With just one of the 18 starters behind him with three hundred metres left to run, the six-year-old Deep Impact entire Satono Arthur came with a barnstorming finish to overpower the front-running Lord Kanaloa mare Trois Etoiles in Sunday’s Group III The Sekiya Kinen (1600m) at Niigata.
Coming off sixth in the Group III Epsom Cup at Tokyo on June 14, a race he won in 2018 and was his last success, Satono Arthur looked to have been set an impossible task by Keita Tosaki.
With Trois Etoiles keeping up a relentless gallop in the straight, the race looked to be all over at the 200 metres.
However, Satono Arthur finished so fast he had a comfortable margin of one and a quarter lengths over the Lord Kanaloa mare who is no slouch with a Group III to her name and a fourth placed finish behind the champion Almond Eye in the Group 1 Victoria mile two starts ago.
Satoni Arthur made his mark at the 2015 Select Yearling Sale. He was the fourth highest priced lot when knocked down to Hajime Satomi for ¥195 million.
He is the first foal of the outstanding Redoute’s Choice mare King’s Rose the winner of the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas and placed in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes, Group 1 Toorak Hcp, Group 1 Coolmore Classic and Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes.
A sister to Group II Alister Clarke Stakes winner and Group 1 ATC Australian Derby third Hardham, King’s Rose is also the dam of the promising 3yo Deep Impact colt Danon Regalo who broke his maiden at the second time of asking over 2200m at Hanshin on July 18.
Danon Regalo topped the 2018 JRHA Select Yearling Sale when purchased by Masahiro Noda's Danox Ltd. for ¥250 million (AUD$3m).
Satono Arthur has proven to be a solid investment. He has won five and placed in nine of his 20 starts with earnings of approx., $2.9 million.
King’s Rose has plenty more to offer with a yearling colt by Deep Impact and a colt foal by Heart’s Cry.
