Redentor wins the Tenno Sho Spring at Kyoto Racecourse Youth was served in the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) May 4 at Kyoto Racecourse as 4-year-olds swept the first four placings in the longest race on the Japan Racing Association calendar with visiting rider Damian Lane in the irons broke alertly for the first run down the backstretch and took station along the rail about six back in the 15-horse field He raced in that position through the first lap of the race and into the final turn Lane eased Redentor out through the final bend and positioned him for a sprint home outside tiring rivals He gained the lead inside the 200-meter mark and fended off a challenge from Byzantine Dream to win by a head Last year's winner, T O Royal, was not able to defend his crown while recovering from a leg issue, leaving it to 2023 winner Justin Palace and last year's runner-up, Blow the Horn  to carry the banner for the older generation Sign up for BloodHorse Daily "I'm very privileged to ride in this special race and win it," said Lane whose visitor's license was effective just the day before the race "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." Lane rode Tastiera to victory a week earlier for the same owner in the QE II Cup (G1) at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong While many of the relative youngsters stepped up in class and distance in the Tenno Sho the eager Japanese fans took their cue from Redentor's last two races After starting his career with four wins from six starts none longer than 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) he blossomed last October in the 3,000-meter (about 1 7/8 miles) Kikuka Sho (Japanese St If any further confirmation were needed of his ability to run on he provided it while winning his 4-year-old debut Feb 22 in the Diamond Stakes (G3) at Tokyo Racecourse Although the Tenno Sho (Spring) is the longest grade 1 race of the year in Japan Redentor's stamina marks him as a rising star among stayers even at slightly shorter distances and a potential candidate to chase some of Japan's unrealized dreams overseas "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," Lane said His connections also know their way around top-level global competition. He was bred at Northern Farm and carries the green-and-white silks of Carrot Farm. His trainer, Tetsuya Kimura, handled superstar Equinox  winner of six straight grade/group 1 races including the Japan Cup (G1) and the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1T) coming off his first graded win in the Diamond Stakes (G3) on Feb Redentor eased back and settled around sixth and seventh from the front-runner 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.   Redentor covered the 3,200 meters (about two miles) in 3:14.  “I’m very privileged to ride in this special race and win it," Lane said. "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.”  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.  trained by Tetsuya Kimura for owner Carrot Farm Co was bred by Northern Farm from the Stay Gold mare Corcovado the Star Guitar gelding won as he pleased as the overwhelming favorite Race favorite Redentor claimed his first G1 and second graded title in the 2025 Tenno Sho (Spring) on Sunday Redentor was coming off his first graded win in the Diamond Stakes (G3 he concluded it with a runner-up effort in his first G1 challenge Jockey Damian Lane who has been riding under a short-term license since Saturday his most recent G1 win was in the 2023 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) with Tastiera.  Redentor eased back and settled around sixth-seventh from the frontrunner The Rulership colt continued to travel in mid-division by the rails Unhurried as some of his rivals began to accelerate approaching the final corners gradually angled out rounding the last corners to make a bid from the outside.  "I'm very privileged to ride in this special race and win it," Lane said "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 [run] 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." The Epiphaneia colt launched a tremendous late charge that marked the fastest last three furlongs (34.9 seconds) 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 (Yutaka Take an eight-time winner of the race) gradually made headway easily secured third place by three lengths Second favorite Sunrise Earth (Kenichi Ikezoe) placed fourth Rounding out the top five was Meiner Emperor (Yuji Tannai) May 11 at Tokyo Racecourse is the next G1 race on the JRA calendar Read the full report including details on each of the Tenno Sho entrants Author: JRA News You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TDN FOR FREE! Remember Ben with a gift to Thoroughbred aftercare Subscribe for FREE to the Daily PDF or the News Alerts Home » Archive » Shared News Europe » Redentor Holds The Key In Tenno Sho the winner of the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) is absent from Sunday's 3200-metre G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) there is still an able deputy on hand in Kikuka Sho runner-up Redentor The son of Rulership is in fighting form to boot as he ran out a four-length winner of the 3400-metre G3 Diamond Stakes in February he would be the first St Leger runner-up to win the Tenno Sho since 2000 Damian Lane has the call and the duo will leave from stall six “It [the Diamond Stakes] was a strong win and the jockey did a great job too we were able to pick right up where we'd left off in training Kikuka Sho fifth Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) also enters on the back of a victory a tally in the 3000-metre G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap in Riyadh on the same day as Redentor's Diamond Stakes score Booked all the way out in stall 14 in the 15-strong field the colt will have the services of Andrasch Starke This pair are aiming for their first Japan Racing Association Group 1 title One better than Byzantine Dream in the Kikuka Sho Shonan La Punta (Kizuna) ran second in the G2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai in January and was fourth to Sunrise Earth (Rey De Oro) in the G2 Hanshin Daishoten over 3000 metres at Hanshin in March Eight-time Tenno Sho (Spring)-winning jockey Yutaka Take has the call Among his five individual winners are 2006 victor Deep Impact and Kitasan Black “It turned out to be a tricky race,” Take told NetKeiba of the Hanshin Daishoten But he showed a decent turn of foot at the end and I feel Kyoto Racecourse will suit him better.” The race is not just about the 4-year-olds with veteran and 2023 Tenno Sho (Spring) hero Justin Palace (Deep Impact) ready to rumble as is 2024 edition second Blow The Horn (Epiphaneia) Not a subscriber? 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Copy Article Link Editor / News Stories:editor@thetdn.com Advertising:advertising@thetdn.com Customer Service:customerservice@thetdn.com Click Here to sign up for a free subscription Justin Palace wins the 2023 Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto Racecourse The May 4 renewal of the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) longest of the Japan Racing Association's top-level races pits a few veteran stayers against some up-and-coming 4-year-olds Last year's winner, T O Royal, is sidelined with a leg issue, leaving 2023 winner Justin Palace and 2024 runner-up Blow the Horn  to carry the banner for the older crowd The relative youngsters include recent Hanshin Daishoten (G2) winner Sunrise Earth and proven stayer Redentor The 3,200 meters (about two miles) of the Tenno Sho (Spring) not only tests simple staying power but also horses' ability to adapt to terrain as the nearly two laps of the Kyoto Racecourse outer turf course includes two trips up a steep incline near the end of the backstretch Justin Palace hasn't won in nine trips since taking the 2023 Tenno Sho (Spring) but has been in the mix in some of the biggest races on the calendar Blow the Horn won the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) immediately after the runner-up showing in the 2024 Tenno Sho (Spring) but finished far back in three subsequent graded races He returned to finish third in the Hanshin Daishoten March 23 the same result he got in that race a year ago Trainer Haruki Sugiyama remains optimistic about Justin Palace after he appeared to perk up in his last start so the fact that he moved on his own in the Osaka Hai was very good," Sugiyama said "If he can make a clean break like he did last time His stamina is something you can count on." "He had a bit of time off after the Hanshin Daishoten which gave him a nice reset," Yoshioka said "After returning to the training center He will need to improve as Sunrise Earth won the Hanshin Daishoten by six lengths in his last start The Hanshin Daishoten is run at 3,000 meters (about 1 7/8 miles) and Sunrise Earth's six-length victory stands as an impressive credential for the slightly longer Tenno Sho The colt finished 12th in last year's Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas G1) and fourth in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby G1) when the finish line was pushed out to 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) "He's had races regularly this year and his times in trackwork have been satisfactory," trainer Koichi Ishizaka said of Sunrise Earth I have really wanted to showcase his stamina here."  One of the runner-up results was in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St His stamina was on display in victory in his last start the 3,400-meter (about 2 1/8 miles) Diamond Stakes (G3) Feb everything we had been working on came together," said assistant trainer Yuya Tsuchida "His weak point we were able to pick right up where we'd left off in training also known as the "Emperor's Prize," kicks off six straight Sundays of grade 1 racing in Japan Home » Archive » Shared News Europe » Redentor Prevails in Tenno Sho Thriller Redentor (left) | Japan Racing Association Last year's G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) runner-up Redentor made the breakthrough at the top level with a hard-fought victory in Sunday's Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto producing a gutsy performance to justify favouritism in the hands of Damian Lane Redentor raced in a share of sixth position as the 15 runners went by the winning post for the first time in this 3,200-metre contest with longshot Jean Kazuma taking the field along at just a modest gallop Redentor then responded willingly to Lane's urgings in the manner of a thorough stayer hitting the front with a furlong to run and finding plenty when challenged by Byzantine Dream to get the verdict by a head Shonan La Punta was three lengths further back in third two lengths ahead of Redentor's chief market rival Both Kimura and Lane were celebrating their first success in the Tenno Sho with the winning rider predicting more to come from Redentor The son of Rulership had gained his maiden black-type win in February's G3 Diamond Stakes at Tokyo “I'm very privileged to ride in this special race and win it,” said Lane “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 travelling very strongly at the third corner and I had to be patient and wait and get him to the outside to give him a clear run I think he's still relatively young in the mind and immature which means that he can continue to race at the top level over the next couple of years.” Redentor won the Tenno Sho (Spring) !