Japan: World-class world traveler Shahryar tops Autumn Tenno Sho

Shahryar has run three times in as many countries in the last year, always keeping the best company.

Shahryar was third in the Japan Cup last November in Tokyo, the country’s top race for older horses, and won his 2022 debut in the Group 1 Sheema Classic, a $6 million race in Dubai in March.

In his lone start in the last six months, Shahryar was fourth in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in England in June.

The winner of the 2021 Japanese Derby, Shahryar will have his 2022 debut in Japan in Sunday’s Grade 1 autumn running of the $2.6 million Tenno Sho at Tokyo Racecourse.

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The autumn running of the Tenno Sho, run at 1 1/4 miles, is another of Japan’s top annual races for older horses and a prep for the Japan Cup at 1 1/2 miles on Nov. 27. In recent weeks, Shahryar has worked in company to simulate race conditions, trainer Hideaki Fujiwara told Japan Racing Association publicity earlier this week.

A winner of 4 of 8 starts, Shahryar tends to run as a stalker.

Shahryar will be ridden by Cristian Demuro, who was aboard in the Sheema Stakes and Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Shahryar breaks from post 8 in a field of 15 and is surrounded in the gate by his two main rivals – Equinox and Jack d’Or.

Equinox was second in the Japanese 2000 Guineas at 1 1/4 miles in April and has not raced since finished a neck behind Do Deuce in the Japanese Derby at 1 1/2 miles in May.

Jack d’Or won the Group 2 Sapporo Kinen at 1 1/4 miles at Sapporo Racecourse on Aug. 21 for his seventh win in 11 starts. Jack d’Or tends to run near the front. Remarkably, he has raced only at 1 1/4 miles in his career, even in two maiden races for 2-year-olds in 2020.

The autumn running of the Tenno Sho has a post time of 2:40 a.m. Eastern on Sunday or 11:40 p.m. Pacific on Saturday.

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