Japan's premier sprinter Satono Reve to take on 'out of reach' Ka Ying Rising in Hong Kong rematch after JRA G1

Satono Reve's record-breaking repeat victory in the Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen looks likely to send him back to Hong Kong for a fourth crack at Ka Ying Rising, even if his trainer Noriyuki Hori knows the odds are stacked firmly against him.

The seven-year-old swooped from midfield under Christophe Lemaire to win in a blistering race record of 1:06.3 seconds at Chukyo Racecourse in Nagoya on Sunday, beating Red Moon Reve by two lengths to become only the second horse to win the race back-to-back since Hori’s former star Kinshasa no Kiseki in 2010-11.

Hori revealed he has already accepted an invitation for the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on April 26, where Ka Ying Rising could be aiming for an unprecedented 20th consecutive victory after what is expected to be another dominant display in Sunday's G2 Sprint Cup.

"We have received an invitation for the Chairman's Sprint Prize," Hori said. "Nowadays, various priorities are assigned based on the order of early invitation, so while we would normally accept after checking the horse's condition after the race, we have already accepted due to those circumstances."

Satono Reve has faced Ka Ying Rising three times, finishing third in the 2024 Hong Kong Sprint, second in the 2025 Champions Mile, and ninth in the 2025 Hong Kong Sprint. Despite the record-breaking performance, Hori was frank about the scale of the task.

"Ka Ying Rising is an extremely strong horse, and having raced against him several times now, I have the impression that he is truly out of reach," he said. "It will depend on the horse's condition and consultation with the owner."

The trainer noted Satono Reve lost a shoe on his left hind leg after Sunday's race, adding a caveat to an otherwise flawless display that confirmed the stallion prospect as Japan's premier sprinter.