#JRA #horseracing #TennoShoSpring #Redentor pic.twitter.com/A3fhGc1D59 — HorseRacingInJapan (@HorseRacing_JPN) May 4, 2025 Redentor is one of two winners from as many runners out of the Stay Gold mare Corcovado who enjoyed her career highlight as a three-year-old when finishing third in the Listed Sweet Pea Stakes at Tokyo His second dam is the multiple Listed winner Ancient Hill is the most accomplished member of the family as the winner of the GII Fantasy Stakes and GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Copy Article Link Redentor and Damian Lane stayed on best as the Rulership colt collected his first Grade 1 title in Sunday's Tenno Sho Spring in Kyoto the longest of Japan's top-level races It was a hard-fought victory for the favourite who raced in midfield before hitting the front five-wide on the final turn to prevail by a head from the late challenger Byzantine Dream while Shonan La Punta was three lengths behind in third under Yutaka Take The four-year-old out of winning Stay Gold mare Corcovado marked his sixth win from nine career starts including one Grade 3 He was the runner-up of last year's Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) for owner Carrot Farm and breeder Northern Farm Trainer Tetsuya Kimura marked his 14th Grade or Group 1 win including Equinox's 2023 Dubai Sheema Classic Lane said: "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 travelling 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 run so I think he'll become an even better horse as he develops." Redentor has been entered the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe along with stablemate and Arima Kinen winner Regaleira who has been resting after breaking a bone following victory in the Arima Kinen last December He is the fifth top-level winner for Shadai stallion Rulership the classy middle-distance performer and sire of recent Dubai Turf scorer Soul Rush and a Caulfield Cup hero in Mer De Glace Sovereignty reigns at Churchill Downs to rewrite history for Godolphin and Into Mischief  Lulamba's Punchestown revenge a first Grade 1 success for Haras de la Hetraie's Nirvana Du Berlais  Published on 4 May 2025inInternational Copyright © 2025 Spotlight Sports Group Limited or its licensors Damian Lane has continued a golden run on the international stage in the Carrot Farm silks on Sunday claiming his sixth Japan Racing Association Group 1 in the Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3200 metres at Kyoto aboard race favourite Redentor In what was just Lane's second day back riding in Japan as part of his latest three-month stint the victory was his fourth since returning and took him beyond 150 wins in the country following on from Tastiera's G1 triumph for the same ownership group in last weekend's QEII Cup in Hong Kong The Tenno Sho has been a launching pad for several Melbourne Cup runners in previous years including last year's runner-up Warp Speed who returned after a fifth placing last year to finish in ninth Red Cadeaux and Admire Rakti have all competed in the race before Melbourne Cup assaults while Makybe Diva finished seventh in 2005 before returning to win her third Melbourne Cup who is trained by Tetsuya Kimura of Equinox fame has now won six of his nine starts and was sent out $3.10 favourite after a first-up romp over 3400m in late February at Tokyo WATCH: Redentor wins the Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto on Sunday 【🇯🇵 Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1), Kyoto, 3200m, 4yo&up, approx US$ 4.61m】Winner: Redentor(JPN)J: Damian LaneT: Tetsuya KimuraSire: RulershipDam: Corcovado#天皇賞春 は、#ヘデントール が優勝！！ pic.twitter.com/OqAvzGnC6A It was Lane's first ride on the four-year-old up-and-comer by Rulership under race conditions but he had been to Miho training centre last week to work the galloper The entire holds an entry for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe later in the year "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," Lane said post-race "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 Trainer Kimura said pre-race he could be 'a very special horse' but hadn't been without his quirks I had the jockey (Damian Lane) come to Miho mainly to get a reading on the horse," he said this horse caused quite a bit of trouble at the gate refusing to load He's not one to get upset once in the gate More than 47,000 attended Kyoto on Sunday for the feature race Throughout his career, legendary jockey Yutaka Take has been a prolific winner, bringing out the best in top-class thoroughbreds. Such was the case in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) on Sunday Take made a magnificent late surge aboard second favorite Do Deuce to win the 2,000-meter Grade 1 race by 1¼ lengths over Tastiera (Kohei Matsuyama's ride) Do Deuce, a 5-year-old Heart's Cry-sired bay was clocked in 32.5 seconds over the final three furlongs (about 600 meters) to complete a pulse-rising comeback Do Deuce has now won G1 races in four consecutive years he's the seventh horse in JRA history to achieve the feat.  Prior to Sunday, Do Deuce's most recent triumph was at the star-studded Arima Kinen on December 24 Sunday's victory also produced notable milestones for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi (his 20th G1 victory) and Take (his seventh Autumn Tenno Sho triumph) Take most recently won this race with Kitasan Black in 2017 His previous victories in the event came aboard Super Creek (1989) Take is now tied for the all-time lead in Tenno Sho (Autumn) wins with seven which is held annually at Kyoto Racecourse a 55-year-old winner of more than 4,500 JRA races coaxing Do Deuce into picking up the pace in what appeared to be an improbable comeback attempt they had plenty of space to gallop on the outside without equine traffic in their way As it turned out, they also had more than enough time to move past a slew of thoroughbreds at a dizzying pace. (Watch the full race on the JRA YouTube channel.) reached the front of the pack just before the race ended It was brilliant teamwork by the jockey and the horse "I wanted to show the true ability and strength of Do Deuce today So I was really happy when he was able to display his usual powerful kick in the last stretch and crossed the wire first," Take said in his post-race interview.  "The pace was not very fast and I was relying on his strong finishing speed so I didn't want to make any unnecessary moves in the first half of the race and settled him second from last." Do Deuce was clocked in 1 minute, 57.3 seconds. The race record of 1:55.2 was set by Equinox in 2023 Author: Ed Odeven You must be logged in to post a comment Andy Powell Content Editor Horse Racing stats man Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion Scheduled to take place in October of each year at the Tokyo racecourse is the Autumn Tenno Sho (天皇賞), there are two versions of this race, this one and one which is run in the Spring at Kyoto This G1 was inaugurated in 1937 with Happy Might winning the first-ever race it is contested over a distance of 2,000m (1m2f) on the turf for runners aged three or older Along with the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen this is considered the first leg of the Japanese Autumn Triple Crown You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races in Japan section for links to these How competitive is the Tenno Sho (Autumn) market When looking at the over-rounds for the last 10 renewals the most competitive market was in 2015 when the race had an over-round of 126% The race in 2023 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131% whilst on average over the last 10 renewals of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £127 which is bet Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 10 if you had followed the winner of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) next time out then you would have backed a total of 5 winners. Backing all 9 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +0.65. Why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today a time of 1:55.20 was set by Equinox in 2023 which is the quickest time over that period the runner was trained by Tetsuya Kimura and ridden by Christophe-Patrice Lemaire The slowest winning time was set in 2017 when Kitasan Black won in a time of 2:08.30 booked to ride was Yutaka Take by the trainer Hisashi Shimizu These are the top three quickest-run Tenno Sho (Autumn) over the last 10 renewals: Here are the Tenno Sho (Autumn) past winners for the last 10 renewals the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn) are also displayed along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off There are two leading trainers in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) over the last 10 renewals with both Tetsuya Kimura and Sakae Kunieda who have both won the race two times Tetsuya Kimura winners have been with Equinox (2022 & 2023) Sakae Kunieda winners have been with Almond Eye (2019 & 2020) Here are some of the top Tenno Sho (Autumn) trainer statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place): The leading jockey in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) over the last 10 renewals is Christophe-Patrice Lemaire who has won the race five times with those five winners coming from Rey De Oro (2018) Almond Eye (2019 & 2020) and Equinox (2022 & 2023) The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) is Yutaka Take (2 wins) Here are some of the top Tenno Sho (Autumn) jockey statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1 The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well The trend information is based on the available information on the racing post in terms of previous runs etc if you are unaware of what trends and statistics are, how they can be used etc then head over to the OLBG Betting School and read this Stats And Trends article which will make everything much clearer Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts here The trend factor which had produced 5+ winners and shows the best LSP an LSP of +7.00 is when runners were 1st in the betting market The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 wins in the past year when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-60 Here are the most recent winning draws along with the further placings in brackets: The course which has produced the most winners of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) is Tokyo there has been a total number of 4 winners of this race who ran at Tokyo last time out The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 8 winners from a total of 133 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 15 runners these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Tenno Sho (Autumn): These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) despite multiple attempts: Looking at the winning odds over the last 10 renewals the biggest-priced winner was Do Deuce in 2024 winning for Yasuo Tomomichi at odds of 14/5 under the guidance of Yutaka Take Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 10 renewals there have been 7 winning favourites in the race such as the horse's previous runs are based on the information that is available on the racing post Here are some other notable races throughout Japan which take place during the racing season that we also have blogs for © 2002-2024 OLBG, part of Invendium Ltd Do Deuce wins the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo Racecourse Two Japanese Derby winners who had been down on their luck returned to former glory with a 1-2 finish in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1) Oct 27 at Tokyo Racecourse—Do Deuce over Tastiera It was a different story for the race favorite, 2023 filly Triple Crown winner Liberty Island  who missed a top-three finish for the first time while reporting 13th in the 15-horse field unplaced in his only two previous starts of the season didn't look a likely winner through most of the 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) of the Tenno Sho With Yutaka Take riding, the 5-year-old son of Heart's Cry  started smoothly enough but held up second-last during the long run down the backstretch as the field was led along at a relatively sedate