Almond Eye Set for Racing Return in Tenno Sho

This year's Tenno Sho (Autumn, G1), literally the "Emperor's Prize," arrives at a propitious time, capping a week that saw Japan's 126th emperor, Naruhito, formally ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.

And the 16-horse field for the Oct. 27 renewal at Tokyo Racecourse, formally dubbed "Tennoheika Gosokui Keishuku," or "Celebration of the Enthronement of the Emperor," is more than royal enough to fit the occasion, with 10 grade 1 winners set to take their place in the starting gate.

Among those are reigning Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye, 2018 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) winner Wagnerian, and this year's winner of the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1), Saturnalia.

Almond Eye, a 4-year-old daughter of Lord Kanaloa, returns from a nearly five-month rest after seeing her seven-race winning streak end in the Yasuda Kinen (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse June 2. Almond Eye was victimized by traffic issues at the start in that event and finished third. The victory skein included all three legs of the 2018 Japanese filly Triple Crown, the Japan Cup in Association with Longines (G1), and the Dubai Turf Sponsored by DP World (G1) on World Cup night at Meydan.

Almond Eye returned to the Miho Training Center Sept. 25 and worked under Christophe Lemaire Oct. 17 and again six days later.

"I think she was about 80%" in the latest work, Lemaire said. "She'll give that extra 20% for the race, and that will make quite a difference. … It's possible she'll improve a bit after the Tenno Sho. … I think she'll win this week."

Almond Eye's performance will be watched even more closely than usual after Japanese contenders again failed to land a blow in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) Oct. 6 at ParisLongchamp. The Arc has been a goal for Japanese racing for many years, and after her impressive victory in Dubai, Almond Eye was seen briefly as a bright hope to land that prize. Wearied by the trip to the Middle East, she was removed from consideration for this year's Arc, but as she turns 5 in 2020, hopes again will be high.

Wagnerian, a 4-year-old colt by Deep Impact, returned from a break to finish fourth in the Sapporo Kinen (G2), a 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) test won by Blast Onepiece. The Tokyo Yushun is his only victory at the top level.

Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga said he felt on the final turn Wagnerian would win the Sapporo Kinen, only to see him stall out in the stretch run.

"Afterward, we found he'd lost the shoes on both his forefeet, and that was clearly the reason he lost," Fukunaga said. "He did show in how he traveled that he has matured, and mentally he was very much on his game." 

Saturnalia, another by Lord Kanaloa, was fourth in the Tokyo Yushun—still his only defeat in six starts—then also got an extended break. He returned with a victory in the Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2) at Hanshin Sept. 22, and assistant trainer Yasuyuki Tsujino said that effort was encouraging.

"In the Kobe Shimbun Hai, he was calm and collected, unlike on Derby Day. The pace was slow, but he was nicely in hand and I wasn't nervous watching the race. You could see how he'd matured over the summer," Tsujino said.

The race is run left-handed around the sweeping turns of Tokyo Racecourse, with the horses facing a climb through the first part of the stretch run.