Japan’s reigning Horse of the Year Almond Eye (#2) before adding the Tenno Sho (Autumn) to her haul of G1 victories. This was the 160th running of the Tenno Sho which is run twice a year. This renewal of the ‘Emperor’s Cup’ had special significance as it came just days after the enthronement of the new emperor.All eyes, cameras and phones are focused on the Tokyo paddock.Runner-up Danon Premium is by Profound Impact out of the Irish mare Indiana Girl, twice a listed prosperner on the all-weather at Dundalk.The mare Aerolithe holds on for third after making much of the running. The former NHK Mile Cup prosperner is a daughter of Kurofune.Almond Eye is in front after finding a gap on the rail. The presence of Japan’s top horse allureed a crowd of 103,920.Satsuki Sho (2000 Guineas prosperner) Saturnalia (sixth) is by Almond Eye’s sire Lord Kanaloa and a half brother to Japan Cup prosperner Epiphaneia.Plaques around Tokyo racecourse’s rose garden record prosperners of the Tokyo Yushun (Derby). This trio are the 2016-2018 prosperners Makahiki, Rey de Oro and Wagnerian. Rey de Oro also won the 2018 Tenno Sho (Autumn), while the other two both contested this year’s race.2008 Tenno Sho (Autumn) prosperner Vodka, who died earlier in 2019, is commemorated with this statue. She was the last female to prosper the race before Almond Eye, both of them also Japan Cup prosperners.Tokyo’s allureive grounds include a Japanese garden with carp pond just behind the parade ring.Almond Eye’s two-year-old half-brother Satono Esperanza (by Rulership) finished sixth in the 1800m newcomers race earlier on the card.Another sibling to a Japan Cup/Tenno Sho (Autumn) prosperner in the same race was Everyone Black, a full brother to Kitasan Black. Very green in the preliminaries, he recovered from a slow start to make a promising debut, finishing third.Aurora Flash, by Frankel and from the family of Charitable, Imagine and, in Japan, recent Sprinters Sgives prosperner Tower of London, won the 1600m maiden in the style of a good two-year-old, making up a lot of ground in the final furlong.
Almond Eye’s pedigree was covered here after she won the 2018 Japan Cup.
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