stroll by long shot Ho O Biscuits Ho O Biscuits, a 4-year-old colt by two-time Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Mind Your Biscuits  continued to show the way well down the stretch run while Take was getting Do Deuce revved up outside rivals Do Deuce closed with a steady rush through the final 200 meters Liberty Island was in perfect striking position behind the leaders but faded as quickly as Do Deuce accelerated in the late going Do Deuce finished in 1:57.3—well off the course and stakes record set a year earlier by Equinox  in his second straight Tenno Sho victory "The pace was not very fast and I was relying on his strong finishing speed," Take said "So I didn't want to make any unnecessary moves in the first half of the race and settled him second from last." The strategy paid off when Do Deuce delivered needed late punch "I wanted to show the true ability and strength of Do Deuce today so I was really happy when he was able to display his usual powerful kick in the last stretch and crossed the wire first," Take said Take won the Tenno Sho (Autumn) for a record-tying seventh time The outcome was more than welcome for both of the top two finishers Do Deuce won his first three stars in the autumn of 2021 He finished second in his 3-year-old debut then was third in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas-G1) before his triumph in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby-G1) That earned him the summer off before a trip to France and a try at the prize that has eluded Japanese racing for decades—the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) He showed promise with a warmup fourth-place finish in the Prix Niel (G2) at Longchamp but the Arc itself was a flop as Do Deuce managed to beat only one of his 19 rivals A win in the Kyoto Kinen (G2) opened his record for 2023 but overseas travel again proved too much After scratching from the Dubai Turf (G1) in March was given a long break and finished seventh in that year's Tenno Sho (Autumn) and fourth in the Japan Cup He bounced back from that to win the Arima Kinen (G1) in December—his first grade 1 victory since the Derby—then was fifth in a repeat try in the Dubai Turf and fourth in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) June 23 he finished second in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St He then was sixth in the Arima Kinen (G1) in December and this season was 11th in the Osaka Hai (G1) and seventh in the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) He had not competed since that run in April Trainer Noriyuki Hori said before the race Tastiera had given him very positive signs in training "He came back to the training center on Sept this time he had a great appetite," Hori said "Mentally and physically he seemed much more in balance He wouldn't get upset and his footwork was back to what it had been in the Kikuka Sho last year." Home » Archive » Top News Europe » Do Deuce Aces Test in Tenno Sho Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) jumped out of the ground in the Tokyo straight and rattled home down the outside to add Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) over the metric mile and a quarter Fellow G1 Tokyo Yushun hero Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) could not resist the winner's flying finish and settled for second while pacesetting Ho O Biscuits (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) was a valiant third Ho O Biscuits won the break from gate nine and set modest sectional times of :24.3 for the opening 400m and :47.9 for the first 800m as Do Deuce was settled one from the tail by the legendary Yutaka Take favored in her first start since a third in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March while third choice Lebensstil (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) provided some cover for Do Deuce down the back of the track Ho O Biscuits was still enjoying a fairly leisurely time of things on the pointy end and was first to face the judge with Liberty Island poised about four off the inside and Tastiera close enough if good enough The pacesetter carried the Tenno Sho field into the final furlong Take had peeled Do Deuce off the heels of Lebensstil and covered his final 600 metres in an other-worldly :32.5 Ho O Biscuits held for third ahead of a closing Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) Liberty Island remained in contention into the final 250 metres Do Deuce becomes the seventh horse to win Group 1 contests in four consecutive seasons having taken out the Asahi Hai Futurity in 2021 the Tokyo Yushun the following season and last year's fan-voted Arima Kinen It was a 20th JRA Group 1 for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi and an 82nd for Take his first since the aforementioned Arima Kinen “I wanted to show the true ability and strength of Do Deuce today so I was really happy when he was able to display his usual powerful kick in the last stretch and crossed the wire first,” said Take winning the Autumn Tenno Sho for the seventh time overall and for the first time since piloting Kitasan Black (Jpn) in 2017 “The pace was not very fast and I was relying on his strong finishing speed so I didn't want to make any unnecessary moves in the first half of the race and settled him second from last.” Seventh to Kitasan Black's Equinox (Jpn) in last year's event and fourth to that Horse of the Year in the G1 Japan Cup Do Deuce ran on strongly for fifth in this year's G1 Dubai Turf where he was hampered by fallen rival at a crucial stage Do Deuce may have struggled with easy underfoot conditions when sixth as the favourite in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Kyoto June 23 Do Deuce is one of a dozen Group 1 winners for Heart's Cry who was lost to the Japanese breeding industry in March 2023 Two of the stallion's sons–Suave Richard (Jpn) and Cheval Grand (Jpn)–count the Japan Cup among their top-level conquests a race that figures the next landing spot for Do Deuce A Grade III winner for Satish Sanan's Padua Stable in September 2012 Dust and Diamonds was runner-up in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and was acquired days after for $900,000 by Borges Torrealba Holdings at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale she added the GIII Sugar Swirl Stakes prior to her retirement The mare was subsequently sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1 million in foal to the late Pioneerof the Nile at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale and her stock increased when her foal of 2016 was placed twice at Grade III level as a 3-year-old in 2019 Dust and Diamonds is also the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Real Steel (Jpn) that was purchased by Do Deuce's owner for a sales-topping ¥94.6 million as a foal at the 2022 Northern Farm Mixed Sale She produced a filly by Silver State (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in 2023 and her colt by Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) fetched ¥286 million from owner Ozora Kikaku at the Northern Farm Sale on Oct Copy Article Link Home » Archive » Shared News Europe » Autumn Flavour To Tenno Sho Japanese horses returning from overseas exploits and melding back into the local population with more Pattern race glory is not a rarity and 2023 Japanese Triple Tiara heroine Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) aims to do just that in the 2000-metre G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo on Sunday A winner of the 2022 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in addition to her Classic heroics (Oka Sho the bay found only superstar Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) too good in the G1 Japan Cup last November the now 4-year-old filly was third to Rebel's Romance (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic the Sunday Racing runner leaves from post 12 “Traveling abroad has definitely had an effect on her mentally,” said Kawada “The experience of flying in an airplane and of racing in unfamiliar surroundings This will be her first race since March and she did have some trouble with her legs earlier she was also allowed to slowly come back up to her best I watched her workout this week and was told she was far more relaxed She gets work every day and this week's fast work showed her improvement I'll head to the gate with no worries.” One of the filly's biggest hurdles is the quality of her rivals but two G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winners with Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) (2022) and Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) (2023) winding up fifth in the G1 Dubai Turf to Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) he was in action in June when sixth in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen behind 2023 G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner Sol Oriens (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in second one better than G1 Osaka Hai scorer Bellagio Opera (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) Legendary reinsman Yutaka Take will be aboard and if the duo find themselves in the winner's circle Take will have piloted a record-equaling seventh Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner “His preparation has gone well since his return to the training center he worked over the woodchip course in a group of three but I think the Tokyo 2000 meters is his best trip.” Although he is only third favourite in the antepost betting Lebensstil (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) is poised to cause a stir in his first Japanese Group 1 The Carrot Farm runner never tried his hands in the Classics but two of his three 4-year-old starts have resulted in victories–the G3 Epsom Cup at Tokyo in June and the G2 Sankei Sho All Comers Stakes at Nakayama over 2200 metres on Sept defeating the dual Classic-placed Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) in the latter the duo are booked in stall 14 in the 15-horse field “I have the impression that the horse has matured mentally He had a good air about him and I think he's at the level of fitness for him to be able to respond as he needs to It'll be his first time over the course but I don't think that will be a problem.” Copy Article Link Durezza wins the 2023 Kikuka Sho at Kyoto Racecourse The springtime version of the Tenno Sho (G1) is the longest of Japan's top-level races at 3,200 meters (about two miles) and the April 28 renewal at Kyoto Racecourse features a mixed bag of veterans and newcomers The second- and third-place finishers from a year ago, Deep Bond  and Silver Sonic return but neither presents a convincing case for a repeat performance actually has finished second in the race three years in a row but has managed only one third-place showing in five starts since last year's Tenno Sho (Spring) And 8-year-old Silver Sonic's only intervening race was the March 17 Hanshin Daishoten (G2) said after drawing gate 6 in a field of 17 "I'll have to admit that having come this far we can't very well expect any further growth out of him." Those recent performances by the veterans would seem to open the door to younger challengers with Durezza and Tastiera standing out on form Durezza, a 4-year-old colt by Duramente  and a third from seven starts but also has shown ability get a distance of ground he captured the third leg of the 2023 Japanese Triple Crown going 3,000 meters (about 1 7/8 miles) Oct 22.  