Satsuki Shō
2021 Satsuki Shō winner, Efforia | |
| Class | Grade 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | Nakayama Racecourse Funabashi, Chiba |
| Inaugurated | 29 April 1939 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2000 meters (About 10 furlongs or 1+1⁄4 miles) |
| Record | 1:56.5 ; Lovcen (2026) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old Colts & Fillies |
| Weight | 57 kg Allowances 2 kg for fillies |
| Purse | ¥ 432,000,000 (as of 2026)
|
| Bonuses | Classic Triple Crown Winner of Satsuki Shō, Tōkyō Yūshun and Kikuka Shō[1] ¥ 300,000,000 |
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The Satsuki Shō (皐月賞) is a Japanese Grade 1 flat race for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies run over a distance of 2,000 metres (approximately 1 mile 2 furlongs) at the Nakayama Racecourse, Funabashi, Chiba, and scheduled to take place each year at mid April.
History
[edit]The Satsuki Shō was first contested in 1939 as Yokohama Nōrinshō Shōten Yonsai Yobiuma (横浜農林省賞典四歳呼馬) over a distance of 1,850 metres at Negishi Racecourse in Yokohama, Kanagawa, and is regarded as the Japanese equivalent of the 2,000 Guineas. (Note that the original 2,000 Guineas is run at 1,609 metres, or one mile, about two furlongs shorter than the Satsuki Shō.)
The race was run at Negishi Racecourse until 1942, but the course was closed due to the World War II in 1943 and it was staged at Tokyo Racecourse over a distance of 1,800 metres until 1944. After a two-year hiatus, the race was resumed at Tokyo Racecourse twice in 1947 and 1948, then it was renamed to the Satsuki Shō and settled at Nakayama Racecourse since 1949. The distance was first set to 1,950 metres, then extended to 2,000 metres in 1950.
It is one of Japan's five Classic races, and it also serves as the opening leg of the Japanese Triple Crown followed by the Tōkyō Yūshun (Japanese Derby) and the Kikuka Shō (Japanese St. Leger).
Trial races
[edit]Trial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified.[2]
| Race Name | Class | Racecourse | Distance | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yayoi Sho | GII |  Nakayama |
2,000 meters | Top 3 horses |
| Spring Stakes | GII | Nakayama |
1,800 meters | |
| Wakaba Stakes | L | Hanshin |
2,000 meters | Top 2 horses |
Races listed below does not provide automatic berths, but still important steps for this race.
| Race Name | Class | Racecourse | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keisei Hai | GIII | Nakayama |
2,000 meters |
| Wakagoma Stakes | L | Kyoto |
2,000 meters |
| Kisaragi Sho | GIII | Kyoto |
1,800 meters |
| Kyodo Tsushin Hai | GIII | Tokyo |
1,800 meters |
| Sumire Stakes | L | Hanshin |
2,200 meters |
| Mainichi Hai | GIII | Hanshin |
1,800 meters |
Records
[edit]- Fastest winning time : 1:56.5 – Lovcen (2026)
- Slowest winning time : 2:11 2/5 – Dainana Hoshu (1954)
Leading jockey(s) :
- 4 – Mirco Demuro : Neo Universe (2003), Daiwa Major (2004), Logotype (2013), Duramente (2015)
Leading trainer(s) :
- 4 – Waichiro Tanaka : St. Lite (1941), Arbeit (1942), Tokino Minoru (1951), Kegon (1955)
Leading owner(s) :
- 6 – Shadai Race Horse : Dyna Cosmos (1986), Genuine (1995), Neo Universe (2003), Captain Thule (2008), Isla Bonita (2014), Sol Oriens (2023)
- 6 – Sunday Racing : Unrivaled (2009), Orfevre (2011), Duramente (2015), Al Ain (2017), Geoglyph (2022), Museum Mile (2025)
