Equinox defends Tenno Sho crown with track record time under Christophe Lemaire; four-year-old was a scintillating winner of the Dubai Sheema Classic earlier this year and has now won five Group Ones in a row for Tetsuya Kimura
Sunday 29 October 2023 11:35, UK
Equinox cemented his place as the world's number one racehorse with an imperious display in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo.
Trained by Tetsuya Kimura, the Japanese star has built up a ferocious reputation thanks to devastating displays both home and abroad, and the Dubai Sheema Classic champion was in scintillating form as he won his fifth successive Group One contest and also registered back-to-back victories in the 10-furlong event.
Sent off the odds-on favourite against 10 rivals, Equinox's regular pilot Christophe Lemaire had the colt in a handy position throughout, tracking the blistering pace set by front-runner Jack D'Or and as the runners turned into the home straight, Equinox effortlessly cruised to the front before putting the race to bed in facile fashion.
The four-year-old's brilliant triumph set a new 10-furlong track record as Equinox became the first horse since Almond Eye in 2019 and 2020 and the third horse overall to win consecutive editions of the Tenno Sho (Autumn).
"First of all, I am relieved to have been able to show the world, which I know was watching how the race favourite would run, that he is indeed a deserving colt to be named the highest-rated colt," said Lemaire.
"He's not exactly what you call a horse with incredible speed but he was able to keep up with today's rapid pace and get into another gear at the end, but I was actually surprised when I realized that we had won in a record.
"He is a versatile horse that can run from any position, stay calm during the race and make use of his speed at the finish.
"He can also run at longer distances such as when he won the Arima Kinen, so although there was much pressure coming into such a prestigious race as race favourite, I was confident knowing what he is capable of."