dropped back to third and came again at the top of the straight accelerating boldly to win by more than three lengths he started the 2024 season with a second-place finish in the March 10 Kinko Sho (G2) "He is definitely improving as he heads toward the grade 1," trainer Tomohito Ozeki said of Durezza "I can't say the distance is welcome I think he'll be able to handle it." Tastiera, a 4-year-old son of Satono Crown  advancing from well back in the field but never close to threatening Durezza in the final furlong After finishing sixth against older horses in the Arima Kinen (G1) in December he returned in the Osaka Hai (G1) at Hanshin March 31 finishing 11th at the end of the 2,000 meters—a performance that mystifies trainer Noriyuki Hori "I still can't find a reason for his losing his last race," Hori said "He hadn't been eating well after shipping west and had left 80% of both his morning and evening feed the day before the race It's not a venue where he doesn't run but I'll just keep my thinking cap on as we head into this race." Another who's been knocking on the door He makes his first top-level start since 2022 having finished third in the 2022 Tenno Sho (Spring) and then 14th in the Japan Cup (G1) later that year But he also has put together a two-race win streak at staying distances—taking out the 3,400-meter Diamond Stakes (G3) at Tokyo Racecourse Feb 17 and the 3,000-meter Hanshin Daishoten March 17 "Everything about his prep has gone smoothly," assistant trainer Atsushi Obayashi reported but there's nowhere this horse comes up short and with the condition he's in presently T O Royal is owned by Tomoya Ozasa, who also has T O Password  in the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) field after finishing first in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby standings The Tenno Sho (Spring) is run right handed on the outer loop of the Kyoto turf course It starts on the backstretch and then requires one and a half laps of the layout There is a significant uphill climb entering the stretch turn then a dip back to a level run through the final 600 meters The three kami honored in today’s Gion Festival are Susanoo-no-Mikoto (the chief god honored at Yasaka Shrine) collectively known as the Yashira-no-Mikogami or Hachioji.  a different trio of deities had been so honored for centuries whose name literally means “Bull-Headed King of Heaven,” his consort Harisaijo the Hachioji (who together count as one unit).  The Yasaka Shrine claims that the two groups of three kami are really one in the same Almost as soon as Buddhism was introduced into Japan around the sixth century a process of assimilation with the native kami cults (which came to be collectively referred to as Shinto) began the fusion of the two sets of beliefs advanced to such a degree that it was often difficult to tell the two apart.  Referred to as shinbutsu shugo (an amalgamation of Shinto and Buddhism) or less kindly as shinbutsu kongo (jumbling together Shinto and Buddhism) this syncretism most often took the form of Shinto kami being considered as local manifestations of the universal buddhas bodhisattvas and other members of the Buddhist pantheon the Sun Goddess and divine ancestor of the imperial line was sometimes equated with the cosmic Buddha Vairocana (Dainichi Nyorai).  The ideology of the Meiji Restoration involved not only restoring the rule of the emperor but also purifying Japanese culture by getting back to its roots even when it was not clear what those roots might be.  the Meiji government implemented a strict policy of shinbutsu bunri or “separation of Shinto and Buddhism.” Although moderation ultimately prevailed for a time fanatics even went about destroying temples and smashing Buddhist statues and other Buddhism-related art works.  where temple buildings were torn down and Buddhist images carted away the Yakushi Nyorai image kept in a hall next to the main sanctuary was sent to another temple in Kyoto.  there also appear to have been statues of Gozu Tenno and Harisaijo although what happened to them is unclear.  the Gionsha was transformed into a pure Shinto establishment—today’s Yasaka Shrine what the Yasaka Shrine authorities claimed to be doing was the reverse of the shinbutsu shugo process—substituting the original form of the kami for the foreign import—Gozu Tenno.  Was this just a fabrication designed to hijack the time-honored Gozu Tenno cult with which Susanoo-no-Mikoto had no connection whatsoever?  There are many theories and opinions concerning the origin of Gozu Tenno especially prior to the end of World War II the general opinion seems to be that the Gozu Tenno cult began in India and then made its way via China and perhaps Tibet to the Korean Peninsula being influenced by Chinese religion along the way.  This deity arrived in Japan in the form of a yakubyo-gami or god who brought sickness Later he was transformed into a god who would protect against disease if honored properly.  Let’s start with the name of the Gion Shrine itself. As noted in Part 1 of this series Gion Shoja was the Japanese name for the tranquil Jetavana park in northern India where Gautama Buddha and his immediate disciples often stayed It seems likely that originally Gozu Tenno was the minor Indian guardian deity Gosirsa-Devaraja who lived above the gate to Jetavana.  Some scholars see a connection with the ancient Vedic supreme deity Indra “a bull among beings.” Or it might have been in China that Gozu Tenno got his ox-head since the Chinese culture hero Shen Nong (“the Divine Farmer”) is sometimes portrayed with horns Mention should also be made of the iconic minotaur of Crete although that legendary Greek monster probably had no direct influence on the evolution of Gozu Tenno.  this protector god of Jetavana is mentioned in the Kegon (Avatamsaka) Sutra and several other sutras.  Gozu Tenno also was sometimes considered a manifestation of Yakushi Nyorai There is also evidence of influence from the Mikkyo or esoteric schools of Buddhism.  there definitely was a Buddhist connection to the Gozu Tenno cult the Gionsha in Kyoto became the mother “temple-shrine” for more than a thousand Gionsha throughout Japan Nearly all of them were converted to pure Shinto shrines with Susanoo-no-Mikoto as the principal object of veneration after the Meiji Restoration Many scholars believe that the district where Yasaka Shrine is located in Kyoto was first settled by immigrants from the Korean Peninsula They belonged to the Yasaka clan according to one account.  Yasaka means “Eight Slopes” and there are eight of these in this area it is not clear whether the clan was named after the geography or the other way around.  The Yasaka Shrine’s own website says that an envoy from Korea named “Irishi” brought the spirit of Susanoo-no-Mikoto from Korea Other sources add that this man came from Oxhead Mountain in the kingdom of Silla.  you won’t find any explanations about Gozu Tenno on the signs within the precincts of Yasaka Shrine That is despite the fact that in the past it was specifically referred to as the Gozu Tennosha The intriguing question remains: Why was a Korean official bringing the mitama (spirit) of a Japanese kami to this area Other sources claim that the shrine was originally located in Harima Province which is now the southwestern part of Hyogo Prefecture where it was known as the “Silla Shrine.”  and it took quite some time before he came to be seen as a savior.  The Nara National Museum contains a rather terrifying emaki screen illustration dating from the 12th century showing the “Divine Punishment Star” deity Tenkeisei devouring with obvious relish disease-bearing demons.  Gozu Tenno came to be identified with Tenkeisei in this Hekijia-e (“Illustration of the extermination of evil”) depiction dating from the late Heian period (ending in 1185) or Kamakura period (1185-1333) he is included among the oni meeting a gruesome fate in the emaki.  I would point out that Tenkeisei is an Onmyodo directional deity said to have control over the movements of the stars Onmyodo is a quasi-religion that exerted immense influence in premodern Japan Originally introduced from China as a motley collection of beliefs and rituals derived from the Yin-Yang and Five Phases (Five Elements) schools mixed with popular Taoist folk religion after reaching Japan they evolved along independent lines into Onmyodo.  Consisting of a potpourri of directional and seasonal taboos so important was Onmyodo considered by the Japanese government that a special section was established at the Imperial University within the palace complex to train official onmyoji (practitioners of Onmyodo) Although some elements of Onmyodo were pseudo-scientific and even the supposed ability to raise the dead through the secret taizan fukun rite No wonder the powerholders tried to control Onmyodo for their own protection and seriously frowned on unauthorized onmyoji.  the great influence Onmyodo has had on Japanese religious life and superstitions is woefully understudied Learn more about the Onmyodo connection with Gozu Tenno in Part 4 of this series Next:  The Gion Matsuri: Legend of Somin Shorai John Carroll is a Kyoto-based freelance writer and Japan Forward contributor. He is currently writing a book on the religious traditions and superstitions of Japan’s ancient capital. Find his essays and reports at this link You must be logged in to post a comment Home » Archive » Europe » Equinox Bridges The Gap In Thrilling Tenno Sho Equinox gets up late in the Tenno Sho | JRA photo who bravely dead-heated for the victory with defending champion Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in this year's G1 Dubai Turf after making all the running put on an even bolder show in Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo Racecourse But after turning into the long straight with a double-digit advantage he could not quite stave off favoured Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) who whistled home down the centre of the course to lead in the dying strides It was a third Tenno Sho in four years for the Silk Racing partnership whose Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) won it in 2019 and 2020 Panthalassa bounced well from his low gate but had some surprising early company in the form of North Bridge (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) and that may have had a material impact on the race as a keyed-up Panthalassa rumbled right along through early fractions of :23.5 and :46 for the opening 800 metres making his first start since just missing in the G1 Tokyo Yushun at this track in late May settled kindly behind midfield and was content to allow the front-runner to do his thing with no apparent panic from Christophe Lemaire Panthalassa led by the better part of 15 lengths as the Tenno Sho field hit the turn and carried that sort of advantage off the final corner daring the market leaders to catch him if they could Equinox was steered off the heels of Potager (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) at the 450m and began to progress but still had around eight lengths to find entering the final furlong who gamely held for second ahead of Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) Equinox covered his final 600 metres in :32.7 a tenth of a second quicker than Danon Beluga Jack d'Or (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) was a further neck back in fourth while 2021 Derby hero and this year's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was fifth in a useful prep for the G1 Longines Japan Cup Nov “I'm happy that we were able to catch Panthalassa,” said Lemaire winning his third Tenno Sho in four years and his 42nd Group 1 on the JRA circuit “I saw him way in front of us after turning into the straight but my colt gave his best and displayed an incredible turn of foot If he comes out of this race safe and well he has every chance to do well in the Japan Cup or the Arima Kinen This was his first Group 1 win but definitely not his last.” Equinox is one of 54 winners to date for his second-crop sire and is his first top-level scorer now responsible for three group winners following the victory of Ravel (Jpn) in Saturday's G3 Artemis S. is a son of Deep Impact's full-brother