Photograph offered by: Japan Racing Affiliation
Second-choice Cavallerizzo received Sunday’s Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1), incomes him the title of Japan’s 2-year-old champion miler in 2025.
The Saturnalia-bred received his first victory in his debut race in Chukyo (1600m) in late August, and completed second behind the favourite Admire Quad within the Each day Cup Nisai Stakes (G2) (1600m) held in Kyoto on November fifteenth.
Coach Tatsuya Yoshioka received his second JRA/G1 title with Brothehorn, following final 12 months’s Takarazuka Kinen (G1). Jockey Cristian DeMuro, who has been driving in Japan on a short-term license since November 1, registered his sixth G1 title within the 2024 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) with Gorgeous Rose.
With this victory, Cavallerizzo’s sire Saturnalia, the 2019 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner and standing sire from 2021, turned his first G1 winner.
Within the concession discipline, Cavallerizzo settled in midfield on the surface of Ecolo Alba working behind Corteo Soleil as he approached the ultimate nook. When the sphere fanned out and he remained two huge firstly of the straight, DeMuro guided his mount into the opening within the rail as an alternative of shifting out. With pacesetter Diamond Knot the one impediment on the facet of the 200m pole, the Saturnalia colt got here in robust at his quickest closing velocity, overtaking the leaders simply earlier than the wire and successful by 3/4 of a size.
“I had a standard begin and obtained into a great place behind Yuga (Kawada). On the final nook I struggled a bit of with the horse subsequent to me, however once I requested the horse to go in, he responded properly and had good foot rotation. Christophe (Lemaire) was attempting to run away, however the horse was robust in the long run,” Demuro stated.
Diamond Knot, in fifth place, broke by sharply and set the tempo, making a one-and-a-half size hole over the others on the 800-meter mark. The Bricks and Mortar product tenaciously held the lead till the ultimate catch-up, solely to provide technique to the winner who narrowly crossed the end line to take second place.
Admire Quads managed to get out of the huge gate and was comfortably seated in 4th place from the again, then quickly superior from the surface simply earlier than the ultimate nook and raced huge. Because the runners in entrance of him steadily drained, the race winner approached from the surface, briefly crossing paths with Ecolo Alba with 50 meters to go, earlier than stepping up a gear within the last strides and shutting in on him to safe third place.
