The 141st Tenno Sho (Spring) has become completely up for grabs after the withdrawals of Grade 1 champions Dream Journey, Logi Universe and Oken Bruce Lee, who were widely expected to be among the top five picks for the May 2 race at Kyoto Racecourse.

Named after the Emperor and fittingly staged in the ancient Japanese capital, the 3,200-meter race circles a swan lake with a flat, final straight of more than 400 meters for one-and-a-half laps. The course is well known for its hill over the last two turns; it rises for 400 meters from the 1,200-meter mark, then descends all the way to the home stretch.

The spring version of the Tenno Sho took on its existing format in 1938, when the distance was extended from 2,700 meters to 3,200 meters, becoming the longest Grade 1 race in Japan. A number of races had been held in the name of the Emperor by various local racing associations around the country up until 1937, when it was decided that the Emperor's Cup would be held twice a year and only twice a year – once each in the spring and in the autumn at Kyoto and Tokyo, respectively.

The Tenno Sho (Spring) record is held by seven-time Grade 1 champion Deep Impact, who virtually flew to victory in 3 minutes, 13.4 seconds in 2006 – ripping apart the old mark by a whopping full second. The following horses are this year's early favorites among the 25 nominations. Post time is 3:40 p.m., with a full field of 18 expected to enter:

AIR SHADY (pictured): One of the few remaining active sons of legendary sire Sunday Silence, Air Shady is showing no signs of slowing down even at the age of 9, which is an amazing achievement just in itself. This weekend's Tenno Sho will be his ninth shot at a Grade 1 title, and the Arima Kinen bronze medalist of the last two years is coming off a second-place finish in the March 27 Nikkei Sho at Nakayama over 2,500 meters – behind only Emperor's Cup holder Meiner Kitz. Should the Masanori Ito-trained Air Shady win this Sunday afternoon, he will, naturally, be the oldest spring Tenno Sho champion of all time. Air Shady, out of Air Déjà vu, will again be ridden by Keita Tosaki, who hails from the local racing circuit and will ride in Kyoto for the first time. Ito, though, likes his horse's chances at a first Grade 1 victory in this field, one of the closest in the recent history of the race: "He was pretty tired after the last race because he left everything out there," says the trainer. "We made sure to give him ample recovery time, and he's shaping up well for the big race. We're not the least bit concerned with the distance, and we think we have a good shot here."

FORGETTABLE: The 4-year-old colt has legitimate Grade 1 pedigree, sired by former Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) champion Dance in the Dark and born out of 1997 Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner Air Groove. The Yasuo Ikee-trained Forgettable settled for second in the Kikuka Sho last year and came in fourth in the Arima Kinen. Sunday's race will be his third shot at Grade 1 glory, and Forgettable – having won twice and placed once in three starts at 3,000 meters and above – could be the most natural stayer in the field, and could come through perhaps as the overall betting favorite. With Yutaka Take still working his way back from injury, Forgettable will be ridden by Hiroyuki Uchida, the Japan Racing Association's leading jockey in 2009. Although the two will be paired for the first time, Uchida could figure out Forgettable fast; Uchida had no trouble leading a couple of first-time mounts to Grade 1 victory, having won the 2007 NHK Mile Cup and the 2008 Takarazuka Kinen with Pink Cameo and Eishin Deputy, respectively. Sunday will be the last Tenno Sho (Spring) for Ikee, a four-time winner of the race who is due to retire in February next year. The highly reputed trainer last won the race in 2006 with Deep Impact, whose owner Makoto Kaneko also owns Forgettable. Ikee's last spring Tenno Sho, which he also won twice with Mejiro McQueen, could be anything but forgettable. "He's been working all long at the stable since his last start (Feb. 14, 3,400-meter Diamond Stakes, first place), putting in some time in the pool among other things," Ikee said. "He'll start to pick it up, but it's been so far so good with him."

JAGUAR MAIL: Trainer Nobuyuki Hori has three graded victories this season, tied for most in the JRA with Katsuhiko Sumii, who won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) two weekends ago with Victoire Pisa. Hori, at last, captured his first Grade 1 title in March with Kinshasa no Kiseki in the 1,200-meter Takamatsunomiya Kinen. While the 6-year-old Jaguar Mail, by Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Japan Cup winner Jungle Pocket out of Haya Beni Komachi, remains winless at graded level to date, he certainly has held his own against some of the best horses in the country. Jaguar Mail was fifth in last year's Tenno Sho (Spring) and was second by half a length only to superstar filly Buena Vista in the Grade 2 Kyoto Kinen at 2,200 meters. Hori, who is handing the reins to Australian rider Craig Williams, is hoping Jaguar Mail will finally break through. "We decided to give him plenty of space in between races because a layoff has never affected him," Hori said. "I can tell you he certainly hasn't been short of work since his last race (Kyoto Kinen), and he's in much better form than he was last year. We believe he has the qualities to be an excellent stayer, and we really like what we've seen from him the last two times out. We definitely have our hopes up."

