G1 Guide & Tips: Tenno Sho (Spring)

Race Information

History

The Tenno Sho (Spring) – the longest Group 1 flat race on the JRA calendar – is Japan’s ultimate test of stamina.

While the ‘Autumn’ edition has evolved into a 2000m race, the Spring version remains an uncompromising 3200m endurance event.

Known as ‘The Emperor’s Prize’, this Group 1 contest plays a pivotal role in upholding the stamina requirement of Japan’s breeding industry, a trait which is receding elsewhere in the world.

Held on Kyoto’s outer turf course, it features the challenging ‘Yodo Slope’ – a backstretch with a grade difference of 4.3m. It’s a course that demands perfect positioning and the ability to sustain a high-speed finish around the sweeping final bend.

The great Deep Impact stepped up to the distance and succeeded in 2006, en route to a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe campaign. Other turf legends to feature on the honour roll include Mayano Top Gun and dual winners T M Opera O and Kitasan Black.

Top Contenders

CROIX DU NORD (Kitasan Black x Rising Cross); 4YO

Trainer: Takashi Saito
Jockey: Yuichi Kitamura
Biggest Win: G1 Osaka Hai

Croix du Nord, last year’s Tokyo Yushun winner who announced himself as a leading candidate to become the central figure of JRA racing this year with victory in the G1 Osaka Hai a month ago, now takes on the longer distance question in the Tenno Sho (Spring). If he wins here, the ‘Spring Triple Crown’ will come into view in June’s G1 Takarazuka Kinen.

The Takashi Saito-trained colt won last year’s G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) over 2400m, but he has never raced over farther, let alone 3200m. On pedigree, stamina should not be a major concern: his sire Kitasan Black won the Tenno Sho (Spring) twice, while his dam Rising Cross was second in the G1 Oaks at Epsom and won the 2006 long-distance G2 Park Hill Stakes at York. His calm temperament should also work in his favour over a staying trip.

Still, the last Derby winner to capture the Tenno Sho (Spring) was Meisho Samson in 2007, so Croix du Nord would be the first to win in 19 years. After showing signs of revival from his disappointing defeats in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Japan Cup last autumn, can this talented colt build even more momentum this spring?

ADMIRE TERRA (Rey de Oro x Admire Miyabi); 5Y0)

Trainer: Yasuo Tomomichi
Jockey: Yutaka Take
Biggest Win: G2 Hanshin Daishoten

This year’s Tenno Sho (Spring) looks an ideal opportunity for Admire Terra, a horse who shines even brighter over longer distances. In the stamina-testing G2 Hanshin Daishoten (3000m), his lead-up race, he produced a dominant win in track record time and now profiles as one of the leading contenders with few obvious weaknesses.

Since his debut, he has been campaigned exclusively at 2000m and beyond. He made significant progress in the summer of his three-year-old season and went on to finish a creditable third in the final classic, the G1 Kikuka Sho (3000m). The following year, he won the G2 Meguro Kinen over 2500m, further strengthening his reputation as a proven stayer. But in the G1 Japan Cup he lost his rider soon after the jump, and in the G1 Arima Kinen he faded to 11th, failing to make an impact at the very top level.

In the Tenno Sho (Spring), Croix du Nord and Shin Emperor are the only rivals he faces again from that autumn campaign, so on achievements alone, he naturally ranks highly in this field. Yutaka Take has ridden him four times for three wins, and has never finished outside the first three on him, including in the Kikuka Sho.

REDENTOR (Rulership x Corcovado); 5YO

Trainer: Tetsuya Kimura
Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
Biggest Win: G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) 2025

Last year’s Tenno Sho (Spring) winner is a true staying specialist and returns to defend his title after overcoming injury. Damian Lane, who rode him last year, had chosen to partner Stinger Glass who has since been scratched, so Christophe Lemaire will take the ride this time.

