Almond Eye Earns Eighth Grade 1 Win in Tenno Sho Autumn

Almond Eye ran home first and into the record books Nov. 1, winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn, G1) with a smooth trip up and down the Tokyo Racecourse stretch for her eighth grade 1 victory on the turf.

The eight top-level wins set the new mark for Japanese runners and Almond Eye's performance showed she is capable of more, should her owners at Silk Racing Co. Ltd. so choose.

Almond Eye, a 5-year-old daughter of Lord Kanaloa, took station in the clear, three back of breakaway leader Danon Premium as the field sorted out down the backstretch. The running order was virtually unchanged to the top of the stretch, which features a sharp uphill climb.

Given her cue by jockey Christophe Lemaire, Almond Eye quickly lengthened stride, hitting the front inside the 200-meter marker. Fierement also kicked into gear late to finish second, a half-length behind the winner. Chrono Genesis was third.

Almond Eye finished the 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in 1:57.8.

"Today, the mare was relaxed before the start and we were able to break well," Lemaire said. "She showed a great turn of foot in the straight but ran out of steam a bit climbing the hill. The others were gaining on us but she didn't give up."

Lemaire acknowledged Almond Eye's chance at an eighth grade 1 win "was a big pressure. But she didn't let us down. Her performance was awesome."

Her connections have not laid out a plan for Almond Eye going forward and Lemaire, showing some emotion, hinted there might be some decisions to be made.

"Her future lies in the hands of the owner and trainer," he said. "But I would very much like to ride her again."

The super mare started her career finishing second in a newcomers race at Nigata Aug. 6, 2017. She then reeled off seven straight wins—a skein that included all three legs of the Japanese Triple Tiara and the Japan Cup in Association with Longines (G1), a race she dominated in record time.

She then traveled to Dubai to post an impressive, stretch-running victory in the 2019 Dubai Turf Sponsored by DP World (G1). The winning streak ended with a third-place finish in the Yasuda Kinen (G1) two months later. Overall, she has 10 wins from 14 starts.

Before the Tenno Sho, trainer Sakae Kunieda said Almond Eye remained at the top of her form, showing the benefit of maturity.

"I haven't seen any change in her due to age," Kunieda said. "I do feel that she is more laid back about things now and that is reflected in her condition a bit as well."

After winning last year's Tenno Sho (Autumn), Almond Eye passed up a chance to defend her title in the Japan Cup, instead targeting the Arima Kinen Grand Prix (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse, where she finished ninth—by far the worst showing of her career. She then traveled back to Dubai but was denied another run in the Dubai Turf when the entire World Cup card was canceled as the COVID-19 pandemic took full effect in the Middle East.

The outcome of the Tenno Sho continued a recent theme of female dominance in grade 1 Japanese racing. Fillies and mares have won six grade 1 events open to both genders this season, one more than in any previous term.

At Kyoto Racecourse Oct. 31 the Mainichi Broadcast.com Swan Stakes (G2) was billed as the return of three-time group 1-winning Admire Mars. It didn't work out that way as 143-1 chance Katsuji was hustled to the lead and got home first, one length to the good of second-favorite Stelvio with Admire Mars settling for third.

Katsuji, a 5-year-old son of Deep Impact, deserved every yen of his odds, based on the record. His last win came in April of 2018. In 12 intervening starts, he managed to crack the top three placings only once.