Lemaire continues stellar season with first Tenno Sho win on Rey De Oro

Christophe Lemaire landed his third Japanese Group 1 in three weeks aboard Rey De Oro in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo on Sunday.

The jockey had recently won the Shuka Sho with Almond Eye and the Japanese St Leger, the Kikuka Sho, on Fierement.

"I knew I had a good chance to win my first Tenno Sho title," he said. "The colt's condition and the race development was perfect. The pace was just right and he was relaxed so everything went smoothly."

The Kazuo Fujisawa-trained Rey De Oro showed a strong turn of foot to weave through the field and beat long-time leader Sungrazer, the mount of Joao Moreira, by a length and a quarter.

Lemaire is enjoying a brilliant season in Japan, having won four of the country's six Classics, and on Sunday he earned the small matter of a further £1 million for winning connections.

After beating six other Group 1 winners, Rey De Oro, who won all three of his two-year-old starts and the 2017 Japanese Derby, will remain in training next year and is due to run again this year.

Fujisawa said: "He will run in one more race in this year. I'll announce it after we have determined which race it will be."

Favourite Suave Richard was only tenth of the 12 runners and trainer Yasushi Shono said: "He was very tense today. He didn't get a good start and after that his fighting spirit went away. I would like to train him for the Japan Cup as he can do better."

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