Satono Reve ready to pounce in G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin

HONG KONG – Champion jockey Joao Moreira is keeping the faith in Japanese raider Satono Reve’s chances of halting the 19-race winning streak of the world’s highest-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the HK$24 million (S$3.9 million) Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) at Sha Tin on April 26.

Satono Reve, who last won the Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1,200m) at Chukyo on March 29 under Christophe Lemaire, has had his chances before to topple Ka Ying Rising but, as others have found in the past, it remains one of the biggest challenges in racing.

Another of the Hong Kong superstar’s opponents in the upcoming sprint feature, Helios Express, has also found the task beyond him in the 12 times they have met, finishing second to Ka Ying Rising eight times and third three times.

Trained by Noriyuki Hori, Satono Reve finished second to Ka Ying Rising in this race in 2025, and also ninth to him in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) last December.

The Lord Kanaloa seven-year-old also finished third to David Hayes’ galloper in the 2024 Hong Kong Sprint.

Satono Reve’s rider Moreira said the horse had travelled well.

“It is a tough race but at the same time if I take the ride, then I have some faith in my horse,” said the Brazilian jockey nicknamed “Magic Man”.

“I would have him (Ka Ying Rising) as the best sprinter in the world, so it is a tough race to win, but we are going to be doing our best.”

Moreira, who has ridden all around the world, said Ka Ying Rising was a freak and he could not recall seeing a better sprinter.

He admitted that Satono Reve challenged Ka Ying Rising in some of their previous contests.

“If anything happens to Ka Ying Rising, we become a very live chance as long as my horse brings his A game,” he said.

“Helios Express has also proven to be a good horse and between him and Satono Reve, if I was to measure them both, I don’t think there is much between them.

“When you see some of the runs when they run against each other, the margin has just been a head and some of the races went either way with some going to Satono Reve and once, it went to the benefit of Helios Express.”

Moreira has ridden Satono Reve six times for two wins, two seconds, one third and one fourth.

Their biggest success together came in Satono Reve’s first triumph in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen on March 30, 2025.

He said he could not give an opinion on whether Satono Reve was still at the level of his win since then.

“I haven’t sat on him for a long time and the last time I rode him would be last September,” said Moreira, who was referring to Satono Reve’s fourth in the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes (1,200m) at Nakayama.

“I should be getting on him on Thursday, which is great, and I’m looking forward to it.”

The former four-time Singapore champion jockey and current stable jockey to trainer Caspar Fownes said each race is a challenge, but it was always a matter of trying and watching the cycle go by.

“People come and go, horses come and go and the other day, we saw Golden Sixty dominate and putting himself as the best horse that turns up, and then all of a sudden another one turns up,” he said.

“Golden Sixty has come and gone, and Ka Ying Rising has come and is still in his prime, but eventually he will be gone. It is a cycle.” HKJC