Tenno Sho

Turf race infobox
class = Grade 1
horse race = Tenno Sho (Spring)


caption = 天皇賞・春 (Tenno Sho Haru)
location = Kyoto Racecourse, Kyoto
inaugurated = 1938
race type = Thoroughbred
website = [http://japanracing.jp/ japanracing.jp/]
grade = Int'l Grade I
distance = 3200 meters
(About 16 furlongs / 2 miles)
track = Turf, Right-handed
qualification = 4-y-o & Up, Thoroughbreds
weight = 4-y-o & up 58 kg
purse = ¥281,560,000 (as of 2007)

Turf race infobox
class = Grade 1
horse race = Tenno Sho (Autumn)


caption = 天皇賞・秋 (Tenno Sho Aki)
location = Tokyo Racecourse, Fuchu, Tokyo
inaugurated = 1937
race type = Thoroughbred
website = [http://japanracing.jp/ japanracing.jp/]
grade = Int'l Grade I
distance = 2000 meters
(About 10 furlongs / 1 ¼ miles)
track = Turf, Left-handed
qualification = 3-y-o & Up, Thoroughbreds
weight = 3-y-o 56 kg 4-y-o & up 58 kg
purse = ¥281,560,000 (as of 2007)

The Tenno Sho (天皇賞) is a race that is actually held two times per year, once in the spring and once in the autumn. The races are both International Grade I races."Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan"

Before the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Grade I races.

Tenno Sho (Spring)

The Spring Tenno Sho is held at Kyoto Racecourse, in late April or early May. It is run over a distance of 3,200 metres, making it the longest Grade I race in Japan.

Tenno Sho (Autumn)

The Autumn Tenno Sho is held at Tokyo Racecourse, in late October. It is run over a distance of 2,000 metres. It is considered the first leg of the Japanese Autumn Triple Crown (the other two are the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen).

Originally, the Autumn Tenno Sho was ran over a distance of 3,200 metres, but was shortened to its current distance to promote middle-distance horses and to promote 3-year-old horses as a shorter-distance alternative to the Kikuka Sho, the Japanese St. Leger, which is 3,000 metres.

External links

* [http://japanracing.jp/ Horse Racing in Japan]