Japanese Horse of the Year Headlines Tenno Sho

Japan's reigning Horse of the Year, Kitasan Black, will tackle a tough field April 30 in the Tenno Sho Spring (G1) at Kyoto Racecourse.

The race, also known as the Emperor's Cup, dates back to the early 20th century and, at 3,200 meters (about two miles), is one of Japan's premier long-distance races.

Kitasan Black, a 5-year-old by Black Tide, won this race last year en route to victory in the Japan Cup (G1) and Horse of the Year honors. He followed that effort with a second-place showing behind Satono Diamond in the Arima Kinen (G1), or Grand Prix, at Nakayama Christmas Day and won the Osaka Hai, promoted to group 1 status this year, in his 5-year-old debut.

Satono Diamond also returns for Sunday's race in an expected field of 17. The 4-year-old, by Deep Impact, arguably is more of a distance specialist than Kitasan Black, with a pair of wins at 3,000 meters (about 1 3/4 miles) included in his current four-race winning streak.

Cheval Grand comes to the Tenno Sho after finishing third in both last year's edition of the race and the Japan Cup. The 5-year-old son of Heart's Cry came in second to Satono Diamond in their last race in March.

Black Tide, Deep Impact, and Heart's Cry all were sired by Sunday Silence, illustrating the profound impact the American import has had on Japanese racing.

Kitasan Black's trainer, Hisashi Shimizu, said he is not concerned about a seemingly innocuous post 6 draw for the long race, but has his eye on the horse that beat him in the Arima Kinen.

"He's been doing so well, and we just take every race as it comes with him," Shimizu said of Kitasan Black. "But he just seems to get better and better. I'm not thinking of the other horses, but I do want to beat Satono Diamond this time around."

Christophe Lemaire, who rides Satono Diamond, also nodded to the budding rivalry after trainer Yasutoshi Ikee drew post 4 for his mount.

"My number 1 rival is undoubtedly Kitasan Black, so I'll need to keep an eye on him," Lemaire said. "I'd like to ride a similar race to last year's Arima Kinen. Satono Diamond starts slower than Kitasan Black, so I'll probably take up a position around midfield."

The race is run right-handed around 1 1/2 laps of the outer turf course at Kyoto. The purse of ¥325 million equates to about US$2.8 million and the winner automatically becomes a candidate for some of the world's top distance races if the owner and trainer are inclined to travel.