Saturnalia stars under Demuro with easy Hopeful Stakes win

It has been a stellar year for Japanese racing, but next year could be even better if the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes is anything to go by, as Saturnalia boosted his already towering reputation by breezing past Admire Justa to win by a length and a half.

Ridden by Mirco Demuro at Nakayama on Friday for trainer Kazuya Nakatake, Saturnalia travelled into the ten-furlong contest best after settling just behind the leaders in the early stages.

Admire Justa took the lead in the straight but once Demuro navigated an admittedly narrow passage through it was one-way traffic. Nishino Daisy stayed on to take third.

Demuro's confidence in the colt was evident throughout the race, and he said: "I feel great. I knew I was riding the strongest two-year-old of the season, but it was his first time over this trip
so I was a little worried.

"He really showed his strength though, squeezing his way through the narrow opening. I am really looking forward to his three-year-old season."

The 2016 Hopeful Stakes winner Rey De Oro went on to win the Japanese Derby in 2017, and victory for Saturnalia gave his sire Lord Kanaloa another Grade 1 win following on from Almond Eye's brace of top-flight victories this season.

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