Tenno Sho (Spring) Will Test Japan's Younger Stayers

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 (JPN), is sidelined with a leg issue, leaving 2023 winner Justin Palace (JPN) and 2024 runner-up Blow the Horn (JPN) to carry the banner for the older crowd. The relative youngsters include recent Hanshin Daishoten (G2) winner Sunrise Earth (JPN) and proven stayer Redentor (JPN). Both are 4. 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. The veterans, both 6, need a turnaround of form. 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, the Osaka Hai (G1) April 6. "He's gotten a bit sluggish, 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, he can get a good position. His stamina is something you can count on." Blow the Horn's trainer, Tatsuya Yoshioka, also took an optimistic outlook. "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 was looking good from the start." 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. "Everything has come along very well. From the time he was 2 years old, I have really wanted to showcase his stamina here." Redentor has raced eight times, turning in five wins and two seconds. One of the runner-up results was in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1) at 3,000 meters last October at Kyoto. His stamina was on display in victory in his last start, the 3,400-meter (about 2 1/8 miles) Diamond Stakes (G3) Feb. 22 at Tokyo Racecourse. "In the Diamond Stakes, everything we had been working on came together," said assistant trainer Yuya Tsuchida "His weak point, the start, was much better, so he was able to get a good position... After a short spell, we were able to pick right up where we'd left off in training. He's better all around." The Tenno Sho (Spring), also known as the "Emperor's Prize," kicks off six straight Sundays of grade 1 racing in Japan.