Silver Sonic (Jpn)

A bumper field has been declared for Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho (Spring), with 18 runners set to do battle over the 3,200-metre distance at Kyoto Racecourse. The race is run over a longer trip than any other Group 1 in the JRA calendar and staying was typically the name of the game last year when Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) ground his rivals into submission with a dominant performance under Christophe Lemaire. Justin Palace is a notable absentee from this year's line-up, but the likes of Deep Bond (Jpn)...

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...

Hiroshi Yamada's Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) looms large in Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto. The accomplished 5-year-old entire, if he defends his crown in the 3200-metre affair, will be the sixth horse to pull off the double in consecutive years. Successful in the 3000-metre G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) as a 3-year-old, the versatile bay added the 2022 edition of this race and the G1 Takarazuka Kinen, cutting back 1000 metres, last June. An attempt at the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in boggy ground was...

Silver Sonic (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn) was the second of three Japanese winners on the Saudi Cup card, and turned in a smooth performance to take the $2.5-million G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H. as the 2-1 favourite by 2 1/2 lengths over Enemy (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}). It was the second consecutive year a Japanese runner--both incidentally bearing the silks of Shadai Race Horse Co.--has lifted the 3000-metre turf prize after Stay Foolish (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) in 2022. Before the race, the main talking horse had been Charlie Johnston's Subjectivist...