Satono Voyage Eyes Kentucky Derby โFollowing Dominant Japan Road to the Derby โCampaign
TOKYO, JAPAN – satono Voyage has secured a โlikely spot in the starting gate for the โ151st โขKentucky Derby after topping the final point standings of the 2024-25โค Japan Roadโ to the Derby series.The โNoriyuki Hori-trained colt clinched the series lead with victories in the final two races,โฃ demonstrating a late-season surge that propelled him to the top of the leaderboard.
the Japan Road โฃto the Derby series offers a pathway for Japanese-basedโข 3-year-olds to earn automatic entry into the “Run for the Roses” atโ Churchill Downs. Satono Voyage’s success marks โฃa continued push โby โJapanese connections to compete on the international stage, โfollowing the groundbreaking achievements of horses like Forever Young, who won both theโฃ Saudi Cup and Breeders’ Cupโ Classic in 2024. While Satono Voyage experienced a challengingโ start to his U.S. campaign, finishing 12th โinโ theโค 2024 Kentucky Derbyโค due to a slow break and traffic issues, his โrecent form โsuggests aโ potential return to Louisvilleโ with improved chances.
Satono Voyage isn’t the โonly horse from the series making โheadlines. โLuxor Cafe, another prominent โcontender, โcontinues to race successfully in Japan, recently securing a third-place finish inโ the Japan Dirt Classic atโ Oi โขRacecourse in october andโ a Grade 3 victory at Tokyoโ Racecourse on November 15.
The 2023-24 Japan Road to the derby โขsaw T O Password, Ramjet, and Forever Young emergeโ as the top three point earners. Forever Young ultimately bypassedโ a return to the Kentucky Derby, rather focusing โon international victories including the UAE Derby and aโข third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby itself, before achieving critically important wins inโ the Saudi Cup andโค Breeders’ Cup Classic. T O Password accepted a โคderby invitationโ but finished fifth.
“His โsuccessโ certainly has encouraged allโข ofโ us,” commented a representativeโค from theโค Japan Racing โคAssociation, highlighting the impact of Forever young’s achievements on the ambitions of Japanese horsemen. โขSatono Voyage nowโ looks to build on that momentum and perhaps improve upon his previous Kentuckyโข Derby performance.
