Tosen Ra: a leading contender for the Tenno Sho Spring after win
PICTURE: Masakazu TakahashiTosen Ra bounces back after five-month break
Report: Japan, Sunday
Kyoto: The Kyoto Kinen (Grade 2) 1m3f, turf, 4yo+
TOSEN RA (Hideaki Fujiwara/ Yutaka Take) landed the important prep race for the Grade 1 Tenno Sho Spring when he passed the leader Shonan Mighty and held off the challenge of Veiled Impact who rapidly came from the rear.
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Tosen Ra was winning his first race after five months rest and became one of the top-rated contenders for Tenno Sho Spring.
When Tosen Ra won the 2011 Kisaragi Sho (Grade 3), beating Orfevre, he was called the best of Deep Impact's first crop. However his best performance since was third place in the Kikuka Sho (G1) behind the champion Orfevre.
2011 two-year-old champion filly Joie De Vivre, who had been out for 10 months with injury, was only seventh.
Take said: "He was strong today. I felt the pace was very slow, but when Shonan Mighty went to the front I thought it would be good for us. I think he could win the big races."
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