Globetrotting Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira believes Satono Reve has the form to press for victory in the JPY 369 million (approx. HK$19.2 million) G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) at Chukyo on Sunday (30 March).
Chasing his first Japanese top-level feature since winning on Stellenbosch in the G1 Oka Sho (1600m) last year, Moreira reunites with Satono Reve for the first time since the pair finished third behind outstanding sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin last December.
“He’s a horse that’s got a lot of ability. He went to Hong Kong in December and ran a huge race, getting beaten by one of the best horses in the world in Ka Ying Rising. On that, you would believe that – even against very strong company – he’s got to be respected and he should be a winning chance,” Moreira said.
“This is another chance for me to ride another Group 1 win around the world. Japan is a place I like very much and there’s no doubt I have got a good hope with Satono Reve.”
Moreira, 41, has won 2,442 races globally, including 44 at Group 1 level.
The South American has been granted a short-term Japan Racing Association licence from 29 March to 28 April, having met expanded licensing criteria, including “good performance”, and finishing in the top five of the World All-Star Jockeys’ series during the past two years.
Moreira won the lucrative series last year to meet the revised licensing conditions.
Satono Reve is one of four horses contesting the Takamatsunomiya Kinen this weekend who are also entered in the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin on 27 April. The others are Lugal, A Shin Fencer and Big Caesar.
Trained by Noriyuki Hori, lightly-raced Satono Reve has raced only 11 times, winning seven of those starts with a second and third to be one of Japan’s most respected sprinters.
The six-year-old’s toughest opponent this weekend is expected to be Namura Clair, who has finished second in the past two runnings of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, having suffered narrow defeats on rain-affected ground to First Force in 2023 and last year to Mad Cool.
Another leading chance is Mama Cocha, who made a triumphant return in the G3 Ocean Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama on 1 March, posting her first victory since the 2023 G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) also at Nakayama.
Jockey Yuga Kawada said: “She moved the best she has in a long time during the race. It finally felt like she was able to show her true self again.
“Since winning at the highest level, she’s had a tough time finding the results. So, for her to secure another graded Stakes victory on the big stage again here means a lot. Looking ahead to the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, if she can regain a bit more of her best form, I believe she’ll be in a good place. I hope she can continue to have a smooth preparation toward spring.”
