Fierement Confirms Class In Tenno Sho

[Wandering Eyes]

Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) confirmed himself as a stayer of the highest class by winning Sunday’s G1 Tenno Sho Spring in just his sixth lifetime start, and thus becoming the lightest-raced horse ever to take the Kyoto feature. Fierement was coming off a head second on his seasonal debut in the G2 American Jockey Club S. on Jan. 20, and was winning for the first time since taking the final Japanese colts’ Classic, the G1 Kikuka Sho, last October.

Breaking near the back of the pack, Fierement lingered about 15 lengths off the pace into the first bend, but had made up about half that distance by the time they passed the finish line for the first time. Pulling jockey Christophe Lemaire gradually closer on the run down the backstretch, Fierement got his head in front between runners turning for home with Kikuka Sho fifth Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who had shadowed him throughout, on his outside. That pair drew clear from their rivals and tussled for the length of the stretch, with Fierement never being headed and hitting the wire a neck to the good. It was sixth lengths back to the longshot third Perform A Promise (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}).

“It was a tough race to win but Fierement really showed his strength when we were challenged by Keita Tosaki’s mount on the outside,” said Lemaire. “He was able to relax early on which is important in a long-distance race like this. He wanted to go in the last two corners so I let him go and although the ground got slippery under him at the last corner, he was able to regain his balance and increase his speed at the straight. He’s improving with every race and certainly proved he’s of Group 1 quality with this win.”

Pedigree Notes

Fierement emulated his sire Deep Impact with a win in the Tenno Sho, the latter having taken it also as a 4-year-old in 2006. Fierement is out of the decorated mare Lune d’Or (Fr) (Green Tune), whose list of accolades includes Italy’s G1 Premio Lydia Tesio and France’s G2 Prix de Malleret and G2 Prix de Pomone-she was also third in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. Fierement is her first black-type winner, but she had already been represented in that realm as a second dam, her daughter Learned Friend (Ger) (Seeking the Gold) having supplied the triple French Group 3 winner and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois second Inns of Court (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Fierement’s second and third dams were also French listed winners.

Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
TENNO SHO SPRING-G1, ¥290,020,000, Kyoto, 4-28, 4yo/up, 3200mT, 3:15.00, fm.
1–FIEREMENT (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Lune d’Or (Fr) (Hwt. 3yo-Ity at 9.5-11f,
G1SW-Ity, MGSW-Fr, G1SP-Eng, $440,124),
by Green Tune
2nd Dam: Luth D’Or (Fr), by Noir et Or (GB)
3rd Dam: Viole d’Amour (Fr), by Luthier (Fr)
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm; T-Takahisa Tezuka;
J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥152,814,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-2-0.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: F.
2–Glory Vase (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Mejiro
Tsubone (Jpn), by Swept Overboard. (¥52,000,000 yrl ’16
JRHAJUL) O-Silk Racing; B-Lake Villa Farm; ¥60,804,000.
3–Perform a Promise (Jpn), 128, h, 7, Stay Gold (Jpn)–I’ll Be
Bound (Jpn), by Tanino Gimlet (Jpn). O-Sunday Racing;
B-Northern Farm; ¥38,402,000.
Margins: NK, 6, NK. Odds: 1.80, 10.30, 29.60.
Also Ran: Etario (Jpn), You Can Smile (Jpn), Chestnut Coat (Jpn), Kafuji Prince (Jpn), Ridge Man (Jpn), Kento-Oh (Jpn), Clincher (Jpn), Meisho Tekkon (Jpn), Lord Vent d’Or (Jpn). DNF: Vosges (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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