Winners since 1984
[edit]| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Symboli Rudolf (JPN) |
Yukio Okabe (JPN) |
Yuji Nohira (JPN) |
Symboli Bokujo (JPN) |
2:01.1 |
| 1985 | Miho Shinzan (JPN) |
Masato Shibata (JPN) |
Tomojiro Tanaka (JPN) |
Kanji Tsutsumi (JPN) |
2:02.1 |
| 1986 | Dyna Cosmos (JPN) |
Yukio Okabe (JPN) |
Minetsugu Sawa (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:02.1 |
| 1987 | Sakura Star O (JPN) |
Shinji Azuma (JPN) |
Yuji Hirai (JPN) |
Sakura Commerce Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:01.9 |
| 1988 | Yaeno Muteki (JPN) |
Katsuichi Nishiura (JPN) |
Mitsuo Ogino (JPN) |
Fuji Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:01.3 |
| 1989 | Doctor Spurt (JPN) |
Hitoshi Matoba (JPN) |
Takashi Tsukazaki (JPN) |
Satoru Matsuoka (JPN) |
2:05.2 |
| 1990 | Haku Taisei (JPN) |
Katsumi Minai (JPN) |
Tadashi Fuse (JPN) |
Shigeo Watanabe (JPN) |
2:02.2 |
| 1991 | Tokai Teio (JPN) |
Takayuki Yasuda (JPN) |
Shoichi Matsumoto (JPN) |
Masanori Uchimura (JPN) |
2:01.8 |
| 1992 | Mihono Bourbon (JPN) |
Sadahiro Kojima (JPN) |
Tameo Toyama (JPN) |
Mihono International Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:01.4 |
| 1993 | Narita Taishin (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Masaaki Okubo (JPN) |
Hidenori Yamaji (JPN) |
2:00.2 |
| 1994 | Narita Brian (JPN) |
Katsumi Minai (JPN) |
Masaaki Okubo (JPN) |
Hidenori Yamaji (JPN) |
1:59.0 |
| 1995 | Genuine (JPN) |
Yukio Okabe (JPN) |
Yasuhisa Matsuyama (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:02.5 |
| 1996 | Ishino Sunday (JPN) |
Hirofumi Shii (JPN) |
Kenji Yamauchi (JPN) |
Ishino Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:00.7 |
| 1997 | Sunny Brian (JPN) |
Naohiro Onishi (JPN) |
Senji Nakao (JPN) |
Moriyasu Miyazaki (JPN) |
2:02.0 |
| 1998 | Seiun Sky (JPN) |
Norihiro Yokoyama (JPN) |
Kazutaka Yasuda (JPN) |
Masayuki Nishiyama (JPN) |
2:01.3 |
| 1999 | T. M. Opera O (JPN) |
Ryuji Wada (JPN) |
Ichizo Iwamoto (JPN) |
Masatsugu Takezono (JPN) |
2:00.7 |
| 2000 | Air Shakur (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Hideyuki Mori (JPN) |
Lucky Field Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:01.8 |
| 2001 | Agnes Tachyon (JPN) |
Hiroshi Kawachi (JPN) |
Hiroyuki Nagahama (JPN) |
Takao Watanabe (JPN) |
2:00.3 |
| 2002 | No Reason (JPN) |
 Brett Doyle (GB) |
Yasuo Ikee (JPN) |
Shinji Maeda (JPN) |
1:58.5 |
| 2003 | Neo Universe (JPN) |
 Mirco Demuro (ITA) |
Tsutomu Setoguchi (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:01.2 |
| 2004 | Daiwa Major (JPN) |
Mirco Demuro (ITA) |
Hiroyuki Uehara (JPN) |
Daiwa Shoji Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
1:58.6 |
| 2005 | Deep Impact (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Yasuo Ikee (JPN) |
Makoto Kaneko (JPN) |
1:59.2 |
| 2006 | Meisho Samson (JPN) |
Mamoru Ishibashi (JPN) |
Tsutomu Setoguchi (JPN) |
Yoshio Matsumoto (JPN) |
1:59.9 |
| 2007 | Victory (JPN) |
Katsuharu Tanaka (JPN) |
Hidetaka Otonashi (JPN) |
Hideko Kondo (JPN) |
1:59.9 |
| 2008 | Captain Thule (JPN) |
Yuga Kawada (JPN) |
Hideyuki Mori (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:01.7 |
| 2009 | Unrivaled (JPN) |
Yasunari Iwata (JPN) |
Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
1:58.7 |
| 2010 | Victoire Pisa (JPN) |
Yasunari Iwata (JPN) |
Katsuhiko Sumii (JPN) |
Yoshimi Ichikawa (JPN) |
2:00.8 |
