHO (SPRING) (G1)
4-year-olds & up, 3,200 meters (about 16 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, May 4, 2025            Kyoto Racecourse         11th Race         Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 651,000,000 (about US$ 4,147,000 <US$1=¥157>)
4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares,
1kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2021
Course Record: 3:12.5          Race Record: 3:12.5 [Kitasan Black (JPN, by Black Tide), 2017]
Safety factor: 18 runners       Going: Good to Firm      Weather: Fine/

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 22,056,258,100       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 32,075,402,400       Attendance: 47,329

Winner= 9 starts: 6 wins & 2 seconds / Added & stakes money: ¥ 303,150,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 486,101,000

* Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1)

The forerunner of the Tenno Sho was established in 1905 under the name “Emperor’s Cup,” in which the winner received the silver comport bestowed by the Emperor. The race was renamed to “Teishitsu Goshoten Kyoso” the following year. The race became biannual events—held at Hanshin in spring and at Tokyo in autumn—a year after the establishment of the Japan Racing Society (the forerunner of the Japan Racing Association) in 1936 and was officially named the “Tenno Sho” from the autumn of 1947. The Tenno Sho (Spring) became the ultimate competition to determine the champion stayer, having altered its distance to 3,200 meters in 1938 while its counterpart in autumn run over 2,000 meters is one of the biggest middle-distance events contested between the proven older horses with the addition of the three-year-old hopefuls. The venue of the spring version was moved to Kyoto Racecourse in 1948 and was temporarily shifted to Hanshin in 2021 and 2022 during the renovation of Kyoto’s grandstand.
The Tenno Sho (Spring) was designated as an international race in 2005 and welcomed Makybe Diva (GB, by Desert King) of Australia as the first foreign contender the same year when she finished seventh before winning her third consecutive Melbourne Cup (G1, 3,200m). Red Cadeaux (GB, by Cadeaux Genereux) was the latest foreign contender of this race in 2014, running for the second time after finishing third in the 2013 edition, but was unable to perform over the firm turf and finished 14th.
While defending champion T O Royal (JPN, H7, by Leontes) was absent due to a leg problem, Justin Palace, winner of the 2023 edition, aimed for his second G1 title after a sixth in his first start of this season in the Osaka Hai (G1, 2,000m, Apr.6). Last year’s runner-up and Takarazuka Kinen (G1, 2,200m) victor Blow the Horn commenced the current season with a third in the Hanshin Daishoten (G2, 3,000m, Mar.23) where Sunrise Earth claimed his first graded title with 2024 Melbourne Cup runner-up Warp Speed in seventh. The field also included Redentor, last year’s Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1, 3,000m) runner-up who came off a win in the Diamond Stakes (G3, 3,400m, Feb.22), Byzantine Dream and Meiner Emperor, respective victors of the Red Sea Turf Handicap (G2, 3,000m, Feb.22) in Saudi Arabia and the Nikkei Sho (G2, 2,500m, Mar.29), and Chevalier Rose, a two-time graded winner including the 2024 Stayers Stakes (G2, 3,600m).