Black Tide (Jpn) and put together one of the great careers in recent memory Third to the late Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in the 2015 G1 Satsuki Sho Kitasan Black won that year's G1 Kikuka Sho (3000m) before adding his first G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles the following May Named Horse of the Year after closing his 4-year-old season with a score in the G1 Japan Cup (2400m) a successful defence of his title in the Tenno Sho (Spring) in his next appearance and this race nearly five years to the day of Equinox's win He retired as a dual Horse of the Year following success in the G1 Arima Kinen with 12 wins–seven at Group 1 level–from 20 starts for earnings of $16.5 million Out of Silk Racing colourbearer Chateau Blanche Equinox is a half-brother to the operation's Group 3 winner Weiss Meteor a 2-year-old colt by Just a Way (Jpn) and a yearling filly by Kizuna (Jpn) Equinox is the second Group 1 winner out of a daughter of Dancing Brave son King Halo (Jpn) Copy Article Link Six-year-old favorite T O Royal unleashed a furious sprint around the final turn and the home stretch to win the spring Tenno-Sho in the race's 169th running Sunday by two lengths over 3,200 meters on turf at Kyoto Racecourse trainer Inao Okada and jockey Yuji Hishida "I don't have words for this," Hishida said and my thoughts drifted back to 20 years earlier when I came to see this race I want to say thank you to that boy and to all the people who have supported me since then." Runner-up Blow the Horn ran into traffic ahead of its final sprint and was forced to make an extra-wide turn into the final stretch "The horse was a little out of sorts before the race but moved forward well and found a tremendous rhythm." Horse racing: Fledgling Justin Milano wins 3rd in row at Satsuki-sho Horse racing: Fall during race causes rare jockey death Horse racing: Take steers Do Deuce to Arima Kinen triumph To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible Legendary jockey Yutaka Take lifted his latest Grade 1 when guiding Do Deuce to a striking last-to-first victory in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo The 55-year-old rider settled his mount towards the back of the field with just a handful of runners behind him as Ho Ho Biscuits led the runners away from the home straight the first time Take was level with the backmarker on the final turn but did not panic manoeuvring Do Deuce to the outside of the pack and asking him to quicken passing the 400m pole who beat Equinox in the 2022 Japanese Derby produced a sparkling turn of foot to mow down the front-runner who was also overtaken by Tastiera close home The final winning distance was a length and a quarter It was a seventh Tenno Sho (Autumn) for Take with his last victory coming aboard Kitasan Black in 2017 He said: "I wanted to show the true ability and strength of Do Deuce today so I was really happy when he was able to display his usual powerful kick in the last stretch and crossed the line first "The pace was not very fast and I was relying on his strong finishing speed so I didn’t want to make any unnecessary moves in the first half of the race and settled him second from last." Liberty Island's rider Yuga Kawada said: "She responded well around the home turn but this is the first time she has disappointed."  Do Deuce contested the 2022 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but finished a disappointing 19th beating only Mostahdaf as Alpinista charged through the mud to score Yutaka Take: a legend in search of a golden finale in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe  Legendary rider Yutaka Take partners 4,500th JRA winner - and has designs on even greater milestone  The Racing Post is now available to follow on WhatsApp channels Published on 27 October 2024inReports Home » Archive » Shared News Europe » Equinox Primed For Tenno Sho Autumn Defence Perched atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings at 129 pounds for much of the year after his sensational 3 1/2-length victory in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in Dubai this March the formidable Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) will attempt to become only the third horse to claim the ¥421,420,000 G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) in back-to-back years at Tokyo on Sunday The reigning Japanese Horse of the Year has never finished worse than second in eight starts and landed the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin over 2200 metres–200 metres farther than Sunday's trip–at the end of June Japanese Horse of the Year and dual Tenno Sho (Autumn) heroine Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) (2019/2020) the Tetsuya Kimura trainee's task will not be an easy one “Christophe Lemaire rode work last week and it was the usual work we do a week out,” said Kimura of his charge who worked well at his Miho base last week In some ways the main concern was making sure everything went as usual amid all the attention I don't think there's any problem with him.” Of the 10 rivals that oppose the 8-5 favourite the greatest danger looks to be 14-5 shot Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) a winner of both the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S in 2021 and the 2022 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) He defeated Equinox by a neck in the latter contest and also earned a Group 2 victory in the Kyoto Kinen in February Part of the numerous Japanese challengers for the Dubai World Cup night he was forced to scratch after coming up lame before the big dance but is reportedly working well since recovering “His fast work was on the hill course this week and the horse was switched on mentally this week the same I'll leave the race strategy up to the jockey.” The progressive Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) holds all the ingredients to upset the big two and the Mitsumasa Nakauchida charge was second in the Aug 20 G2 Sapporo Kinen after taking the G2 Kinko Sho at Chukyo in March In between those starts was another runner-up performance in the G1 QEII Cup at Sha Tin to the classy Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) “He won the Sapporo Kinen strongly and I could see that he had matured considerably,” said trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida “The ground that day wasn't the best I think he has gotten stronger both mentally and physically I had Yuga Kawada ride trackwork and the horse was more switched on than I'd thought he would an assistant breezed him and we focused on keeping the horse relaxed and well balanced with horses that have proven their ability so we'll just have to see how well Prognosis can do up against them and he's raced over 2,000 meters a number of times so the distance and course are not concerns He won handily last start and his prep has gone well so I think he'll be able to race to his best here.” Former Hong Kong champion jockey Joao 'Magic Man' Moreira will be on hand to pilot Group 3 winner Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) Fourth in both the 2022 G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the Japanese Derby behind both Do Deuce and Equinox the 4-year-old was third to the last-named horse in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last year and was second to Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Dubai Turf on Dubai World cup night later in his career The Noriyuki Hori-trained colt was fourth most recently in the Sapporo Kinen and his morning line odds are currently 13-1 “It was hard before and after the Sapporo Kinen to get a reading on his condition,” said Hori but from last week he started to look stronger I don't think he's quite up to his overall best though I think he can do better if he can show off his ability.” Third to Equinox in the Takarazuka Kinen in June is Masahiro Miki's Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who prevailed in the 3200-metre G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) in April Another Group 1 winner partaking in the Tenno Sho is Osaka Hai victor Jack d'Or (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) He was sixth in the wake of Prognosis in the Sapporo Kinen Copy Article Link Second-favorite Titleholder blasted to victory in the 165th running of the spring Tenno-sho on Sunday holding off top-pick Deep Bond by seven lengths over 3,200 meters at Hanshin Racecourse for his second G1 win Kazuo Yokoyama also made history as the first jockey to follow in the footsteps of both his father securing a wire-to-wire victory in 3 minutes Fourth-favorite T O Royal was a length behind Deep Bond in third in Hyogo Prefecture "It makes me happy I managed to get the win along with Titleholder," Yokoyama said of the 4-year-old colt "The horse stepped up a gear at the same moment I wanted him to He's a horse that is going to go from strength to strength." The winning purse was 200 million yen ($1.5 million) Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker T O Royal extended his winning streak to three races with a two-length victory in the Tenno Sho (Spring) on Sunday Yuji Hishida piloted T O Royal to victory with a methodical surge to the front of the pack late in the 3,200-meter race. The 6-year-old race favorite finished strong with a time of 35.0 seconds over the final three furlongs (about 600 meters) at Kyoto Racecourse. For T O Royal, it was a convincing win in the Japan Racing Association Grade 1 event over runner-up and fifth favorite Blow the Horn (Akira Sugawara's ride) Second favorite Durezza (Keita Tosaki) and third favorite Saliera (Yutaka Take) placed 15th and 11th before an announced Golden Week crowd of 60,479 The horse's stamina proved to be one of his strengths in this quartet of competitions T O Royal placed second in the 3,600-meter G2 Stayers Stakes on December 2 including back-to-back victories in the 3,400-meter G3 Diamond Stakes on February 17 at Tokyo Racecourse and 3,000-meter G2 Hanshin Daishoten on March 17 at Hanshin Racecourse only three runners completed the final three furlongs in 35.0 seconds or less Blow the Horn (34.6) and fourth-place finisher Smart Phantom (Mirai Iwata) in 34.7 Eighth favorite Warp Speed (Koei Miura) rounded out the top five Closing speed was a big factor in the final outcome, and throughout the two-lap race, T O Royal was near the front of the pack en route to victory in 3 minutes, 14.2 seconds. (Watch the full race on the JRA's YouTube channel.) with T O Royal among the next wave of runners jockeying for position Deep Bond and Durezza were second and third as the race neared the 2-minute mark As the test of endurance entered its third minute picking up the pace and surging closer to the front He then eclipsed the then-leader Deep Bond on the home stretch Blow the Horn zoomed past Deep Bond to secure a second-place finish After back-to-back-to-back runner-up finishes in this race in 2021 2022 and 2023 ― along with veteran jockey Ryuji Wada each time ― 7-year-old Deep Bond Trainer Inao Okada also collected his first G1 win Looking back on the fast-paced action at Kyoto Racecourse Hishida said in his post-race interview that T O Royal had a strong performance "The horse raced in good rhythm and responded well going downhill after the third corner," Hishida commented "So we were able to turn the last corner comfortably and slip out of the pack with ease." The Tenno Sho (Spring) also holds a special place in Hishida's career "I'm really happy to have won this race because I decided to become a jockey when I saw this race 20 years ago," Hishida said In 2004, Ingrandire, ridden by Norihiro Yokoyama A trio of Heart's Cry progeny competed in the race: Scar Face (who placed 11th) represented the largest number for any single sire in Sunday's Tenno Sho (Spring) in the spring and in the autumn (at Tokyo Racecourse Sunday's race was the 169th running of the Tenno Sho The JRA's spring G1 season continues with the NHK Mile Cup on May 5 in Tokyo Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.  