Japan: Spielberg seeks to regain form in Tenno Sho
Spielberg won the Grade 1 Tenno Sho Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse in October 2014 prior to finishing third in the Japan Cup a month later.
The 6-year-old Spielberg is on the same career path this fall. Sunday, Spielberg is part of a field of 18 in the $2,593,850 Tenno Sho at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Tokyo Racecourse.
Spielberg must prove he can rebound from a recent 10th place finish in the Grade 2 Mainichi Okan Stakes at Tokyo on Oct. 11, his first start since a sixth-place finish in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in England in June.
By top Japanese stallion Deep Impact, Spielberg is winless in four starts since the 2014 Tenno Sho. The race is a leading prep for the Japan Cup, which will be run on Nov. 29.
A Shin Hikari, Lovely Day, and Satono Crown are other contenders for the Tenno Sho.
A Shin Hikari has won 8 of 9 starts, including the Mainichi Okan. Lovely Day has won three consecutive stakes, including the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse in June and the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten at Kyoto on Oct. 12.
Satono Crown has not raced since finishing third in the Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse on May 31.