Satono Aladdin’s deep-closing surge sealed a win in the G1 Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo on Sunday as Hong Kong’s raiders finished out of the frame.
Beauty Only ran home sixth, a length and a half behind the Yasutoshi Ikee-trained victor while Contentment plugged on for 10th of 18, five lengths in arrears.
Winning trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said he was relieved to secure a G1 victory with Satono Aladdin, as he had always held the horse in high regard.“Being a horse with great expectation ever since his debut as a two-year-old, it’s been a long way to finally prove his true ability with his first Grade One victory,” Ikee said.
“I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to train such a talented horse.”Winning rider Yuga Kawada added the race went according to plan.
“He had a good draw today and everything went as planned,” Kawada said.“I concentrated on keeping him in a good rhythm and we had a perfect trip and I was able to take him wide for clear sailing, so I had every confidence in beating the leader, although Logotype was quite persistent.
Zac Purton said he felt Beauty Only was overcomn by the huge crowd of more than 57,000.“I think the occasion had him a little bit worried,” Purton said.
Purton also suggested the unfamiliarity of racing left-handed as a factor in the bay’s undoing.Contentment, last month’s G1 Champions Mile winner at Sha Tin, found the class much stronger according to his trainer John Size.
“It looks like he ran a normal race but the horses are just too strong for him at Fuchu,” Size said.Satono Aladdin had been no match for Beauty Only when seventh to the Tony Cruz-trained rival in December’s G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin.
The Japanese star also finished 11th in the 2015 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) on his firsdt visit to Sha Tin but with home turf on his side this time he flew to a first G1 score.When the gates opened both Hong Kong contenders broke smartly and secured comfortable berths as last year’s trailblazing winner Logotype attempted to repeat the same tactics.
Contentment parked just behind the pace under Joao Moreira while Purton positioned Beauty Only at the back of the mid-ranked bunch.Logotype kicked on at the top of the stretch but Satono Aladdin quickened from back in the field to overhaul the leader and hold off the fast-finisher Red Falx by a neck.
Joao Moreira ended the day with two wins, his wins at Tokyo racecourse. All of the rider’s previous wins in Japan had been achieved at Sapporo.