As a three-year-old, Redentor missed out on the Derby after being beaten in the G2 Aoba Sho, but he strengthened through the summer and finished second in the 3000m Kikuka Sho, ahead of Admire Terra. He then won the 3400m G3 Diamond Stakes last spring and, sent off favourite in the Tenno Sho (Spring) as an emerging staying star, lived up to expectations. However, in July, while being aimed at the G1 Juddmonte International at York, he was found to have fractured his right hind leg, ruling him out for the entire second half of the season.

His comeback run in February’s G2 Kyoto Kinen resulted in eighth, perhaps understandably affected by the long layoff. Trainer Tetsuya Kimura, who won 44 races last year but has managed only four so far this year, now faces a major test of his skill as he tries to bring the leading stayer back to his best.

AQUA VERNAL (Epiphaneia x April Mist); 5YO

Trainer: Hirofumi Shii
Jockey: Kohei Matsuyama
Biggest Win: Manyo Stakes

Aqua Vernal has steadily built her record over staying trips and now takes on Kyoto’s 3200m in an attempt to become the first mare since Leda in 1953 to win the Tenno Sho (Spring). Her affinity with Kyoto is also appealing: she has raced there five times for two wins, and has finished second in all three defeats.

She carried the momentum from last year, when she was a consistent performer in allowance races beyond 2400m, into this season and won January’s OP Manyo Stakes over 3000m. In the G2 Hanshin Daishoten, her prep for the Tenno Sho (Spring), she was beaten three lengths by course-record winner Admire Terra, but showed admirable tenacity from the leading group to finish second.

The Tenno Sho (Spring) is a race in which even Makybe Diva was once beaten, but since 2020, mares have been taking part almost every year, and Curren Bouquetd’or finished a creditable third in the 2021 running at Hanshin. However, at Kyoto no mare has finished in the top three since 1955.

Expert Analysis & Selections

Masanobu Takahashi

Angle: Kyoto form (excluding Croix du Nord)

The Tenno Sho (Spring) often rewards four-year-olds who ran well in the previous year’s Kikuka Sho, but this year there are only two four-year-olds in the field, and neither contested the final leg of last year’s Triple Crown. With that in mind, I want to broaden the focus to previous course form and pick out horses who have already performed well at Kyoto.

Admire Terra, third in the 2024 Kikuka Sho, and Redentor, who finished second in the same race, both fit that profile as horses with strong form in a long distance Group 1 at Kyoto. There are some concerns about the latter after his comeback run last time, following injury, but as last year’s winner of this race, his class deserves respect.

Aqua Vernal also cannot be dismissed, given her excellent Kyoto record of 5:2-3-0. Since the autumn, three of her four starts have come at Kyoto, and each of them has been a strong performance. Her current form ranks among the best in the field.

This year’s race looks thin overall, and although Croix du Nord does not fit this angle, it is difficult to leave him out. His ability and achievements tower over most of the field, and even with some uncertainty about his stamina, he should be hard to keep out of the top three.

Selections: #3 Admire Terra, #12 Redentor, #4 Aqua Vernal, #7 Croix du Nord

Homan

Angle: The main trial – Hanshin Daishoten

There are two key trials for the Tenno Sho (Spring): the G3 Diamond Stakes over 3400m at Tokyo in February and the G2 Hanshin Daishoten at Hanshin over 3000m in March. The Diamond Stakes is a handicap, while the Hanshin Daishoten is a weight-for-age race, so the latter is often a better test of a horse’s true ability. In recent years, the Hanshin Daishoten has proved a strong guide to the Tenno Sho (Spring), with the last five winners going on to run well in the G1 (5:2-2-0-1), including the triumphant Justin Palace in 2023 and T O Royal in 2024. Notably, T O Royal also won the Diamond Stakes in the same season.

Admire Terra, who won this year’s Hanshin Daishoten by three lengths, looks the one to beat. The Rey de Oro colt is a proven stayer, and Yutaka Take remains his ideal partner.

