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Lovcen Wins Gate-To-Wire in Record Smashing Time in This Year’s Satsuki Sho

Race favorite Lovcen claimed this year’s Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), the first leg of the Triple Crown, setting a new track record at 1:56.5, shortening the previous one by 0.1 seconds. The World Premiere colt won his debut start at Kyoto (2,000m) in November and notched the following Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000m) as a two-year-old. In his first start of this season, the dark bay colt was third, a head and neck behind winner Realize Sirius, in the Kyodo News Hai (G3, 1,800m) on February 15. Trainer Haruki Sugiyama scored his eighth JRA-G1 victory following the Hopeful Stakes with this colt while he has won the classics in 2020—the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) and the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) with Daring Tact. Jockey Kohei Matsuyama registered his tenth JRA-G1 win following the Oka Sho with Star Anise a week earlier and second Satsuki Sho title after Al Ain in 2017 and became the seventh jockey to win both the Oka Sho and the Satsuki Sho in the same year.

After a smooth break, Lovcen was sent to the front before the first turn and maintained his lead down the backstretch with fourth favorite and two-time graded winner Realize Sirius, who immediately glided up to stalk the pace after breaking from a wide stall, closely sitting a half-length behind in second. As the field tightened up at the last corner, the two frontrunners entered the lane head-to-head and briefly dueled up to the 200-meter marker. From that point, Lovcen found another gear to climb the grueling hill with good speed and gradually pulled away, holding off the persistent Poetic Flare colt to clear the wire 3/4 lengths ahead for the win.

“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. 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. (Asked how Matsuyama felt after claiming back-to-back classics) I owe it all to my incredible mounts,” commented Kohei Matsuyama after the race.

Coming off a second in the Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen (G2, 2,000m) on March 8, ninth favorite Reichsadler sat around tenth and shifted out, securing a clear path for his stretch run rounding the final corner. The Siskin colt launched a late drive—the fourth fastest over the last three furlongs—and closed in on the frontrunners stride by stride but failed to threaten the top two finishers while pinning the tenacious Ask Edinburgh right before the wire to secure third place by a neck margin.

Other Horses:
4th: (5) Ask Edinburgh—sat around 5th, ran gamely, weakened in final strides
5th: (6) Forte Angelo—broke poorly, gradually advanced on rails, launched fastest late speed
6th: (2) Sound Move—hugged rails around 7th, even paced
7th: (12) Green Energy—ran wide around 14th, showed effort but had too much ground to cover
8th: (10) Large Ensemble—settled around 6th, lacked needed kick
9th: (3) Sanono Greater—saved ground around 13th, angled out, needed more
10th: (8) Matenro Gale—raced wide in 17th, showed belated charge
11th: (18) Basse Terre—trailed in rear, circled wide, passed tired rivals
12th: (14) Zoroastro—unhurried around 15th, unable to reach contention
13th: (1) Cavallerizzo—took economic trip around 4th, showed little at stretch
14th: (11) Peintre Naif—positioned wide around 12th, never responded
15th: (17) Admire Quads—chased leaders wide around 3rd, failed to sustain bid
16th: (13) Acrophase—ran wide around 6th, failed to keep up with rivals at stretch
17th: (7) Lord Filer—stumbled at break, raced around 10th, outrun after 4th corner
18th: (16) Altramuz—traveled wide around 10th, dropped back after 3rd corner

THE 86TH SATSUKI SHO (JAPANESE 2000 GUINEAS, G1)
3-year-olds, Colts & Fillies, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, April 19, 2026          Nakayama Racecourse         11th Race        Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 434,000,000 (about US$ 2,800,000 <US$1=¥155>)
3-y-o: 57kg (about 126 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies, 2kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2023
Course record: 1:56.5           Race record: 1:56.5 [Lovcen (JPN, by World Premiere), 2026]
Safety factor: 18 runners       Going: Good to Firm             Weather: Fine

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 22,802,115,300       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 33,598,784,900       Attendance: 44,635

Winner= 4 starts: 3 wins & 1 third / Added & stakes money: ¥ 224,507,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 313,216,000

* 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 the 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 being given its current name and shifted again to Nakayama in 1949—the distance was also altered to 2,000 meters in the following year.
Nine of the past Satsuki Sho champions since 2010 subsequently received the JRA Best Three-Year-Old Colt Award in recognition of their outstanding performances throughout the year—Victoire Pisa (JPN, by Neo Universe; 2010), Orfevre (JPN, by Stay Gold; 2011), Gold Ship (JPN, by Stay Gold; 2012), Isla Bonita (JPN, by Fuji Kiseki; 2014), Duramente (JPN, by King Kamehameha; 2015), Saturnalia (JPN, by Lord Kanaloa; 2019), Contrail (JPN, by Deep Impact; 2020), Efforia (JPN, by Epiphaneia; 2021) and Museum Mile (JPN, by Leontes; 2025).
This year, the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1, 1,600m; Dec.21) champion and Best Two-Year-Old Colt of 2025 Cavallerizzo kicked off his three-year-old season in this race while the Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000m) victor Lovcen came off a third in the Kyodo News Hai (G3, 1,800m; Feb.15), which was won by Realize Sirius. Among those who successfully earned their Satsuki Sho berths in the trial races were Basse Terre (1st), Reichsadler (2nd) and Admire Quads (3rd) in the Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen (G2, 2,000m; Mar.8); Ask Edinburgh (2nd) and Acrophase (3rd) in the Spring Stakes (G2, 1,800m; Mar.15); and Matenro Gale (1st) and Lord Filer (2nd) in the Wakaba Stakes (Listed, 2,000m; Mar.21). The field also included Peintre Naif, Green Energy, Zoroastro and Altramuz, respective winners of the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G2, 1,800n; Nov.24), the Keisei Hai (G3, 2,000m; Jan.18), the Kisaragi Sho (G3, 1,800m; Feb.10) and the Mainichi Hai (G3, 1,800m; Mar.28), as well as Hopeful Stakes runner-up Forte Angelo.