Horse Racing

Tenno Sho (Spring) Preview: Prestigious Showcase of Endurance

With 2024 Tenno Sho winner T O Royal sidelined, for the first time in seven years there will be no participation by a former winner of the Kikuka Sho.

by
JRA News
May 2, 2025

Following four straight weeks of Sunday Grade 1 events and one week with a breather from the racing heights, the Tenno Sho (Spring) on Sunday, May 4, kicks off six nonstop weeks of top-level racing. The spring version of the "Emperor's Prize" is run over 3,200 meters at Kyoto Racecourse, and it is the longest of the Japan Racing Association G1 competitions.

With the Tenno Sho held each spring and autumn, at two different venues and over different distances, the tally is now up to 171 races with this year's spring running. Fifteen horses (all male), ranging in age from 4 to 8, have been nominated for this race, which is open to 4-year-olds and up. And, for the first time in seven years, there is no participation by a former winner of the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger), the final and longest contest in Japan's Triple Crown.

The 2024 Tenno Sho (Spring) runner-up, Blow the Horn, and 2023 champion Justin Palace are back. Along with a number of exciting newcomers to the race, a strong showing is expected by the 4-year-olds. These include the Grade 2 Hanshin Daishoten champ Sunrise Earth and the highly consistent Redentor.

Details of the Tenno Sho

Sunday's main event, a highly prestigious showcase for stayers, requires over 3 minutes to complete. It is a grueling run of nearly two full laps over the Kyoto outer course. The race, run clockwise, starts in the backstretch and the field will be asked to climb the hill twice toward the end of that stretch. Those staying close to the pace or midfield tend to do well in the event. But frontrunners, such as the 71-1 longshot Ingrandire in 2004, have been known to pocket the first prize, now at ¥300 million JPY (roughly $2 million USD).

The race record is held by superstar Kitasan Black, who clocked 3 minutes, 12.5 seconds in his 2017 winning bid.

All runners will carry 58 kg.

The Tenno Sho (Spring) is the 11th race on the Sunday Kyoto card of 12. Post time is 3:40 PM.

Here's a look at some of the runners expected to take on Sunday's race:

Trainer Wants to Showcase Sunrise Earth's Stamina

If one disregards the two double-digit finishes in this colt's career (after suffering interference in the Satsuki Sho and after an eight-month layoff in the Nikkei Shinshun Hai), Sunrise Earth has performed consistently well, including a fourth in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). Last time out, on March 23, in the Hanshin Daishoten, his first test over 3,000 meters, he romped to victory, crossing the finish line six lengths ahead of the runner-up.

"I'm expecting him to be about the same weight as he was for his last start and I've given him just enough work to keep him in condition," trainer Koichi Ishizaka said. "He's had races regularly this year and his times in trackwork have been satisfactory. Everything has come along very well.

"From the time he was two years old, I have really wanted to showcase his stamina here."

The trainer opened his barn in 2019 and is still gunning for his first G1 victory.

Redentor Looks for a Repeat of Diamond Stakes Success

The Rulership-sired Redentor has only finished out of the top 2 spots once, an eighth-place finish in the Grade 2 Aoba Sho at Tokyo. He was second to Urban Chic in the Kikuka Sho and followed that up with a four-length win in the Grade 3 Diamond Stakes, run over 3,400 meters at Tokyo.

Based in Miho, Ibaraki Prefecture, at the barn of Tetsuya Kimura, Redentor has stayed relatively near home, with only one excursion to Niigata and one west to Kyoto.

"In the Diamond Stakes, everything we had been working on came together," assistant trainer Yuya Tsuchida commented. "His weak point, the start, was much better, so he was able to get a good position. It was a strong win and the jockey did a great job too.

"After a short spell, we were able to pick right up where we'd left off in training. He's better all around. It's a G1 [race] and the course changes, but I think he has a chance if he's able to draw solidly on his abilities."

Damian Lane is scheduled to have the ride.

Justin Palace Seeks a 2nd Tenno Sho Win

Winner of this race in 2023, the now 6-year-old son of Deep Impact cannot be ignored. He has competed at the top level in 15 of his 19 career starts, including a bid in Dubai. This is the only G1 he has captured, but his talent is no fluke. He has made the top 3 in five of those G1s, including a third in the 2022 Kikuka Sho, a third in the 2023 Takarazuka Kinen, and a second four months later behind the magnificent Equinox in the 2023 Tenno Sho (Autumn).

In 2024, Justin Palace passed on this race due to his participation in the Dubai Sheema Classic (finished fourth), and this year, he has a slightly different rotation, heading into this race with only four weeks between races, not six as in 2023.

Less time off may have made him sharper. Trainer Haruki Sugiyama remains positive.

"He's gotten a bit sluggish, so the fact that he moved on his own in the Osaka Hai [on April 6] was very good," Sugiyama, who has already amassed 23 graded wins since opening his barn nine years ago, said. "If he can make a clean break like he did last time, he can get a good position. His stamina is something you can count on."

Read the rest of this article about the Tenno Sho (Spring) and the Japanese horses in contention on JRA News.

Author: JRA News