Japan: Still unbeaten, Sol Oriens scores in Satsuki Sho

Second favorite Sol Oriens, undefeated in just two career starts since his November debut as a 2-year-old, claimed this Sunday’s Grade 1 Satsuki Sho, the equivalent of the U.K. 2,000 Guineas that is the first leg of the Japan triple crown.

Coming off his latest victory in the Keisei Hai (G3) run over the same, 1 1/4-mile distance at Nakayama, the Kitasan Black colt became the first colt to land the Satsuki Sho in just his third career start, the shortest in Japan Racing Association history.

Trainer Takahisa Tezuka, whose latest Grade 1 victory was in the 2021 Yushun Himba, or Japan Oaks, with Uberleben, scored his ninth career Grade 1 win. Jockey Takeshi Yokoyama, who also won the Satsuki Sho with Efforia in 2021, landed his sixth Grade 1 win.

Sol Oriens was a fraction slow out of the gate and thereafter guided farther off the rails as the turf on the inside was considerably roughed up from the heavy rain Saturday.

Traveling near the rear and well off the brisk pace led by Granite, who covered the first five furlongs in 58.5 seconds on the track rated yielding, Sol Oriens circled the whole field that had already spread wide turning for home. He then unleashed a terrific, late charge that carried him instantly from second last to the lead soon after the sixteenth pole.

“I’m thrilled to have been able to show the colt’s strength and win this Grade title,” Yokoyama said. “He’s still very green, especially at the turns, with only a short career coming into this race, but as he’s already shown in his previous start, I know first hand the power and speed which this colt possesses and so, while we had a lot of ground to cover from way behind, I knew that if I could keep him in good rhythm up to the straight, he would be able to show his full potential to win this race.”

Fifth choice Tastiera broke smoothly and was rated outside a rival in mid-division, switched a little farther out into the stretch, turned in a good turn of speed to assume command at the furlong pole and continued on willingly, holding off all but the winner to finish second.

Post-time favorite Phantom Thief was rated farther behind than expected in mid-pack after the break as horses rushed to take a good position from both sides and traveled at a rapid pace. The Harbinger colt lost a shoe somewhere along the backstretch, lugged in after entering the stretch and, while showing effort thereafter, was unable to match the strides of the first two finishers, finishing three lengths behind the winner in third.