Rainbow Line Takes Tenno Sho (Spring)

Rainbow Line got through between horses in the final yards to win the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) April 29 at Kyoto Racecourse, narrowly defeating Cheval Grand and Clincher.

Shortly after the victory, Rainbow Line was found to have lameness in his right foreleg and was transported off the track.

The 5-year-old son of Stay Gold landed his first win at the highest level and second graded victory in a row, following the Hanshin Daishoten (G2). He was 12th in last year's Tenno Sho (Spring).

Rainbow Line, with Yasunari Iwata riding, settled near the rear of the field until midway through the second run down the backstretch. After being steadied in traffic, he shifted out and made good progress around the final bend, finally threading through rivals to find daylight in the dash to the wire. He finished in 3:16.2 over firm going.

Cheval Grand, winner of November's Japan Cup (G1) in Association with Longines, raced close to the pace in the two-mile marathon. He surged to the lead in the final 200 meters, chased by Clincher, only to see Rainbow Line burst through to win by a neck. It was a half-length back to Clincher in third, and Mikki Rocket, was fourth.

Rainbow Line, bred by Northern Racing and owned by Masahiro Mita, is trained by Hidekazu Asami.

"While our rivals were making early moves in the backstretch, my mount waited patiently, and I knew he had the needed late kick to reach the front before the wire," Iwata said.

But both he and Asami expressed concern about Rainbow Line's post-race status.

"It's great that he was able to win the race, but I'm concerned about his condition after the race," Asami said. "I hope to give him the best care possible so that he can recover for his next race." He did not mention what specific condition afflicted his runner or what a potential next race might be.

Clincher, a promising 4-year-old colt by Deep Sky, did nothing in a stout effort to quiet discussion he could be a candidate for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) at the new ParisLongchamp in the fall. Japan has a long history of frustration in that race.