Satono Crowned At Hanshin

A small but select field lined up for the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin on Sunday and it was a race that was supposed to revolve around the heavy favourite and 2016 Horse Of The Year Kitasan Black (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}) who was a 2/5 chance to record his sixth Grade 1 victory. However the punters' choice had a rare off day trailing in only ninth behind the cosy winner Satono Crown (Jpn) (Marju {Ire}), who apart from winning also gained an automatic berth for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November. Satono Crown, who was registering his first Grade 1 win on home soil was drawn widest of all in stall eleven and jockey Mirco Demuro took his time early on in the 2200m contest sitting at the rear of mid division throughout the first half mile as Cheval Grand (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and Sciacchetra (Jpn) (Manhattan Café {Jpn}) set the fractions out in front.

The winner began to edge closer on the outside running along the back straight with Demuro latching on to the tail of the favourite as he began to take closer order. As they straightened up Kitasan Black began to labour as Gold Actor (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) launched his challenge up the rail but simultaneously Satono Crown hit top gear and surged into the lead quickly going a length clear of the field without Demuro asking for maximum effort. The Noriyuki Hori trained 5-year-old crossed the line with three quarters of a length to spare over Gold Actor with Mikki Queen (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) running on from the rear to snatch third. “We were able to race well while eyeing Kitasan Black,” Demuro said. “He felt really good turning the fourth corner and exerted a remarkable kick in the straight. He's really a Group 1 horse. I think this type of ground suits him. I always had confidence in him,” he added. Yutaka Take was at a loss to explain the poor performance of Kitasan Black commenting, “He just didn't respond as he usually does. To be honest, I really don't know why.”

Although previously beaten in seven attempts in Grade 1 races in Japan, Satono Crown did claim the notable scalp of last week's G1 Prince Of Wales's S. winner Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) when beating that rival by half a length in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin last December. That performance proved he had the ability to win a top level domestic contest and he bounced back from his last time sixth place finish behind Kitasan Black in the G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin Apr. 2 to double his tally of Group 1s and bring his total stakes haul to six.

Pedigree notes…

The former Derrinstown Stud resident Marju (Ire) (Last Tycoon {Ire}), who died last year was pensioned in 2011 so Satono Crown was conceived in his last crop. He is one of eight foals produced by Jioconde (Ire) (Rossini), a smart race mare trained by Eddie Lynam to win a listed race at The Curragh in 2005. She has made a big impact at stud and Satono Crown is her second produce to score at the highest level with his full-sister being the G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Lightening Pearl (Ire) who in turn is dam of the smart 3-year-old Lightening Fast (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The family traces back further to the great stayer Classic Cliche (Ire) (Salse) and his Group 1 winning half-sister My Emma (GB) (Marju {Ire}). In latter years Jioconda foaled a colt by Deep Impact (Jpn), called Satono Victory (Jpn) in 2014, a filly by Heart's Cry (Jpn) called Pont des Arts (Jpn) in 2015 and was barren in 2016.

TAKARAZUKA KINEN-G1, ¥289,300,000 (US$2,599,467/€2,322,639/£2,044,446), Hanshin, 6-25, 3yo/up, 2200mT, 2:11.40, gd.

1–SATONO CROWN (JPN), 128, h, 5, Marju (Ire)
1st Dam: Jioconda (Ire), by Rossini
2nd Dam: La Joconde (GB), by Vettori (Ire)
3rd Dam: Lust (GB), by Pursuit of Love (GB)

(¥58,000,000 Ylg '13 JRHAJUL) O-Hajime Satomi; B-Northern Farm; T-Noriyuki Hori; J-Mirco Demuro; ¥152,310,000. Lifetime: Record 14-7-0-1.*Full to Lightning Pearl (Ire) G1SW-GB, GSW-Ire $219,015; full to Jolie Jioconde (Ire) GSP-Ire $27,549. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*

2–Gold Actor (Jpn), 128, h, 6, by Screen Hero (Jpn)-Heilong Xing (Jpn), by Kyowa Alysheba. O-Hisayo Ishiro; B-Hokusho Farm; ¥60,660,000.

3–Mikki Queen (Jpn), 123, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)-Musical Way (Fr), by Gold Away (Ire). (¥100,000,000 Ylg '13 JRHAJUL) O-Mizuki Noda; B-Northern Farm; ¥38,330,000.

Margins: 3/4, 1.1/2, 1.3/4; Odds: 8.00, 11.70, 9.40.
Also ran: Sciacchetra (Jpn), Rainbow Line (Jpn), Mikki Rocket (Jpn), Spirits Minoru (Jpn), Cheval Grand (Jpn), Kitasan Black (Jpn), Clarity City (Jpn), Hit The Target (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart and video, for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.