Saturnalia ( ja, サートゥルナーリア, link=no foaled 21 March 2016) is a Japanese

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse. In 2018 he was rated the second-best two-year-old in Japan as he was undefeated in three starts including the

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

on his final appearance of the season. On his three-year-old debut he added another Grade 1 success as he took the

Satsuki Sho Satsuki is a traditional Japanese name for the month of . It is commonly used as a feminine given name and, more rarely, as a surname or a masculine name. Possible spellings Satsuki can be spelled using different ''kanji'' characters and can mean: ...

but was beaten when odds-on favourite for the

Tokyo Yushun Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. Later in the year he won the

Kobe Shimbun Hai The Kobe Shimbun Hai (Japanese 神戸新聞杯) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 2400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in September, but was contested over 2000 metres unti ...

and finished second in the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

Background

Saturnalia is a dark bay or brown horse with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

bred in Japan by Northern Farm. During his racing career he was owned by U Carrot Farm. The colt was sent into training with

Katsuhiko Sumii (born 28 March 1964, Kanazawa, Ishikawa) is a Japanese horse trainer. He trained the first and second placing horses in the 2006 Melbourne Cup, Delta Blues and Pop Rock. Other notable horses Sumii has trained include Kane Hekili, Vodka, Victo ...

. Saturnalia was from the second crop of foals sired by

Lord Kanaloa is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist sprinter, he recorded his first important success in 2011 when he won the Grade 3 Keihan Hai at Kyoto Racecourse. In the following year he won once from his first four starts but th ...

, an outstanding sprinter-miler who was voted

Japanese Horse of the Year The Japanese Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in Japanese thoroughbred horse racing. It is awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Since 1987 the honor has been part of the JRA Awards. This award originally started as p ...

in 2013. Saturnalia's dam Cesario was a top-class racemare won the

Yushun Himba The , also known as the is a Japanese Grade 1 flat horse race for three-year-old thoroughbred fillies run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately 1 mile 4 furlongs) at the Tokyo Racecourse, Fuchū, Tokyo in May. History It was first run i ...

and the

American Oaks The American Oaks is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the turf held annually in late December Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event currently of ...

and went on to produce the

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

winner Epiphaneia and the

Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (朝日杯フューチュリティステークス) is a one mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred colts two years old. It is considered the ''de facto'' year-end championship for Japanese thoroughbred racing in the t ...

winner

Leontes King Leontes is a fictional character in Shakespeare's play ''The Winter's Tale''. He is the father of Mamillius and husband to Queen Hermione. He becomes obsessed with the belief that his wife has been having an affair with Polixenes, his childh ...

. She was a fourth-generation descendant of the

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

winner Pia. As a fourth-generation descendant of the

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

winner Pia, Cesario was related to other major winners, including

Chief Singer Chief Singer (19 March 1981 – 2000) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1983 until September 1984 he ran nine times and won four races. The colt won the Group Thre ...

and

Pleasantly Perfect Pleasantly Perfect (April 2, 1998 – June 3, 2020) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who retired as the fourth-richest American horse in career earnings. Background Pleasantly Perfect was sired by Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby ...

Racing career

2018: two-year-old season

Saturnalia began his racing career in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over 1600 metres at

Hanshin Racecourse is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and it is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After the World War II, GH ...

on 10 June 2018 and won from Deep Diver and seven others. After a break of more than four months, the colt returned for the Listed Hagi Stakes over 1800 metres at

Kyoto Racecourse is located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 120,000. It was built in 1999. History Kyoto Race Course opened on December 1, 1925. In preparation for the track's 100th anniversary ...

on 27 October and won again, beating Jamil Fuerte and six others. When Sumii was banned from training horses after a

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

conviction Saturnalia's conditioning was handled by Kazuya Nakatake. On 28 December, Saturnalia was stepped up in class to contest the

Hopeful Stakes over 2000 metres at

Nakayama Racecourse is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 165,676. It was built in 1990. Physical attributes Nakayama Race Course has two grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course. The turf's measures 1840 ...

. Ridden by Mirco Demuro, he was made the 0.8/1 favourite ahead of twelve opponents including the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes winner Nishino Daisy. After racing in second place behind the front-running Cosmo Calendula, Saturnalia produced a strong run in the straight, took the lead in the closing stages and won by one and a half

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

from Admire Justa, with third place going to Nishino Daisy. After the race Demuro said "I feel great. I knew I was riding the strongest two-year-old of the season. He really showed his strength though squeezing his way through the narrow opening. I am really looking forward to his three-year-old season". In the official ratings for Japanese two-year-olds Saturnalia was rated the second best juvenile of the year, one pond behind the

winner

Admire Mars Admire Mars ( ja, アドマイヤマーズ, link=no, foaled 16 March 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a juvenile in 2018 he was undefeated in four races including the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes and the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and wo ...

. In January 2019 Saturnalia finished second to the Admire Mars in the polling for the Best Two-Year-Old Colt at the JRA Awards for 2018 receiving 123 votes against his rivals 153.

