By Heather Anderson
Last year's G1 Hopeful Stakes hero Lovcen took the G1 Satsuki Sho field pillar-to-post and set a new record of 1:56.50 in the process for the 2000 metres over firm turf on Sunday. The Forest Racing runner brought up a Japanese Guineas double for jockey Kohei Matsuyama, who'd won the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) aboard Star Anise (Drefong) last Sunday.
Although the winner was bred in Japan by Northern Farm, there was a distinct European flavour in the pedigrees of the top three finishers. The winner is out of a Giant's Causeway mare, and that notable sire ran second in both the English and Irish versions of the 2000 Guineas among his many accomplishments. European ex-pats Poetic Flare, the winner of the 2021 G1 2000 Guineas in Newmarket and second in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas later that year; and Siskin, a winner of the 2020 Irish 2000 Guineas, both stand at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan. They sired the second and third on Sunday in Realize Sirius and Reichsadler, respectively.
In command shortly after the gates flew, Lovcen adhered to the rail with Realize Sirius just behind to his outside heading into the first turn. The 3-1 favourite covered his first 400 metres in :22.90, and by the half-mile marker, he'd slowed the pace down to :47.20. The 2025 Japanese Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Cavallerizzo (Saturnalia) perched in third, just off the leading pair.
With just three furlongs to run, Realize Sirius had clawed his way up to almost even terms with the leader, and at the head of the lane briefly stuck his nose in front. However, Matsuyama did not panic aboard Lovcen, and soon roused the eventually winner to reassert. Finding more in late stretch, he crossed the wire three-quarters of a length in front of the stubborn Realize Sirius, having covered his final three furlongs in a sharp :34.20. It was the same margin back to Reichsadler, who'd come from off the pace. Ask Edinburgh (Leontes) was a neck behind in fourth. Cavallerizzo dropped away in the lane to finish 13th.
“We had a good draw and we knew that when it comes to Nakayama's turf and with the experience from last year, we'd have a better chance if we ran near the front,” said Matsuyama. “To be honest, I wasn't thinking of setting the pace but the colt broke really well and we went with the flow. He showed amazing speed and to break the record also proves how much stamina he has–he's such a strong and versatile colt.”
A winner of a maiden at Kyoto in November before his G1 Hopeful Stakes tally in December, Lovcen narrowly ran third in the G3 Kyodo News Hai Tokinominoru Kinen to Sunday's runner-up Realize Sirius in February.
Pedigree Notes
Second-crop sire World Premiere, who stands at Yushun Stallion Station, has sired five winners from 20 runners to date. Lovcen is his first stakes winner.
His dam, the Giant's Causeway mare Songwriting, sold for $290,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, and bloomed into an $800,000 Fasig-Tipton the Florida Sale juvenile when purchased by Katsumi Yoshida. In Japan, she placed twice in eight starts and is currently the dam of seven foals, five to race with five winners. Lovcen is her best and her latest is a yearling colt by Copano Rickey.
A daughter of Canadian Champion Older Mare Embur's Song (Unbridled's Song), she is due to that sire this year. Curlin's GI Preakness Stakes/GI Haskell Stakes/GI Santa Anita Derby hero and sire Exaggerator is under the third dam.
Sunday, Nakayama, Japan
SATSUKI SHO (JAPANESE 2000 GUINEAS)-G1, ¥415,010,000, Nakayama, 4-19, 3yo, c/f, 2000mT, *1:56.50 (NCR), fm.
1–LOVCEN (JPN), 126, c, 3, by World Premiere (Jpn)
1st Dam: Songwriting, by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Embur's Song, by Unbridled's Song
3rd Dam: Embur Sunshine, by Bold Ruckus
O-Forest Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Haruki Sugiyama;
J-Kohei Matsuyama; ¥224,507,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1,
¥313,216,000. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Realize Sirius (Jpn), 126, c, 3, by Poetic Flare (Ire)–Red
Mirabel (Jpn), by Stay Gold (Jpn). *1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE.
(¥40,000,000 Ylg '24 JRHAJUL). O-Yosuke Imafuku; B-Shadai
Farm (Jpn); ¥87,002,000.
3–Reichsadler (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Siskin–Krailling (Jpn), by Heart's
Cry (Jpn). *1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-G1 Racing; B-Oiwake
Farm (Jpn); ¥53,992,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4 , NK. Odds: 3.00, 5.20, 22.40.
Also Ran: Ask Edinburgh (Jpn), Forte Angelo (Jpn), Sound Move (Jpn), Green Energy (Jpn), Large Ensemble (Jpn), Sanono Greater (Jpn), Matenro Gale (Jpn), Basse Terre (Jpn), Zoroastro (Jpn), Cavallerizzo (Jpn), Peintre Naif (Jpn), Admire Quads (Jpn), Acrophase (Jpn), Lord Filer (Jpn), Altramuz (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video.
G1 2000m Satsuki Sho (2000 Guineas) at Nakayama
Coast to coast by 3c 4. LOVCEN (World Premiere x Songwriter 🇺🇸 (Giants Causeway)) under inspired Kohei Matsuyama ride
1.56.5 Course Record 🔥
LOVCEN also won G1 2yo Hopeful Stakes, 3 from 4 overall#JRA pic.twitter.com/iN3XO10Dc3
— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) April 19, 2026
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
