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Unbeaten Race Favorite Contrail Claims This Year's Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) Title

Contrail validated his G1 victory last year in his three-year-old debut, the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and remained unbeaten in all four career starts. He will be aiming for his third G1 title in the coming Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m) in the hope of following the footsteps of his sire Deep Impact. Following his victory in his September debut as a two-year-old, the brown colt scored his first graded victory in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G3, 1,800m) in November, concluded the season with a G1 victory in the Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000m) and named JRA’s 2019 Best Two-Year-Old Colt. Trainer Yoshito Yahagi claimed his second G1 of this season after the February Stakes with Mozu Ascot and 11th JRA-G1 overall. Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga won his 26th JRA-G1 title, the first since the Hopeful Stakes with the same colt last year, and became the 11th JRA jockey to have won all five classic titles for three-year-old colts and fillies.

Breaking from the innermost stall, Contrail stayed along the rails and sat off the pace in mid-field behind a brisk pace set by Chimera Verite. As the field closed up approaching the third corner, Fukunaga shifted the Deep Impact colt to the outside and almost came out of nowhere then immediately into contention with the front runners after circling wide into the stretch. The last furlong was a duel match with Salios who didn’t give way easily but Contrail outran the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes victor by half a length to claim the first leg of the Triple Crown.

“He won strongly today. The race itself wasn’t the way as I had expected—I actually had the idea of him racing further up in front as usual—but as it turned out, he wasn’t keen to go up front early and I didn’t push him so we were positioned much farther behind going around the second corner, so I had no choice but to change lanes to the outside after that, but with the way he was moving in the post parade and the response once I took him to the outside, I had every confidence in him entering the stretch. His power was so that I thought we might pull away but Salios didn’t let us win so easily. Winning the way he did today, I am confident that he has every reason to handle the extended distance in the coming Derby,” commented Yuichi Fukunaga.

Third choice Salios, who came into the race unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, two of them graded titles including the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, broke well from stall seven and tracked the pace around fifth position just off the rails for most of the trip. The Heart’s Cry colt maintained good speed as the field started to close up from behind and assumed command at the furlong pole while immediately joined by the winner from the outside but held well to the wire although beaten in the last strides.

Other Horses:
4th: (8) Win Carnelian—chased leader in 2nd, showed tenacity but overtaken by Galore Creek in last 100m
5th: (5) Satono Flag—traveled 3-wide in 9th, made headway and turned for home in 4th, lacked needed kick
6th: (13) Darlington Hall—took wide trip behind winner, quickened in last 200m, belatedly
7th: (3) Cortesia—ran in 10th along rails, found little room at early stretch, showed effort
8th: (17) Weltreisende—raced around 7th, ran willingly until 100m out, weakened
9th: (9) Black Hole—trailed in rear, circled wide, showed belated charge, tied 3rd fastest over last 3 furlongs
10th: (6) Deep Bond—hugged rails around 4th, ran gamely until 100m out, outrun thereafter
11th: (2) L'Excellence—saved ground around 14th, improved position at stretch but never a threat
12th: (10) American Seed—keen to go rounding 1st corner, settled towards rear, passed tired rivals
13th: (12) My Rhapsody—sat around 12th outside winner, driven after 3rd corner, failed to respond
14th: (18) Bitterender—tracked leaders in 3rd, showed brief effort up to 200m pole, weakened thereafter
15th: (15) Rhinebeck—raced 3-wide in 6th, advanced along backstretch, gradually fell back after 3rd corner
16th: (11) Crystal Black—traveled 2nd from rear, unable to reach contention
17th: (14) Chimera Verite—set pace from wide stall, widened gap at backstretch, tired at stretch
18th: (4) Tempin—broke well, took economic trip around 7th, faded after 3rd corner

THE 80TH SATSUKI SHO (JAPANESE 2000 GUINEAS, G1)
3-year-olds, Colts & Fillies, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, April 19, 2020         Nakayama Racecourse         11th Race        Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 238,600,000 (about US$ 2,210,000 <US$1=¥108>)
3-y-o: 57kg (about 126 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies, 2kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2017
Course Record: 1:57.8         Race Record: 1:57.8 [Al Ain (JPN, by Deep Impact), 2017]
Safety factor: 18 runners     Going: Good         Weather: Fine

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 15,371,814,700        Turnover for the Day: ¥ 24,589,711,400

Winner= 4 starts, 4 wins / Added money: ¥ 134,633,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 245,900,000

* Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (G1)

The Satsuki Sho, which is the first of the three legs of JRA’s Triple Crown Classics for three-year-olds including the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m) and the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1, 3,000m), is comparable to British Two Thousand Guineas. The “Yokohama Norinsho Shoten Yonsai Yobiuma”, the precursor of the Satsuki Sho, was first run over 1,850 meters at Yokohama Racecourse in 1939 then moved its venue to Tokyo Racecourse four years later before given its current name and shifted again to Nakayama Racecourse in 1949—the distance was also altered to 2,000 meters in the following year.

Seven of the past Satsuki Sho champions since 2005 subsequently received the JRA Best Three-Year-Old Colt Award, in recognition of their outstanding performances throughout the year—Deep Impact (JPN, Sunday Silence) in 2005, Meisho Samson (JPN, by Opera House) in 2006, Victoire Pisa (JPN, by Neo Universe) in 2010, Orfevre (JPN, by Stay Gold) in 2011, Gold Ship (JPN, by Stay Gold) in 2012, Isla Bonita (JPN, by Fuji Kiseki) in 2014, Duramente (JPN, by King Kamehameha) in 2015, and Saturnalia (JPN, by Lord Kanaloa) last year. Triple Crown winners Deep Impact and Orfevre were also named the Horse of the Year.

The Satsuki Sho of this year became their three-year-old debut for 2019 Best Two-Year-Old Colt and Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000m) victor Contrail and Salios, winner of the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1, 1,600m), while those coming off trial races included Satono Flag and 2019 Sapporo Nisai Stakes (G3, 1,800m) victor Black Hole who were first and fourth, respectively, in the Yayoi Sho (Deep Impact Kinen) (G2, 2,000m; Mar.8), Chimera Verite, runner-up in the Wakaba Stakes (L, 2,000m; Mar.21) and the two top finishers of the Spring Stakes (G2, 1,800m; Mar.22), winner Galore Creek and Weltreisende, runner-up in this the race and also runner-up in the Hopeful Stakes.