Satono Reve took the path of least resistance to win the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1T), one of Japan's two top turf sprints, for the second straight year March 29 at Chukyo Racecourse.
Actually, the 7-year-old son of Lord Kanaloa took the easiest available trip twice.
Originally ticketed for Dubai and the Al Quoz Sprint (G1T) March 28, his connections pulled the plug on that plan in light of the unsettled Mideast situation and seized the convenient local option instead.
Satono Reve, with the assistance of jockey Christophe Lemaire, then found the optimum path to victory in the race itself.
After starting smoothly enough, Lemaire positioned his mount just about halfway back in the 18-horse field. He angled to the outside turning into the Chukyo Racecourse stretch, let Satono Reve run and the horse quickly pulled away to win by 2 lengths over long shot Red Moon Reve, another 7-year-old by Lord Kanaloa.
Win Carnelian finished third, and Namura Clair, who had finished second in the last three editions of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, was jammed up in traffic rounding the turn and reported sixth.
Satono Reve lowered the race record to 1:06.3 and missed the Chukyo course record for 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs) by 0.1 seconds. He became the second horse to win the race in consecutive years. Kinshasa no Kiseki turned the trick in 2010 and 2011.
"I'm glad Satono Reve was able to win the race for two consecutive years," Lemaire said. "He's a very strong horse. The pace was fast from the start, but he knows what he's supposed to do, so I just let him run in his own rhythm.
"Once we entered the stretch, he really accelerated. It felt great. It was my first time riding him, but having raced alongside him many times, I knew him well. He's an easy horse to ride, so it wasn't difficult at all."
The two Takamatsunomiya Kinen trophies represent Satono Reve's only grade 1 victories, but he has represented Japan well enough in international competition. After last year's win, he traveled to Hong Kong and finished second in the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1) behind only the world's top turf sprinter, Ka Ying Rising. He then reported second in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, beaten only by Lazzat, one of Europe's best.
After a summer break, Satono Reve finished fourth in the Sprinters Stakes (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse, the other top-level Japanese sprint, then disappointed with a ninth-place showing in the Hong Kong Sprint (G1) in December.
"Last year, he gained a lot of experience racing in Hong Kong and in England," assistant trainer Tatsuyoshi Kawahara said before the Takamatsunomiya. "He's much more settled now at 7 years old. I think he's a late bloomer and he seems to be in his prime now."
Bred by Shirai Stud Farm, Satono Reve was produced by the Sakura Bakushin O mare Ciliege. Noriyuki Hori trains for owner Hajime Satomi.
While Satono Reve was a stay-at-home, Lugal carried his country's banner in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai, finishing second behind Native Approach. Lazzat, Satono Reve's conqueror at Royal Ascot, was third.
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