Almond Eye impresses off layoff in Tenno Sho

Almond Eye returned from a layoff of more than four months to win her second Grade 1 or Group 1 race of the year in Sunday’s $2.675 million Autumn Tenno Sho at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.

The Tenno Sho served as a prep for the Japan Cup on Nov. 24, a race Almond Eye won last year en route to the title of 2018 Japanese Horse of the Year.

Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Almond Eye (3-5) closed from the middle of a field of 16 to take the lead with a furlong to go before drawing off to win by three lengths over 8-1 Danon Premium, who finished a neck in front of 19-1 Aerolithe.

“She was well rested after a long break and showed her true strength,” Lemaire told Japan Racing Association publicity. Almond Eye “found a good opening on the rails and she just stretched beautifully from there.”

Danon Premium won two Grade 2 races earlier this year. This was his best finish in a Grade 1 race. Aerolithe, ninth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park in January, was second in the Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen in June, a race in which Almond Eye finished third.

The disappointment in the Tenno Sho field was Saturnalia, the winner of the Japanese 2000 Guineas in the spring, who finished sixth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Almond Eye.

Almond Eye, a 4-year-old by Lord Kanaloa, won the Group 1 Dubai Turf at 1 1/8 miles at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates in March.

Owned by Silk Racing Co., Ltd., and trained by Sakae Kunieda, Almond Eye has won 8 of 10 starts. Kunieda said the Japan Cup and the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Dec. 8 are under consideration for Almond Eye.