You must be logged in to post a comment Panthalassa built a seemingly insurmountable 15-length lead by the third corner of the 166th Tenno Sho (Autumn). But fast-chasing Equinox had the speed and stamina to snatch the victory in the 2,000-meter race.  French jockey Christophe Lemaire engineered a sensational come-from-behind triumph on Sunday steering race favorite Equinox to a one-length win over Yutaka Yoshida and Panthalassa at Tokyo Racecourse before an announced crowd of 62,958 on a beautiful autumn afternoon.  "I'm happy that we were able to catch Panthalassa," Lemaire told reporters after collecting his 42nd Japan Racing Association Grade One victory "When I saw him way in front of us after turning into the straight But my colt gave his best and displayed an incredible turn of foot." Depending on Equinox's physical condition in the days to come, trainer Tetsuya Kimura's horse could begin making preparations for another marquee G1 race before the end of the year "If he comes out of this race safe and well he has every chance to do well in the Japan Cup [on November 27] or the Arima Kinen [on December 25]," the 43-year-old Lemaire stated Kitasan Black-sired Equinox completed the race in 1 minute, 57.5 seconds, including 32.7 seconds over the final three furlongs. (Watch the race here.) Panthalassa slowed down considerably near the race's end clocking 36.8 seconds for the last three furlongs Third-place finisher Danon Beluga (Yuga Kawada) Timed in 32.8 seconds for the final three furlongs he placed a neck's length behind Panthalassa Panthalassa held a comfortable eight-length lead followed by North Bridge and third favorite Jack d'Or Panthalassa nearly doubled the lead to 15 lengths and still maintained a 10-length advantage with 400 meters remaining "I wanted to do something [special] because I was working hard until the end," was how Yoshida described his approach to the race according to Japanese racing website Netkeiba But the gap began to close even more as Jack d'Or and Equinox noticeably picked up the pace.With 200 meters to go seen from the inside to the outside of the turf track were nearly stride for stride in pursuit of the tiring Panthalassa Equinox galloped past Jack d'Or into second place with 100 meters remaining then continued his improbable surge from near the back of the 15-horse pack to the front Piloted by Lemaire, Equinox was the runner-up in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) on April 17 and second-place finisher in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) on May 29 It was clear on Sunday that those G1 races provided valuable experience for Equinox in his development Second favorite Shahryar (Cristian Demuro) finished fifth. Fifth favorite Geoglyph, Yuichi Fukunaga's ride and winner of the 82nd Satsuki Sho this year Yutaka Take is first among active jockeys with six Tenno Sho (Autumn) victories, with his most recent victory aboard Kitasan Black in 2017. Second on the list is Lemaire, who has four, including in 2018 aboard Rey de Oro and in 2019 and 2020 with Almond Eye The next G1 race on the JRA calendar is the 2,200-meter Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hanshin Racecourse on November 13 Follow horse racing coverage throughout the year on SportsLook You must be logged in to post a comment Read the full story on SportsLook - Equinox Repeats as the Tenno Sho (Autumn) Champion Nine races into his career, Equinox has a track record of sensational success: seven victories and a pair of runner-up finishes The Kitasan Black-sired 4-year-old brown colt extended his winning streak to five with a captivating performance in the 168th Tenno Sho (Autumn) on Sunday afternoon, October 29. Christophe Lemaire handled the reins with aplomb as Equinox galloped with purpose and energy to burn en route to a race-record time of 1 minute Equinox shattered the old record by 0.9 seconds Sitting in third place for a sizable portion of the 2,000-meter race, Equinox's world-class speed took over in the final three furlongs (about 600 meters). And he built an insurmountable lead that eventually closed to 2½ lengths. (Watch the race on YouTube.) Equinox won the 2022 Tenno Sho (Autumn) in 1:57.5 As it turned out, Equinox, the Japan Racing Association's 2022 Horse of the Year, was competing against his own high standards. Equinox is the top-ranked thoroughbred in LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings At the same time, Lemaire added another notch to his long list of accomplishments in Japan, placing first in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) for the fifth time in the last six years. He teamed up with Rey de Oro for the win in 2018. Then he won back-to-back races with Almond Eye in 2019 and 2020 He now has 47 JRA G1 wins in his illustrious career Equinox is now one of three horses to win this race in consecutive years the story of the day was Equinox's brilliant performance I am relieved to have been able to show the world that he is indeed a deserving colt to be named the highest-rated colt," the French jockey said in his post-race interview.  "He's not exactly what you call a horse with incredible speed but he was able to keep up with today's rapid pace and get into another gear at the end But I was actually surprised when I realized that we had won in record [time]." Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the race Continue reading the full story on SportsLook Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven.  You must be logged in to post a comment ridden by French jockey Christophe Lemaire established a Japan Racing Association record with an eighth Grade I victory on Sunday captured the Tenno Sho (Autumn) crown for the second straight year doing so in electrifying fashion at Tokyo Racecourse placing a half length behind the daughter of Lord Kanaloa Almond Eye completed the 2,000-meter race (about 10 furlongs) in 1 minute Not only did Lemaire guide Almond Eye to victory in the 2019 Tenno Sho but he began his run of three straight triumphs in the G1 autumn race in 2018 aboard Rey de Oro (There's also an annual Tenno Sho Spring race.) While fourth-place finisher Danon Premium was in front early on in the prestigious race that started at 3:40 p.m. Almond Eye picked up her pace as the competition heated up Lemaire had her in a strategic position to make a late charge in the 12-horse race And during the pivotal final stretch, Almond Eye moved past Danon Premium, Daiwa Cagney and Kiseki. With less than 400 meters remaining and galloping toward the finish line, Almond Eye’s stride lengthened. Then, over the last 200 meters, Almond Eye outclassed the competition. See the race here the mare was relaxed before the start and we were able to break well," Lemaire told reporters later "She showed a great turn of foot in the straight but ran out of steam a bit climbing the hill The others were gaining on us but she didn’t give up to win the eighth G1 title was a big pressure but she didn’t let us down—her performance was awesome Her future lies in the hands of the owner and trainer but I would very much like to ride her again." It's understandable why Lemaire expressed that sentiment. They are a formidable team. He steered Almond Eye to victory in all eight GI races, a remarkable streak that began at the Oka Sho on April 8, 2018, at Hanshin Racecourse in Hyogo Prefecture. It includes the Dubai Turf on March 30, 2019. Watch race highlights here Great thoroughbreds tend to be great finishers and that skill was on display on Sunday "It's hard to express, it was an unbelievable performance," he was quoted as saying by racingpost.com Almond Eye became the first horse to win consecutive Tenno Sho races in the fall since Symboli Kris S in 2002 and '03 And she moves past Deep Impact and five other horses (Kitasan Black and Vodka) who shared the previous record of seven GI triumphs Cristophe Lemaire and Almond Eye have teamed up for eight Grade I wins With the euphoria of victory in the air on Sunday trainer Sakae Kunieda didn't announce which race will be Almond Eye's next Possibilities include the Japan Cup (November 29) and another domestic race the Arima Kinen (December 27) or the Hong Kong Cup on December 13 Almond Eye prepared for the Tenno Sho at Northern Farm Ten-ei in Iwase-gun Discussing training tactics before the big race on November 1 Kunieda commented on the way he and Lemaire focused on Almond Eye's conditioning in recent weeks according to a news release issued on October 30 from about three lengths behind two other horses on the woodchip flat course and I asked Christophe Lemaire to check her responses in the finish," Kunieda said The difference in her weight didn’t show in the numbers but I think she’s looking sharper than she did before last week’s workout “The woodchip course can be rough on her legs so I had her train on the dirt course on October 25 I haven’t seen any change in her due to age I do feel that she is more laidback about things now and that is reflected in her condition a bit as well." Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays,  in [Odds and Evens] here during the week You must be logged in to post a comment Three generations of the Yokoyama family have enjoyed success at the highest level in Japanese thoroughbred racing.Sunday May 1 provided a vivid example as the nation enjoyed a leisurely day amidst Golden Week holidays Kazuo Yokoyama followed in the footsteps of his father (Norihiro who still competes in Japan Racing Association events 2004 and 2015) and paternal grandfather (Tomio took the title in 1971) as winners of the Tenno Sho (Spring).As a result the Yokoyamas became the first three-generational family to collect Tenno Sho (Spring) titles The Yokoyama family’s success in high-profile races was also in the spotlight just a few months ago. At last year’s Tenno Sho (Autumn), Takeshi Yokoyama, Kazuo’s younger brother, won the October 31 race by a length over Contrail at Tokyo Racecourse Titleholder’s winning time did not come close to setting a record Kitasan Black set the race-record time (3:12.5) at Kyoto Racecourse Last year’s top time was 3:14.7 by World Premiere Sunday’s victory was his first Japan Racing Association Grade 1 win An announced crowd of 11,109 watched Titleholder’s dominating performance in Takarazuka Wagering on the race topped $165.7 million USD (¥21.51 billion JPY) to a win in the Grade 2 Nikkei Sho on March 26 at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi Titleholder’s performance in the Nikkei Sho was indicative of his ability.“In the Nikkei Sho I thought the others were going to catch him in the stretch but he reached down and found some more and held his ground,” Kurita said in the run-up to the Tenno Sho “I was reminded again of just how strong he is.”Yokoyama maintained a positive outlook before the race began at 3:40 PM “I felt that he was in good form when I rode him in the post parade so I just believed in him and concentrated on riding him in good rhythm,” Yokoyama said in his post-victory interview.  “We were able to slow down the pace in the backstretch to conserve his stamina and I was not worried about the horses behind us in the last stretch I'm happy that I was able to win this race with Titleholder rather than just winning my first G1 title [with another horse] I think he will get stronger and stronger going forward.” Titleholder’s pace-setting gallop and overall dominance clashed with the oddity of seeing Silver Sonic running sans veteran jockey Yuga Kawada for the entire 3,200 meters.Stumbling out of the gate the Orfevre-sired Silver Sonic lost Kawada Then the disqualified 6-year-old dashed toward the front of the pack and was on Titleholder’s heels as the race marched toward its finish.Meanwhile Yokoyama and Titleholder stormed to a seven-length lead early on and held a sizable advantage throughout the race though T O Royal closed the gap to less than two lengths at one point Titleholder ran the final three furlongs in 36.4 seconds Heat on Beat’s 37.0-second effort was closest to the winner’s recorded time over that distance Deep Bond, the runner-up in the 2021 Tenno Sho (Spring) surpassed title-chasing T O Royal with 100 meters left and held on for second place to secure a second consecutive second-place finish in the race You must be logged in to post a comment World Premiere has a name that reminds you of a Hollywood extravaganza The 5-year-old dark colt also possesses plenty of speed and moxie was the name of the game in the closing seconds of the Tenno Sho (Spring) at Hanshin Racecourse on Sunday the 2005 and '06 Japanese Horse of the Year wasn't the pace-setting thoroughbred when the 3,200-meter race started at 3:40 p.m found his way to the front of the pack with 100 meters remaining and held off race favorite Deep Bond to win by 3/4 lengths in a time of 3 minutes Curren Bouquetd'or (Keita Tosaki), also sired by Deep Impact, finished third, two lengths off the pace in the 17-horse field. Watch a replay of the race here French jockey Christophe Lemaire steered Aristoteles A strong push at the finish was not enough for Aristoteles to overtake Curren Bouquetd'or as he was a neck's length behind The next G1 race on the Japan Racing Association calendar is the NHK Mile Cup on Sunday didn't have the tone-setting start that he had hoped for "We had a weak start but recovered well since with the advantage from breaking from stall No and kept our eyes on the favorites from behind throughout," said Fukunaga "I shifted him outside a little earlier than planned to secure a good striking position He responded incredibly with a good turn of foot It's a great honor to have won such a prestigious race like this." Deep Bond and Curren Bouquetd'or set the pace World Premiere was near the middle of the pack Diastima and Shironii among the horses that Fukunaga's ride had to navigate past As the crowded pack galloped past the final turn but World Premiere's terrific closing speed paid dividends World Premiere had ample room to pick up the pace he moved past several foes and defeated Deep Bond at the finish line Before exhibiting his closing speed in the Tenno Sho the brown colt finished third at the Nikkei Sho on March 27 at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi Sunday's Tenno Sho victory was his 13th JRA G1 win World Premiere gave Tomomichi his most recent G1 victory on October 20 triumphed at the 1976 Tenno Sho (Spring) aboard Erimo George Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays,  in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven. You must be logged in to post a comment The 166th Tenno Sho (Autumn) a prestigious Grade One race contested at a distance of 2,000 meters on the turf at Tokyo Racecourse October 30 to decide the middle-distance champion of the autumn season for horses aged 3 and older who finished in a dead heat with Lord North at the Dubai Turf in March.  Join JAPAN Forward and Weekly Gallop as we share some of the backstory on Shahryar and other top contenders in Japanese horse racing today.  Making a full return to domestic racing is Shahryar, who started the year two races ago in the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 26. He chased third on the inside while the Japanese thoroughbred Authority led the pack he took the lead with 100 meters remaining and won his second G1 race by a neck over BC Turf champion Yibir His first race abroad brought immediate results. Many Japanese Derby winners, including Deep Impact, Orfevre and Kizuna But this was the first time in history that a Japanese horse won a G1 race abroad Shahryar got off to a good start and ran in second place throughout the race But perhaps the undulating course and heavy ground had an effect on him He was unable to get up to speed in the stretch and finished fourth announced that he would proceed to the Tenno Sho (Autumn) as his return race to domestic racing with the Japan Cup on November 27 as his major goal He returned from Northern Farm Shigaraki in Hokkaido to Ritto Training Center in Shiga Prefecture on September 16 His workout on October 19 was on a woodchip flat course with jockey Yuichi Fukunaga, though Cristian Demuro is scheduled to ride him in the actual race Shahryar ran with his 3-year-old stablemate Eikai McEnroe Shahryar was able to accelerate down the stretch and finished together with Eikai McEnroe including his final furlong (about 200 meters) in 11.6 seconds.  "His condition has improved since the previous week (October 13) but his running is the best I've ever seen He has always been a horse with high potential but now he is growing in areas where we thought he could still develop Hideaki Fujiwara agreed that the 4-year-old horse is making progress in preparations for the Tenno Sho.  And I can sense his growth," Fujiwara commented Experiencing different environments has had a big impact on him The competition is the same as the last race I think the stage will be great for him this time." two Japanese Derby horses ― Eishin Flash and Rey de Oro ― have won the Tenno Sho (Autumn).  who will ride in Japan under a short-term JRA jockey's license will be looking for their second G1 win as a team after their two races together overseas Follow horse racing coverage throughout the year on SportsLook (This story was first published on October 24 in Japanese by our media partner Weekly Gallop a magazine specializing in horse racing under the umbrella of The Sankei Shimbun Co the popular magazine is loved by many Japanese horse racing fans.) Author: Yonosuke Watanabe (Read the article in Japanese at this link.) You must be logged in to post a comment Home » Archive » Europe » Justin Palace Grabs Group 1 Glory in Tenno Sho Palace Malice's half brother Justin Palace takes Sunday's Tenno Sho | JRA Installed the second choice behind G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) defending winner Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente (Jpn) Masahiro Miki's Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact (Jpn) followed up on a last-time out victory in the Mar 19 G2 Hanshin Daishoten to post a comfortable victory in the 3,200 meter fixture held for the first time at the newly-renovated Kyoto Racecourse “The horse was calm throughout the race and I was sure that he was going to win when we moved up behind Deep Bond entering the straight,” commented winning rider Christophe Lemaire “He has become a super horse over long distances so I think he will do well in races like [2,500-meter] Arima Kinen in the future.” Justin Palace settled in a ground-saving midpack position before shifting out slightly rounding the second turn Steadily closing on the front rank while two wide approaching the final turn the half to MGISW Palace Malice gradually reeled in the late-leading Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) overtook his rival 300 meters out and drew clear en route to a 2-1/2-length victory Deep Bond held off the fast-closing Silver Sonic (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) by a length to mark his third consecutive runner-up finish in the thick of things up front in the early going lost his advantage 600 meters out and quickly dropped back thereafter and was pulled up Toru Kurita before the final corner Found to have suffered injury to his right foreleg the 5-year-old was scheduled to undergo an examination following the race A winner of a pair of starts and runner-up in the G1 Hopeful S the Northern Racing-bred colt was ninth in both the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) early in his 3-year-old season however returned to take his first graded victory in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai in September Third in the 3000-meter G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St he concluded the 2022 season with a seventh in the G1 Arima Kinen in December at Nakayama Copy Article Link Favorite Equinox pipped runaway leader Panthalassa by a length for his first Grade 1 win on Sunday securing the autumn Tenno-sho at Tokyo Racecourse Seventh-favorite Panthalassa had a huge lead coming out of the final curve and appeared to have marched away with the win before the chasing pack finally caught up in the final moments of the 2,000-meter race who had held his run toward the back of the field of 15 snatched the win after crossing in 1 minute Panthalassa held off fourth-favorite Danon Beluga to finish second by a neck "Panthalassa was ahead of us but Equinox showed tremendous legs to gather steam He's a wonderful horse," Equinox jockey Christophe Lemaire said of the three-year-old colt "I really hadn't seen Panthalassa until the final stretch Equinox reacted well but the gap was around 15 lengths and I was quite worried." Home » Archive » Top News Europe » Efforia Earns Landmark Win in Tenno Sho Autumn In what would become the battle of the favorites Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) proved best on the day winning Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho Autumn at Tokyo the colt became the first 3-year-old to win the race since Symboli Kris S won the event in 2002 Efforia settled in a comfortable sixth early as longshot Kaiser Minoru (Jpn) led the way while second choice Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and an overly-eager Tosu Surya (Jpn) (Lohengrin) were in close pursuit Still coasting in behind horses as Gran Alegria collared the stubborn Kaiser Minoru and gradually inched ahead in early stretch the third choice closed with purpose down the center of the course and despite favored Contrail (Jpn)'s (Deep Impact {Jpn}) best effort to the extreme outside late it was the sophomore who held a length advantage over 2020 Triple Crown hero Contrail with champion last season's champion sprinter/miler Gran Alegria a neck back in third “We were able to race in an ideal position and I didn't insist on the inner course as I knew that he can handle it even if we had to turn a little wider While the COVID-19 crisis is still lingering the number of spectators is gradually increasing and I am grateful that we were able to win the race in front of many fans,” commented Takeshi Yokoyama Winner of this season's G3 Kyodo News Hai over 1,800 meters in February the bay returned to annex his fourth consecutive score in the 2,000-meter G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) in April finishing second in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in May “I cried with joy for the first time in my life as I was very disappointed following the result of the Derby [last time] so I decided to believe in his ability and ride him without thinking too much.” Out of the Heart's Cry (Jpn) mare Katies Heart (Jpn) who was capturing his third JRA Group 1 title of the season With the victory in Sunday's Tenno Sho (Autumn) Takeshi Yokoyama became the third generation horseman to win the race who won the title in 1969 and his father and active jockey Norihiro Copy Article Link Home » Archive » Top News Europe » Equinox Obliterates Tokyo Course Record In Tenno Sho There had been hints that reigning Japanese Horse of the Year Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) was not your average champion most especially with his geared-down tour-de-force in the desert in March but the Silk Racing Company's colourbearer was in a zip code all his own with his course-record breaking performance in defence of his G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) title at Tokyo on Sunday He covered the 2000-metre trip over a firm Tokyo course in 1:55.20 0.9 seconds faster than the previous record Carrying a rating of 129 on