JAMIL: The 4-year-old colt by Stay Gold will take the Grade 1 stage for the first time, where he will be the dark horse of the pack after a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter, Grade 2 Hanshin Daishoten on March 21. Jamil, trained by Shigeki Matsumoto and who will be ridden by veteran Katsumi Ando on Sunday, needed seven tries before winning his first race, but he has since become a model of consistency, having at least shown in 11 consecutive starts to date. Jamil, who will have to overcome a weight assignment of 58 kilograms, has yet to win a graded race, but defending champion Meiner Kitz was in the same boat last year before he went on to win. Says Matsumoto: "He ran well in his last race, but his concentration slipped just before the finish line. He's come along well, and we expect here what we always expect from him, even in a race of this class."

MEINER KITZ: The 7-year-old Meiner Kitz will not only be out for the first place prize of 132 million yen, but also a piece of history – just two horses in the past have successfully defended the spring Tenno Sho title, Mejiro McQueen in 1991 and 1992 and T M Opera O in 2000 and 2001. Trained by Arima Kinen winner Sakae Kunieda, Meiner Kitz is coming off victory in the Nikkei Sho last month, a race he took second in last year before going on to win the Tenno Sho (Spring) as the 12th choice. While the Chief Bearhart son will be anything but a long-shot this year – especially among a field as tight as this one – fans and critics alike will need to see it to believe it that Meiner Kitz's imperial victory last year was no fluke. After all, the Nikkei Sho title was his first win since lifting the Emperor's Cup a year ago this weekend. Said Kunieda: "He took the shortest route to the finish (in the Nikkei Sho), but you have to remember he was carrying 59 kilograms and he still won. I was proud of him. I think he'll be able to come through for the fans this year."

MEISHO BELUGA: No female horse has won the Tenno Sho (Spring) in 57 years, but the 6-year-old Meisho Beluga will try to end that jinx this weekend. While 13 females have won the autumn Tenno Sho, only one has won the spring version of the race – Leda in 1953. Also noteworthy is the fact that only two female horses have won a graded race 3,000 meters or longer since 1984, so the odds are certainly stacked against the stretch-running Meisho Beluga. The French Deputy mare trained by Kaneo Ikezoe is having a strong 2010 season, nevertheless, winning the 2,400-meter Nikkei Shinshun Hai in January and taking a narrow third to Tokai Trick in the Hanshin Daishoten as the favorite – both races under Kenichi Ikezoe. But with Ikezoe, the jockey, committed to Dream Journey (who ironically was pulled from the race last week), Yuichi Fukunaga got the nod to ride. Meisho Beluga, who has produced three of her six wins at Kyoto, showed in the 3,000-meter Hanshin Daishoten that she's more than capable of handling the distance. All she needs now is the right pace, says Kanoe Ikezoe. "She did more than hold her own against the boys last time," he said. "After watching her last performance, we decided to enter her here. The distance won't be a problem for her; she just needs the pace to suit her style."

TOKAI TRICK: This will be the 8-year-old Tokai Trick's fifth straight Tenno Sho (Spring) appearance – an all-time record – his highest finish being third place in the 2007 race won by the now retired Meisho Samson. A veteran of 42 starts, the son of El Condor Pasa posted his first graded victory in three years last month, winning the much heralded Hanshin Daishoten with Shinji Fujita in the saddle – in what was also Tokai Trick's fifth try. Trainer Kenji Nonaka says his horse is in better shape than he was last year, when Tokai Trick got a bad jump out of the gate to finish sixth, but came on strong down the stretch in the 3,200-meter race. He has an impressive record in races at 3,000 meters or more, having won four times and placed and shown three times each. "I really like the way he won his last race," Nonaka said. "The jockey seems to have gotten a feel for the horse for the big race, which makes a huge difference. He's not going to drastically change for better or worse given his age, but there's been no drop off in form I can tell you that. We expect a good performance from him, because he's got a lot more going for him this year than one year ago."

T M ENCORE: Here's a pick for the betting man. The 6-year-old horse by Opera House is arguably in the best form of his career according to trainer Masami Shibata, and will head into his first Grade 1 race with this month's Grade 2 Sankei Osaka Hai title in hand – his first graded victory after a runner-up finish in the Nakayama Kinen as the 12th choice in February. Purchased for 7.45 million yen by owner Masatsugu Takezono, T M Encore, however, hasn't run a race longer than 2,200 meters in 33 career starts and will have to make a jump of six furlongs for the Emperor's Cup, although his bloodlines suggest he could handle it. Sharing the same owner and sire as two-time Tenno Sho (Spring) champion T M Opera O, Shibata is hoping for an "encore" performance similar to the seven-time Grade 1 winner from his horse. "He had no trouble handling the pace and racing toward the front than usual in his last start," Shibata said. "That alone made the race worthwhile. I have to admit, we're a little bit worried because this race will be even longer than last time, but his pedigree says he can do it."

2009 running of the Tenno Sho (Spring)