Eishin Deputy dictated the pace and held off a desperate late charge from 2.10-to-1 favorite Meisho Samson to prevail by a head in the $2,448,000 Takarazuka Kinen (Jpn-G1) on Sunday at Hanshin Racecourse.

Trained by Akira Nomoto for owner Toyonitsu Hirai, Eishin Deputy recorded his first Group 1 victory and earned his fifth career stakes win.

The French Deputy colt set a pressured pace under Hiroyuki Uchida with second betting choice Roc de Cambes on his outside in the 2,200-meter (10.93-furlong) race and Meisho Samson reserved in ninth under Yutaka Take.

Eishin Deputy dispatched Roc de Cambes, repelled a bid from Asakusa Kings at the top of the stretch, and was fully extended to hold off third-place finisher Inti Raimi and fast-closing Meisho Samson to win in 2:15.30 on yielding turf.

Multiple Group 1 winner Meisho Samson, Japan’s 2006 champion three-year-old colt, surged boldly from the pack and accelerated into contention with a furious rush. The five-year-old by Opera House (GB) edged Inti Raimi by a neck in the final strides but could not collar the victor.

The Takarazuka Kinen is the final Group 1 race of the spring racing season and is an all-star race in which horses of all distance abilities line up to determine the best horse of the spring. The race also is unique in that fans vote for the entries and the top ten receive a place in the maximum field of 18.