This year's Derby race defied the jinx that "a jockey cannot win the Derby when riding a horse for the first time". Tastiera emerged victorious and was ridden by the in-form Australian import, Damian Lane. The horse avenged his sire, Satono Crown, who finished third in the Derby eight years ago. The Derby is widely recognized as the highest honour in Japanese racing for three-year-old for colts.

Sol Oriens, the second-place finisher in the race is the son of Kitasan Black, who regularly competed against Satono Crown on the track. In the 2017 G1 Takarazuka Kinen, Satono Crown finished first while Kitasan Black finished ninth. However, in the same year's Autumn Tenno Sho, it was Kitasan Black who reversed the form and claimed victory with Satono Crown finishing second. Even as older horses, they continued their fierce battles. The Tokyo Yushun brought about a sense of deja vu as the pair competed at the highest level once again, this time as sires.

"In regard to Satono Crown, I sincerely hope he becomes successful as a stallion. I believe that if Tastiera can continue his good results it will leave a positive impact for the sire." trainer Noriyuki Hori expressed.

Satono Crown entered stud in 2019 commanding a fee of a million yen. His success as a freshman sire has seen his fee increase to 1.5 million yen for 2023. Compared to Kitasan Black's 10 million yen fee in 2023, it is undoubtedly the more affordable option. Despite being overshadowed by rivals in terms of their price tags, Satono Crown has produced a horse that stands alone at the top of his generation. This achievement surely provides the best form of advertising to Japanese breeders.

Nearly four years have passed since the untimely death of the great stallion Deep Impact, the Japanese stallion ranks are in a state of intense competition as several studs are vying for top spot.

Kitasan Black has made an incredible start to his stud career, producing G1 winners Equinox and Sol Oriens from his first two crops. The seven-time G1 winner is currently positioned as the most likely heir to Deep Impact's throne. However, with Tastiera's victory in this year's Derby, Satono Crown has provided a timely reminder to the thoroughbred industry that the dream of breeding a Champion from an unexpected source still firmly remains a possibility.

Regarding the 90th Derby winner Tastiera, Tsunenori Tsuda, the head of Northern Farm commented, "He was a horse with an exceptionally high evaluation in terms of his ability to adapt to different situations and circumstances. Because of his late-maturing nature, we think he still has room to improve."

(Yoshiro Tone)