Aqua Vernal, runner-up in the Hanshin Daishoten, is another horse to keep on side. She has shown stamina since last November, with a record of three wins and two placings from three starts over 3000m, and she also boasts a solid record in Kyoto (5:2-3-0). However, her defeat in the Hanshin Daishoten was a clear one, and two factors count against her: the jockey change to Kohei Matsuyama following Ryusei Sakai’s U.S. assignment, and the poor record of mares in this Group 1, where only one of the last 79 (79:1-2-3-73) has won. The most recent mare to place in the race was Curren Bouquetd’or in 2021.

Redentor, the defending champion, should not be neglected. His eighth-place finish in the G2 Kyoto Kinen can be forgiven, as it was his first start since May 2025 and he carried the top weight of 59kg. With that run under his belt and a return to a more suitable distance, he could bounce back.

Croix du Nord is a classy horse, but his stamina remains a question, and history is against him as a Japan Derby winner. The last Derby winner to take the Tenno Sho (Spring) was Meisho Samson in 2007, and several others have tried and failed since. With a short price in the market, I would rather pass.

Mystery Way could be the value play at 157-1. He was unable to dictate the pace in his last start because of a strong pace, but he may get the chance to control the pace this time. 

Selections: #3 Admire Terra, #4 Aqua Vernal, #12 Redentor, #13 Mystery Way

Shuhei Uwabo

Angle: Staying power holds the key

In a 3200-metre race, longer than any other JRA Group 1, the qualities to value most are settleability and racing sense.

Croix du Nord, winner of the Osaka Hai last time out, still has room to improve in changing leads, but his seasonal return was nothing short of impressive. His communication with jockey Yuichi Kitamura was excellent, and he looks fully capable of completing a spring double on the same stage where his sire, Kitasan Black, won in record time in 2017.

Last year’s winner, Redentor, was returning from a long layoff when he ran in the G2 Kyoto Kinen last time. As a horse whose strength lies in sustained stamina over long distances, the average tempo over 2200 metres did not play to his strengths. His unbeaten record in races of 3000 meters or longer is proof that he is a genuine stayer.

Admire Terra, who won the G2 Hanshin Daishoten in record time, is another type who should improve as the distance increases. With master jockey Yutaka Take aboard, and with the ability to handle slightly testing ground, the forecast rain could work in his favor.

Sunrise Soreille, a son of Kizuna, has been below his best in recent starts, but he has already shown strong form over 3000 metres and beyond. His ability to sustain a long run should suit Kyoto’s long-distance test, and it is too early to write him off.

Selections: #7 Croix du Nord, #12 Redentor, #3 Admire Terra, #2 Sunrise Soreille

Steven Ho

Angle: Pedigree

The Tenno Sho (Spring) is a demanding two-mile contest where stamina is the primary requirement for all participants. Only those with proven staying ability can hope to succeed in this iconic event.

Admire Terra demonstrated his stamina last year in the Kikuka Sho, finishing third thanks to a remarkable ride from legendary jockey Yutaka Take. This season, he has made notable progress, capturing victory in the Hanshin Daishoten during his first run. Progeny of King Kamehameha have enjoyed recent success in the Tenno Sho (Spring), with Redentor (2025 champion), T O Royal (2024 champion), and Titleholder (2022 champion) all prevailing in this race.

Redentor, the defending champion, is expected to be a formidable contender again this year. Despite a disappointing result in his last appearance at the Kyoto Kinen, Redentor’s performances have been consistently strong. He holds a solid chance of repeating his success in this race.

Hohelied shares the same pedigree cross as Redentor, with Rulership as sire and Stay Gold as damsire. Her victory in the G3 Stayers Stakes over 3600m is a testament to her outstanding stamina, making her an intriguing outsider in the field.

Croix du Nord, last year’s Derby winner, faces a significant test as he steps up to 3200m. However, his sire, Kitasan Black, won this race in 2016 and 2017. Should Croix du Nord manage to emulate his father’s achievements, it would become a memorable storyline for racing fans.

Selections: #3 Admire Terra, #12 Redentor, #14, Hohelied, #7 Croix du Nord

View the full field for the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring)

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