| 2011 | Orfevre (JPN) [a] |
Kenichi Ikezoe (JPN) |
Yasutoshi Ikee (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
2:00.6 |
| 2012 | Gold Ship (JPN) |
Hiroyuki Uchida (JPN) |
Naosuke Sugai (JPN) |
Eiichi Kobayashi (JPN) |
2:01.3 |
| 2013 | Logotype (JPN) |
Mirco Demuro (ITA) |
Tsuyoshi Tanaka (JPN) |
Teruya Yoshida (JPN) |
1:58.0 |
| 2014 | Isla Bonita (JPN) |
Masayoshi Ebina (JPN) |
Hironori Kurita (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
1:59.6 |
| 2015 | Duramente (JPN) |
Mirco Demuro (ITA) |
Noriyuki Hori (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
1:58.2 |
| 2016 | Dee Majesty (JPN) |
Masayoshi Ebina (JPN) |
Yoshitaka Ninomiya (JPN) |
Masaru Shimada (JPN) |
1:57.9 |
| 2017 | Al Ain (JPN) |
Kohei Matsuyama (JPN) |
Yasutoshi Ikee (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
1:57.8 |
| 2018 | Epoca d'Oro (JPN) |
Keita Tosaki (JPN) |
Hideaki Fujiwara (JPN) |
Hidaka Breeders Union (JPN) |
2:00.8 |
| 2019 | Saturnalia (JPN) |
 Christophe Lemaire (FR) |
Katsuhiko Sumii (JPN) |
Carrot Farm Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
1:58.1 |
| 2020 | Contrail (JPN) |
Yuichi Fukunaga (JPN) |
Yoshito Yahagi (JPN) |
Shinji Maeda (JPN) |
2:00.7 |
| 2021 | Efforia (JPN) |
Takeshi Yokoyama (JPN) |
Yuichi Shikato (JPN) |
Carrot Farm Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:00.6 |
| 2022 | Geoglyph (JPN) |
Yuichi Fukunaga (JPN) |
Tetsuya Kimura (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
1:59.7 |
| 2023 | Sol Oriens (JPN) |
Takeshi Yokoyama (JPN) |
Takahisa Tezuka (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:00.6 |
| 2024 | Justin Milano (JPN) |
Keita Tosaki (JPN) |
Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
Masahiro Miki (JPN) |
1:57.1 |
| 2025 | Museum Mile (JPN) |
 João Moreira (BR) |
Daisuke Takayanagi (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
1:57.0 |
| 2026 | Lovcen (JPN) |
Kohei Matsuyama (JPN) |
Haruki Sugiyama (JPN) |
Forest Racing (JPN) |
1:56.5 |
- ↑ The 2011 race took place at Tokyo Racecourse due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
Earlier winners
[edit]- 1939 - Rock Park
- 1940 - World Mine
- 1941 - St. Lite
- 1942 - Arbeit
- 1943 - Dielec
- 1944 - Kuri Yamato
- 1945 - no race
- 1946 - no race
- 1947 - Tokitsukaze
- 1948 - Hide Hikari
- 1949 - Tosa Midori
- 1950 - Kumono Hana
- 1951 - Tokino Minoru
- 1952 - Kurino Hana
- 1953 - Bostonian
- 1954 - Dainana Hoshu
- 1955 - Kegon
- 1956 - Hekiraku
- 1957 - Kazuyoshi
- 1958 - Taisei Hope
- 1959 - Wildeal
- 1960 - Kodama
- 1961 - Shin Tsubame
- 1962 - Yamano O
- 1963 - Meizui
- 1964 - Shinzan
- 1965 - Chitose O
- 1966 - Nihon Pillow Ace
- 1967 - Ryuzuki
- 1968 - Martis
- 1969 - Wild More
- 1970 - Tanino Moutiers
- 1971 - Hikaru Imai
- 1972 - Land Prince
- 1973 - Haiseiko
- 1974 - Kitano Kachidoki
- 1975 - Kaburaya O
- 1976 - Tosho Boy
- 1977 - Hard Berge
- 1978 - Fantast
- 1979 - Bingo Garoo
- 1980 - Hawaiian Image
- 1981 - Katsu Top Ace
- 1982 - Azuma Hunter
- 1983 - Mr. C. B.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- Netkeiba:[3][4]
- Racing Post:
- ↑ "同一年度に本会が定める競走に優勝した馬に対する褒賞金交付基準" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association.
- ↑ "競馬番組一般事項(Horseracing Program General Information) - Page 19" (PDF). JRA. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ↑ "皐月賞". Netkeiba.
- ↑ "Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas)". Netkeiba.