Second-favorite Tower of London won his first Grade 1 title after darting past the pack at Nakayama Racecourse on Sunday to claim the Sprinters Stakes as G1 action resumed after the summer break.
French jockey Christophe Lemaire steered Tower of London through the middle of the 16-horse field, then sprung ahead in the final stretch to cross in 1 minute, 7.1 seconds, a half-length in front of third-favorite Mozu Superflare, who led for most of the race.
"He stretched out well in the final straightaway and worked hard until the finish line," said Lemaire, who also won the race for the first time. "I love this horse. He's become a strong horse."
Race-favorite Danon Smash, ridden by Yuga Kawada, finished third a neck behind Mozu Superflare following her own last-minute dash.
Tower of London, whose previous best G1 result was third in the 2017 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, was just 0.4 seconds off the race record time of 1:6.7 set by Japanese great Lord Kanaloa in 2012. The four-year-old colt improved to seven wins over 14 starts.