Satoyama
Satoyama did well to get as close as he got in the nine-furlong handicap at The Curragh on Sunday. Dropped in early on from his wide draw by Dylan Browne McMonagle, he was third last as they levelled up for home. Taken towards the near side, he was short of room inside the two-furlong marker but, once into the clear, he stayed on well on the outside to get up for sixth place.
It was a day on which, with the wind and the ground, it was difficult to make up ground from the rear, as it often is at The Curragh, and that feature of the day was accentuated here by the sedate pace. The winner's finishing speed was over 108% of overall speed, and the first five home occupied five of the first six places after they had gone three furlongs, and they retained their positions, even if not in the same order, from there to the winning line. Satoyama was 15th of the 16 runners with three furlongs to run, and he finished sixth, beaten a short head for fifth. He was fastest of all through the final three furlongs, and his finishing speed of over 111% of his overall speed was the highest in the race. The next highest was under 110%.
Winner of his maiden at Gowran Park in May, by almost three lengths from Rolltight, who won next time back at Gowran and who finished a short head in front of him here, Joseph O'Brien's horse stepped forward from that next time when he finished a close-up fourth over a mile at Listowel four weeks ago behind last week's Ascot Stakes third Tim Toe.
This was another step forward from that. It was just his fourth run too, and his first handicap, so he has plenty of scope for further progression. He saw out the nine-furlong trip too, so that opens up options for him. The handicapper left him on his mark of 95 after this, and there could be a good handicap in him off this type of mark.
The Curragh, 28th June 2026
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