Liberty Island Tops Accomplished Cast in Tenno Sho

Many of Japan's best horses are set for their Breeders' Cup turn a week down the road, but the field left home for the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1) Oct. 27 at Tokyo Racecourse is by no means a bunch of leftovers.

Led by 2023 Japanese filly Triple Crown winner Liberty Island , the 15-horse field is replete with group stakes competitors, albeit some of them looking to return to that form after recent slumps.

The 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4 miles) race is contested left-handed around two turns out of a short chute that leads spectators' gazes, on a clear day, to a view of Mount Fuji in the distance.

Liberty Island is the key to the race. After her Triple Crown exploits, she finished second to superstar Equinox  in the 2023 Japan Cup (G1). She then shipped to Dubai in March for the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2 miles) Dubai Sheema Classic (G1T), finishing third behind Rebel's Romance  and fellow Japanese traveler Shahryar .

She has not raced since March and will have to prove her fitness. Jockey Yuga Kawada said he thinks she can.

"After last week's workout, I can't say she didn't feel like she was coming back from a long layoff, but her overall movement was sufficient," Kawada said after Liberty Island drew gate 12. "I watched her work out this week and was told she was far more relaxed ... I could see that she was in great shape. She gets work every day and this week's fast work showed her improvement. I'll head to the gate with no worries."

Equinox also won the Tenno Sho (Autumn) in 2023 and the runner-up in that heat, Justin Palace, is back for another try. Justin Palace finished fourth in the Sheema Classic, just a neck back of Liberty Island. He has raced in the interim, turning in a 10th-place finish in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1), run on heavy turf.

Justin Palace's trainer, Haruki Sugiyama, said because of the travel and the turf condition, "I think we can disregard his results in that race. I think he's been improving with each workout and there's no difference between his condition now and his condition last year.

"Last year," Sugiyama continued, "there was the one standout horse. But this horse is in no way inferior."

Also seeking a rebound to previous glory is Tastiera. The 4-year-old hit the peak with a win in the 2023 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) but reported 11th in the Osaka Hai (G1) in March, finished seventh in the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) in April, and has been idle since.

Sol Oriens  won the 2023 Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) and finished second in the Derby. He comes off a second in the Takarazuka Kinen. Going back a year earlier, Do Deuce won the 2022 Derby but this season was fifth in the Dubai Turf (G1T) and sixth in the Takarazuka Kinen.

If those veterans of group 1 wars have question marks about recent form, Lebensstil will have to show he can bring his recent excellent form up to the top rung of the class ladder. The 4-year-old makes his first appearance at the level as winner of his last two starts, the Epsom Cup (G3) and the Sankei Sho All-Comers (G2).