Rey De Oro prevails in Tenno Sho Stakes

Rey De Oro, fourth in the Group 1 Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, won Sunday’s Grade 1 Tenno Sho Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse for his second consecutive win in the buildup to the Grade 1 Japan Cup on Nov. 25.

Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Rey De Oro (2-1) closed from fifth in a field of 12 to reach contention in the final quarter-mile. Rey De Oro caught pacesetter Kinseki in the final sixteenth and won by 1 1/4 lengths over 8-1 Sungrazer, who finished a nose in front of 11-1 Kinseki.

“The colt’s condition and the race development was perfect,” Lemaire told Japan Racing Association publicists. “The pace was just right, and the colt was relaxed, so everything went smoothly. He showed good, long-lasting speed.”

Suave Richard, the winner the Grade 1 Osaka Hai in April, finished 10th as the 3-2 favorite.

Rey De Oro, a 4-year-old colt by King Kamehameha, has won 7 of 11 starts for U Carrot Farm and trainer Kazuo Fujisawa. Rey De Oro won the 2017 Japanese Derby and was second in the 2017 Japan Cup.

Rey De Oro was rested through the summer and won the Group 2 All Comers Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse in his comeback in September.

There are two runnings of the Tenno Sho each year – a spring race at two miles at Hanshin Racecourse in April and Sunday’s race at 1 1/4 miles on turf. The Japan Cup is the country’s most prestigious international race and is run at 1 1/2 miles on turf.