T O Royal (Jpn)

At least seven countries are set to be represented for the Group 1 races and early-closing Group 2 contests for Royal Ascot, the racecourse announced on Tuesday. Worth a record £10 million in prize-money this year, the meeting boasts purses of at least £650,000 for the Group 1 races, and all races are worth at least £110,000. Aussie sprinter Chain Of Lightning (Aus) (Fighting Sun {Aus}) is one of the leading lights for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S., and her co-trainer, Peter Moody, won the race in 2012...

In his first victory at the highest level, T O Royal (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}) swept to the lead and never looked back, leaving the race for second in the G1 Tenno Sho Spring in Kyoto on Sunday. Coming into the contest with two Group victories from as many jumps in 2024, by name the G3 Diamond S. Feb. 17 and G2 Hanshin Daishoten S. Mar. 17, T O Royal had redemption to claim, having finished third in the 2022 edition of the G1 Tenno Sho Spring S. held at Hanshin....

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)...

A full field of 18 line up for Sunday's ¥380,000,000 G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) at Hanshin. Leading the charge in the 3200-metre feature, one of the most lucrative staying contests on the planet, is Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}). Still hunting for his first Group 1 win, the 5-year-old has won two editions of the G2 Hanshin Daishoten, and even took his show on the road last year, with a victory in the G2 Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp. He detested the heavy going in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de...