Australian jockey Damian Lane will attempt to forge new territory when he partners talented colt Cavallerizzo in the JPY434 million (approx. HK$21.3 million) G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, 2000m) at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan on Sunday (19 April).

Lane has excelled during short-term stints in Japan, triumphing at Group 1 level on six occasions, while also claiming two of Australia’s most coveted races on Japan-trained runners – the 2019 G1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Mer de Glace and the 2019 G1 W. S. Cox Plate (2040m) on Lys Gracieux.

With victories in elite Japanese races including the G1 Arima Kinen (2500m) and G1 Victoria Mile (1600m), Lane is yet to savour success in the Satsuki Sho, the first leg of Japan’s Triple Crown, which also features the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, 2400m) and G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, 3000m).

Lane has the opportunity to add the Satsuki Sho to the Japanese Derby he claimed on Tastiera in 2023, as Cavallerizzo attempts to emulate his sire Saturnalia, who won this race in 2019.

Winner of the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (1600m) on soft ground in December, defeating Diamond Knot and Admire Quads, Cavallerizzo returns to action this weekend untested at 2000m and attempting to become the first horse to win both the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and Satsuki Sho since Logotype in 2013.

Trainer Tatsuya Yoshioka is positive Cavallerizzo can answer stamina questions: “From the way he trains, I think he can handle up to 2000 metres as long as he settles and goes into the race calmly.

“Up to the Asahi Hai, we had been trying different things with him, but now there’s none of that, so we’re not adding any unnecessary seasoning. Both on the scales and to the eye, he has more muscle, and mentally he has become much more solid.

“The way it feels, once he is asked and hits top speed is similar (to Saturnalia). His sire was mentally very straightforward, unlike some of the other Cesario progeny. He resembles him on that mental side as well.”

Cavallerizzo will face several accomplished rivals, including G1 Hopeful Stakes (2000m) winner Lovcen, who finished third behind Realize Sirius in the G3 Kyodo News Hai (1800m) at Tokyo in February.

Trainer Haruki Sugiyama believes his colt can improve after becoming too aggressive mid-race in the Kyodo News Hai.

“He got off to a good start, but he was too lively and it was a struggle to keep him settled. It wasn’t a smooth race for him. However, his final three-furlong (600m) time was 33.4 seconds, so despite the way he ran, it was a pretty good race for him,” Sugiyama said.

Several colts have claims to victory, including Green Energy, Realize Sirius, Ask Edinburgh, Basse Terre, Peintre Naif and Matenro Gale.

The G1 Satsuki Sho (2000m) is carded as S2-1 and will be run at 2.40pm (Hong Kong Time) on Sunday, 19 April.

Photo: HKJC