Museum Mile swept by the favorite, previously undefeated Croix du Nord, in the closing strides to win the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) by 1 1/2 lengths April 20 at Nakayama Racecourse.
The first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown was the first grade 1 win for the Leontes colt. For jockey João Moreira, it was his third grade 1 win in four weeks while riding in Japan on a temporary license.
Croix du Nord, a son of Kitasan Black , appeared well on his way to victory in his first start as a 3-year-old, surging to the lead from a stalking position as the field charged down the stretch for the second time.
He had no answer, however, as Museum Mile blazed by on his outside nearing the winning post and was losing ground to both Masquerade Ball and Giovanni at the finish. Museum Mile finished the 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in race-record time of 1:57.0 on good to firm turf.
The difference could come down to the colts’ relative scheduling. Museum Mile, Masquerade Ball, and Giovanni each had a previous start this season while Croix du Nord was running for the first time since winning the Hopeful Stakes (G1) Dec. 28 over the same course and distance.
Museum Mile wrapped up his 2-year-old season with a second in the Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) and greeted 2025 with a fourth-place finish in the Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen (G2) March 9.
Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi said before the Satsuki Sho that Museum Mile was “better for his last race and seems to be improving.”
Connections celebrate Museum Mile’s Satsuki Sho victory
Moreira said he felt Museum Mile was primed for a top effort.
“When I sat on him this afternoon, I could feel that he’s very special,” Moreira said. “He’s got a very nice body and temperament. I thought this might be the horse to win.
“When we were turning for home, we were a bit unbalanced, maybe because the ground was not so smooth. But when I got him on the stretch, he just dashed home, and when he took the lead with 150 meters to go, he kept running away, showing me that he’s got so much ability.”
The Satsuki Sho gives on to the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) June 1 at Tokyo Racecourse. The Triple Crown wraps up with the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, G1) Oct. 26 at Kyoto Racecourse.
The Satsuki Sho itself is a prodigious producer of champions with nine winners since 2005 subsequently crowned 3-year-old champion. The list includes some of Japan’s most revered names, including 2005 winner Deep Impact , the premier son of Sunday Silence, who went on to sweep the Triple Crown and became a breed-shaping sire.
Museum Mile has far to go to match those accomplishments but Moreira’s assessment was positive.
“I believe he’s got plenty more to give,” he said.
Moreira’s accomplishment—winning the Satsuki Sho, the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1) just a week earlier, and the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) 14 days before that—was remarkable in its own way.
The “Magic Man” left Hong Kong in 2018 after winning the jockey championship there in three of his five seasons and applied for a license to ride full-time in Japan. His application was denied, reportedly after he failed a written test—the first step in a rigorous vetting designed to safeguard local interests.
João Moreira celebrates Museum Mile’s Satsuki Sho victory
Moreira currently travels to big race meetings around the world, where he is in demand by Japanese connections among others. He is set to ride Japanese hopeful Luxor Cafe in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Museum Mile was bred by Northern Farm. His dam, Museum Hill, is by Heart’s Cry , who in turn is by Sunday Silence. His sire, Leontes, won the 2015 Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) but was fifth in both the Satsuki Sho and Tokyo Yushun.
Museum Mile is Leontes’ second grade 1 winner following T O Royal, who accounted for the 2024 Tenno Sho (Spring).
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