Satono Reve in need of Magic in QEII Jubilee
No horse has made the journey and won in 10 tries to conquer Britain's most iconic race meeting, but no Japanese contender has been as good as Satono Reve.
The Lord Kanaloa six-year-old is a Group 1 winner in Japan, but is probably better known for finishing second to Ka Ying Rising in the HK$22 million Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) at Sha Tin on April 27 - which is no better endorsement given that Ka Ying Rising is the best sprinter in the world.
Satono Reve arrived in Newmarket on May 2 to be given plenty of time to prepare and has been stabled at James Horton's yard.
"After arriving from Hong Kong, Satono Reve had some time to recover before steadily building up his training," said his trainer Noriyuki Hori.
"He had his final gallop on June 11, a five-furlong (1,000m) piece of work on the July Course at Newmarket, ridden by Ryan Moore.
"Although it's a different environment from what he's used to, he's been coming along well thanks to the warm support of James Horton, his team and everyone involved."
Satono Reve will be ridden by Joao Moreira. The Brazilian jockey known as the "Magic Man" was in the saddle when Satono Reve won the Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1,200m) at Chukyo in Japan on March 30.
"He's such a good horse," said the globetrotting jockey. "I'm excited about riding him at Ascot. He just needs to bring that type of form here to be competitive."
The French-trained Lazzat leads the opposition, with trainer Jerome Reynier confident of a good performance.
"He has such a high cruising speed," said the French trainer. "His last run was his first over as short as 1,200 (metres), but he can take a good grip and stay on well. I think he is the perfect match for the race."
Last year, Inisherin was the easy winner of a Group 1 sprint at Royal Ascot on fast ground, the Commonwealth Cup (1,200m).
The Shamardal four-year-old was subsequently rather disappointing but returned to win the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes (1,200m) on May 14.
Trainer Kevin Ryan could not conceal his delight at York.
"That's a relief. I was nervous but it went well," he said. "He'll improve for that run. I'm delighted because he's such a lovable, sensible horse."
The formidable duo of trainer Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore, who have already claimed five races after three days at Royal Ascot, command respect with their representative Storm Boy.
The only three-year-old in the race, the Justify colt moved from Australia to Ireland this year. Last year he won sprints up to Group 2 level for leading Sydney trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, but finished last when favourite on his UK debut last month in Ireland.
The Coolmore ward will surely do better, as O'Brien would not run him if he was not confident of a better performance. The race in which Storm Boy was last was won by the Clive Cox-trained James's Delight, who is a live outsider in Saturday's contest. HKJC
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