With Joao Moreira Aboard, Museum Mile Shocks in Japan’s Satsuki Sho

The son of Leontes, piloted by the Brazilian Joao Moreira, captured the Japanese 2000 Guineas, the G1 Satsuki Sho, drawing clear by 1 1/2 lengths over Croix du Nord

Museum Mile provided Joao Moreira with his sixth Group 1 victory on Japanese soil / JRA

NAKAYAMA, Japan – In a breakout performance, Museum Mile confirmed his upward trajectory with a stylish victory in Sunday’s G1 Satsuki Sho (2000m, turf)—the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown—at Nakayama Racecourse. Trained by Daisuke Takayanagi, the colt not only delivered as the third choice in the betting, but also set a new race record, stopping the clock in 1:57.0 and trimming a tenth of a second off the previous mark.

By Leontes (King Kamehameha), Museum Mile had debuted last August with a third-place finish going a mile at Chukyo, and broke his maiden in his next start over 1800 meters at Kyoto in October. He followed up with a win in the Kigiku Sho (2000m, Kyoto) and wrapped up his juvenile campaign as runner-up to Croix du Nord (Kitasan Black) in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. His lone outing this season prior to the Satsuki Sho was a fourth-place effort in the G2 Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen, also at 2000 meters.

Ridden by Brazilian ace Joao Moreira, Museum Mile broke cleanly from post 11 and settled into a midpack position, racing between seventh and eighth while traveling a bit wide throughout. Once in the straight, he loomed into contention down the center of the course and, after a brief duel with heavy favorite Croix du Nord, edged clear inside the final 150 meters to win by a decisive 1 1/2 lengths—securing his first Group 1 victory.

“When I got on him this afternoon, I knew he was something special,” said Moreira, who notched his sixth G1 win in Japan and became the first jockey since Christophe Lemaire in 2019 to win both the Oka Sho and Satsuki Sho in the same season. “He’s got a great physique and a perfect temperament. We struggled a bit around the final turn—maybe because of the ground—but once we straightened and I asked him, he responded beautifully. In the last 150 meters, he showed me everything he’s made of. It was a pleasure to ride him, and I believe there’s even more to come.”

For Takayanagi, the win marked his first Japanese Classic triumph and his third JRA Group 1 overall, following last year’s success in the G1 Victoria Mile with Ten Happy Rose (Epiphaneia).

Crowned Japan’s Champion 2-Year-Old Male for 2024, Croix du Nord tracked the pace in fourth, made a bold move wide turning for home, and briefly struck the front in the final furlong. However, he couldn’t fend off Museum Mile’s late charge and had to settle for a creditable second, staying on strongly to hold the rest at bay.

Masquerade Ball (Duramente), winner of the G3 Kyodo News Hai in February, came from farther back, launching his rally down the same outside lane as the winner. With a closing burst that ranked as the second-fastest of the race, he finished a close third, a half-length behind Croix du Nord.