2019: three-year-old season

Saturnalia moved back to the stable of

for the 2019 season. For his first run of the season the colt contested the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho, the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown over 2000 metres at Nakayama on 14 April. In the run-up to the race his assistant trainer Yasuyuki Tsujino said "Things have been fine with him, his breathing's good, and he's run well in training with control and power... He's come along very well, and I don’t think he's been fully extended." Ridden for the first time by

Christophe Lemaire Christophe Patrice Lemaire (Japanese:, born 20 May 1979) is a French-born jockey. He has enjoyed much of his success on the Japanese flat racing circuit, with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks for five consecutive years sinc ...

he was made the 0.7/1 favourite ahead of Admire Mars in an eighteen-runner field which included Velox, Danon Kingly, Fantasist (

Keio Hai Nisai Stakes The Keio Hai Nisai Stakes (Japanese 京王杯2歳ステークス) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for two-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1400 metres at Tokyo Racecourse in November. The Keio Hai Nisai Stake ...

) and Meisho Tengen ( Yayoi Sho). After racing in mid-division in the early stages, Saturnalia moved forward on the final turn and made a strong challenge in the straight taking the lead from Velox 200 metres from the finish. Velox rallied, while Danon Kingly produced a strong run up the inside rail but Saturnalia prevailed by a head and a nose. After the race Lemaire said "I rode him for the first time in the race but I had confidence in him. He seemed a bit nervous and drifted towards the inside when we took command before the crowd. His condition was not 100% as it was his first start this year but he should be in top condition going into the Japanese Derby." On 26 May Saturnalia started the 0.6/1 favourite against seventeen opponents for the

over 2400 metres and was ridden by Damian Lane. After racing in eleventh place for most of the way he made rapid progress in the straight but never looked likely to catch the leaders and came home fourth behind Roger Barows, Danon Kingly and Velox, beaten three and a quarter lengths by the winner. After an absence of almost four months Saturnalia returned in the Kobe Shinbun Hai over 2400 metres at Hanshin on 22 September and started the odds-on favourite in an eight-runner field. Lemaire settled the colt in second place behind the front-running Sifflement before taking the lead in the straight. Saturnalia drew away in the closing tagess to win by three lengths from Velox with a further length and a quarter back to

World Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

in third place. Lemaire commented "He showed his strength today. He needed a horse in front of him and he relaxed in the back straight. His start was no good in the Derby but it was good today. Looking forward to the future, I'm sure he's a super horse". On 27 October Saturnalia faced older for the first time in the autumn edition of the

Tenno Sho The is a horse race held twice a year in Japan, once in the spring and once in the autumn. "Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan". The races are both International Grade I races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gra ...

over 2000 metres at Tokyo and started the 2.4/1 second favourite in a sixteen-runner field. He raced in third place for most of the way before fading in the straight and coming home sixth behind

Almond Eye Almond Eye (Japanese アーモンドアイ, foaled 10 March 2015) is a champion Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown in 2018, and holds a world record over 2,400 meters on turf. She is also a two-time winn ...

. For his final run of the year Saturnalia was matched against older horses again in the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

over 2500 metres at Nakayama on 22 December. He raced towards the rear of the field before staying on strongly in the straight to take second place behind the five-year-old mare

Lys Gracieux Lys Gracieux ( ja, 'リスグラシュー, link=no, foaled 18 January 2014) is a champion Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2016 she showed top-class form, winning two of her four starts (including the Artemis Stakes) and fin ...

. In January 2020, at the JRA Awards for 2019, Saturnalia was voted Best Three-Year-Old Colt, beating

by 124 votes to 107.

2020: four-year-old season

On his first run as a four-year-old, Saturnalia started the odds-on favourite for the Grade 2

Kinko Sho The Kinko Sho (Japanese 金鯱賞) is a Grade 2 horse race for Thoroughbreds aged four and over run in March over a distance of 2000 metres at Chukyo Racecourse. It was first run in 1965 and was promoted to Grade 3 in 1984 before becoming a Grade ...

over 2000 metres at

Chukyo Racecourse is located in Toyoake, Aichi, Japan. It is used for horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for com ...

on 15 March when his ten rivals included Lord My Way (

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

), Last Draft ( Keisei Stakes) and Nishino Daisy. He settled in fifth place before moving up on the outside in the straight, taking the lead inside the last 100 metres and winning by two lengths from the 40/1 outsider Satono Saltus. At Hanshin 28 June Saturnalia was made the 1.4/1 favourite for the 61st edition of the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen over 2200 metres. He raced towards the rear along the inside rail before being switched to the outside in the straight but despite making steady progress he was unable to threaten the leaders and came home fourth behind

Chrono Genesis Chrono Genesis ( ja, クロノジェネシス, link=no, foaled 6 March 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Japan when she won her first two races including the Ivy Stakes and then ran a clo ...

, Kiseki and Mozu Bello. In the

2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2020 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities The Long ...

, Saturnalia was rated on 120, making him the equal 40th best racehorse in the world.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2016 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 16-a