the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings making him the world's highest-rated racehorse since demolishing a classy international field in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan the blaze-faced dark bay became only the third horse to win back-to-back Tenno Shos (Jpn) (Kris S.) first accomplished that feat in 2002 and 2003 and he was followed by fellow Silk Racing representative and Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in 2019 and 2020 He defeated the closing Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) a half-brother to GI Belmont winner and Grade I sire Palace Malice (Curlin) and a winner of the 3200-metre G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) It was another quarter-length back to Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in third a winner of the G2 Sapporo Kinen in the lead up to this contest was second to Saturday's G1 Cox Plate victor and Hong Kong's leading middle-distance horse Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in April Equinox jumped well and secured an ideal tracking position in third as Jack d'Or (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) set out hard on the steel while tracked by Gaia Force (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) with the frontrunner covering the first 800 metres in :46.30 and Jack d'Or abruptly threw in the towel with a quarter mile to run after covering the 1600 metres in 1:32.10 Gaia Force briefly seized the advantage with a looming Equinox making his run three deep but the grey had attended too closely to the hot pace and folded 100 metres later Equinox steamed home with a pair of sub-12 second 200 metre splits getting his final 400 metres in :23.10 to win as he pleased Justin Palace made a brave run from well off the pace but it was too little too late to catch the champ which I know was watching how the race favorite would run that he is indeed a deserving colt to be named the highest rated colt,” said regular rider Christophe Lemaire what you call a horse with incredible speed but he was able to keep up with today's rapid pace and get into another gear at the end–but I was actually surprised when I realized that we had won in a record “He is a versatile horse that can run from any position stay calm during the race and make use of his speed at the finish He can also run at longer distances such as when he won the Arima Kinen so although there was much pressure coming into such a prestigious race as race favorite I was confident knowing what he is capable of.” including the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and the Empress Masako Never worse than second in his nine lifetime starts Equinox was unbeaten at two with his season-ending victory in the G2 Hai Nisai S Second in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in his first two outings at three he has yet to taste defeat since October of 2022 All five of his victories beginning with last October's Tenno Sho (Autumn) have occurred at Group 1 level After taking the 2400-metre Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) in December the Dubai Sheema Classic went his way this March The Takarazuka Kinen was secured narrowly in June his final start until Sunday's stirring effort The Japanese Champion 3-Year-Old Colt of 2022 Equinox is one of seven stakes winners for his Shadai Stallion Station-based sire who was a dual Japanese Horse of the Year in 2016/2017 with seven career Group 1 wins including the 2017 Tenno Sho (Autumn) also has the G1 Satsuki Sho hero Sol Oriens (Jpn) to his credit and three other group winners a half-brother to G3 Radio Nikkei Sho winner Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) heroine Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}) She has a 3-year-old filly by Just A Way (Jpn) a juvenile filly named Garza Blanca (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and a full-sister to the winner born this year Out of the winning Blancherie (Jpn) (Tony Bin {Ire}) his dam is from the extended family of sires G3 Prix de la Jonchere winner Bellypha (Ire) (Lyphard) G1 Premio Ernesto Ayulo Pardo victor Run And Deliver (Danzig) and G2 Prix Eugene Adam hero Bellman (Fr) (Riverman) — (@WorldRacing1) October 29, 2023 Copy Article Link I sat down with Creative Director Rebb Ford to get more details on what to expect in this update and going forward this section has some story spoilers (that were revealed at TennoLive) so read ahead at your own risk (or skip right down to the next section) The next big thing to come to Warframe is significant beyond being just being cool new content to digest Ford said Whispers in the Walls “kicks off the future of Warframe.” Part of that is its role as the literal start of the new long-term narrative The other part is that it ties together older content in a few ways This marriage of aspects within Warframe is a theme Ford aims to make happen more as development continues “I really want to make sure that everything that we already have in game if we can give it another look and connect it “But do it in a way people won’t expect.” So what is the subject of this new narrative Folks familiar with the story so far will know that there is a mysterious Man in the Wall you can look forward to him!) He is the star of this multi-act show Ford cautions that Whispers in the Walls will not answer your questions as to who he really is and what he wants; this winter’s update will touch only on understanding him “This is the beginning of asking that question ‘What does he want’,” she said “I think one of the best decisions we can make is to keep it a mystery as long as we can.” This update is about just barely starting to dig under the surface that is the second aspect that ties the game together Ford called Whispers in the Walls the first hub expansion She explained that it’s the first hub to which DE has added a second floor the old additions were one-and-done deals — or as players like to call them “I wanted to make a place that players already know feel like it held secrets.” The new hub (the labs) makes use of existing space with a basement in Necralisk Devs are creating a multi-level hub where Ford envisions players moving seamlessly from the open world area to town then down to the labs and the procedural areas then back up and to the Necralisk and then out to the open world thereby fostering the feeling of a real place Whispers in the Walls will have a full syndicate of NPCs and supporting cast populating the hub expansion for the players to meet “This arc is being done out of respect for everything that has come before it we went deeper into what was already there that’s really important for me to show that we’re going deeper into what’s already there what we want to do can only exist because of things the players already love If you saw the live demo on stage at TennoCon you got to see the beginning of the new story quest that gets the whole ball rolling You see CRT monitors and floppy drives in the lab giving you the first taste of the familiar Hold that thought; it might be important later You watch as the master of the lab says farewell with affection to his aide/disciple/assistant/no idea the relation really and enter what looks like a coffin or cryopod thing with his giant kitty Then you watch as this assistant smashes the pod learning about the “Kalymos Sequence”; you’re tasked by Loid to head to the Entrati labs and wake the sleeper This sleeper is critical to complete the mission of the vessels just humongous golem-like beings that never got fully assembled There’s a question to be answered as you play The cinematic then ends with a big reveal (way bigger than learning that Loid the Cephelon was named after Loid the sleeper!) Since Tenno can already transfer to Warframes what’s to say they can’t do so to other things Ford shared a very important fact: Players do not need rank 5 in Entrati faction to begin and enjoy this content let’s talk about the fact that ‘knowledge is power’ takes on a new meaning in this update: You will be able to deal death with a book Tenno literally get to kill using literature I’ve never really found any secondary weapon that I am fond of so this Void energy-filled tome could be perfect It even has both a primary fire and an alt fire I also really like the tilesets of the labs — and not just because the new GI lighting is awesome GI lighting is available only in the new tilesets for now; it will slowly be extended into the rest of the game when it can) The atmosphere is really cool and includes proper lab accoutrements I was especially impressed with that liquid in the various test tubes as it was more than just for looks Ford explained that these lab tilesets give players a more reactive environment essentially giving them more things to shoot at What Tenno will refuse more kinds of targets So blast away those various contraptions and goo-filled vials — just be careful to not touch any of it there are oodles of necramechs to wipe out of the labs These enemy necramechs also got a rework and were streamlined Ford emphasized that this is for enemies only however; there are no changes for player necramechs We’re talking about disembodied limbs that swarm you Ford went a bit deeper into discussing the Murmur monstrosities With the Murmur comes a new game mode available only on this tileset then can attach to form the large monstrosity Ford said DE aims to reward players in this game mode who can clear the pieces out quickly with fewer limbs able to connect together there won’t be as many/any pieces left to form the bigger bosses players will have to blow off the many parts to defeat the monstrosity Ford said that there is a possibility that the limbs will find ways to reattach during battle: “Whether or not he can heal and reattach limbs We need to playtest more before we can make the final call.” She did share that players will get to know what they are up against at a glance thanks to this update’s emphasis on shape language Peek again at the demo and you’ll see the triangles and rectangles Ford shared that each shape has a different function so which combination of shapes attach together into a Murmur will dictate what skills it has There’s even a slinky style monstrosity Ford described the triangles as defensive and a circle of arms as a ranged bomb lobber and of course legs do what legs do: They will literally kick the Tenno’s arse are you looking forward to Whispers in the Walls The Daily Grind: Do you think MMO subscriptions are greedy WoW Factor: Down with raid nonsense addons We’re finally getting our first glimpse of 12-year-old Camelot Unchained since last year in today’s dev stream The Daily Grind: Do you feel bad about skipping new MMORPG launches The Soapbox: Could an official WildStar revival succeed in 2025 The Daily Grind: How much does voice acting impact an MMORPG Overwhelming favorite Equinox won the autumn Tenno-sho horse race for his fifth consecutive Grade 1 victory Sunday with Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako in attendance the world's top-rated racehorse finished the 2,000-meter race 2-1/2 lengths ahead of runner-up Justin Palace in a record 1 minute The 4-year-old colt has won seven of his nine career races including the Dubai Sheema Classic in March Equinox took the lead early in the final stretch and was never challenged en route to becoming the third horse to win back-to-back autumn Tenno-sho titles "I was surprised when I saw the time board Second favorite Do Deuce settled for seventh with jockey Keita Tosaki Emperor Naruhito's visit was the first to a horse racing venue by a reigning emperor since the previous emperor Horse racing: Equinox justifies world No. 1 tag at Takarazuka Kinen Horse racing: Tastiera captures 1st G1 victory in Japanese Derby FEATURE: 15-minute meeting ends 180 years of horse racing in Singapore Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible.