Black Vs Diamond In The Tenno Sho

Last year's JRA Horse of the Year Kitasan Black (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}) has compiled a nearly impeccable record since taking the G1 Japan Cup last November, and the 5-year-old puts his reputation on the line once again when attempting to defend his title in Sunday's G1 Tenno Sho Spring. Second in the G1 Arima Kinen on Christmas Day following his Japan Cup score, the bay took the newly minted G1 Osaka Hai on seasonal debut on Apr. 2. Trainer Hisashi Shimizu said, “It was a great win last time, and I was relieved that all went well, given the status of the horse, and the expectations of the fans. He came out of the race well, and we just gave him an easy three or four days. I'm looking forward to taking on Satono Diamond, and I just hope all goes smoothly leading up to the race.”

The 4-year-old Satono Diamond (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) rides a four-race win streak into the Tenno Sho. He won the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) last October before besting Kitasan Black in the Arima Kinen, and he started out his season with a win over Cheval Grand (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G2 Hanshin Daishoten on Mar. 19. Assistant trainer Yuki Iwasaki said, “He's worked well with his training partner recently, recording a good time in the last furlong. I think having had the one race this year, he's open to a lot more improvement.”

Cheval Grand has been knocking on the door at the highest level, having been third in this race last year as well as the Japan Cup. It remains to be seen whether he can find enough to turn the tables on the top two, but trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said, “He ran well last time, and was slightly unlucky in being marked a lot of the way by the eventual winner. We didn't send him to the farm after that, like we did last year, as he has a tendency to gain weight. His training has been fine so far.”

The 4-year-old Sciacchetra (Jpn) (Manhattan Café {Jpn}) has been rising through the ranks as of late and could be getting good at just the right time. He has won four of six starts and has never been off the board. He most recently scored in the G2 Nikkei Sho at Nakayama on Mar. 25 in his second outing of the year. Trainer Hisashi Shimizu said, “It was a great win last time, and I was relieved that all went well, given the status of the horse, and the expectations of the fans. He came out of the race well, and we just gave him an easy three or four days. I'm looking forward to taking on Satono Diamond, and I just hope all goes smoothly leading up to the race.”