Lovcen Steals The 2026 Satsuki Sho

On Sunday, April 19, 2026, three-year-old colt Lovcen, owned by Forest Racing and trained by leading Japanese trainer Haruki Sugiyama, won the 86th edition of the Satsuki Sho by ¾ of a length at Nakayama Racecourse. The race was held as the 11th race on the day’s program, under ideal sunny conditions and good-to-firm turf. The race is one of Japan’s most important and acclaimed Grade 1 races, serving as the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown (which is followed by the Tokyo Yushun/Japanese Derby and the Kikuka Sho/Japanese St. Leger). It was inaugurated in 1939 at the now-defunct Yokohama Racecourse, then run at a distance of 1850 meters, and was moved to its current venue at Nakayama in 1949 following Yokohama’s closure in 1943, with the distance extended to its present distance of 2000 meters.

The horse, ridden by seasoned jockey Kohei Matsuyama, started in barrier number four, standing out as the 4-to-1 favorite out of a field of 18 horses. The pair began the race extremely well, with a smooth exit from the starting gate boosting them straight to the front. Lovcen and Matsuyama set a blisteringly quick pace, leading for most of the race. Heading into the last corner, they held off late efforts by others in the field to narrowly take the win and finish with a final time of 1:56.5, setting a new 2000m course record at Nakayama. Realize Sirius, ridden by Akihide Tsumura, finished second, and Reichsadler, ridden by Daisuke Sasaki, finished third at the line.

The horse, foaled in 2023 and bred in Japan by Northern Farm, brought veteran trainer Haruki Sugiyama his eighth Grade I victory and his second Japanese Triple Crown race victory. For Lovcen’s jockey, Matsuyama, the win bumped his number of Grade I victories to a total of 10. Matsuyama had also won the 2026 Oka Sho (the first leg of the Japanese Fillies’ Triple Crown for female horses) just one week earlier, riding Star Anise, making him one of only seven jockeys to win both the Oka Sho and the Satsuki Sho in the same year. Fans in the stands performed Matsuyama’s signature celebration pose (raising one index finger in the air) after his prior victory in the Oka Sho, and he repeated this celebration in the Satsuki Sho after winning with Lovcen. Matsuyama said to reporters, “I did it to celebrate winning the first [Triple Crown race].”

For Lovcen, the win tacked another victory onto his impressive track record of three wins out of four total starts and extended his number of Grade I triumphs to two, having previously won the Hopeful Stakes, also run at Nakayama over 2000m of turf, as a two-year-old last year. After the race, Matsuyama praised Lovecen’s speed and stamina. He said, “[Lovcen] showed amazing speed, and to break the record also proves how much stamina he has – he’s such a strong and versatile colt.”

Lovcen’s win in the Satsuki Sho this year cements him as a serious contender for the Japanese Triple Crown. His performance in the race sets him up for the next leg of the Crown, the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), which will be run on May 24. Lovcen’s assistant trainer, Shuntaro Sema, who was speaking instead of his trainer Haruki Sugiyama due to him being in Hong Kong, said, “Since we won the first leg of the classics, I think the goal will naturally be the Derby.” Lovcen’s sire World Premiere won both the 3000m Kikuka Sho (the final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown) and the 3200m Tenno Sho (Spring), suggesting that he has enough stamina to perform well at longer distances. For now, the goal is to give him a short break and aim for the Derby this month, hopefully coming in well-prepared and in good shape.

Sources: Official JRA English site (japanracing.jp), Idol Horse, netkeiba, Thoroughbred Daily News.