Sixth-favorite Satono Ares won his third straight race to claim his first Grade 1 victory on Sunday at the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes at Hanshin Racecourse.
The 2-year-old colt traveled in the middle of the field before bursting down the stretch, holding off seventh-pick Monde Can Know by half a length to seize ¥70 million ($592,830) in prize money. It was the first win in the race for Jockey Hirofumi Shii, and the second for trainer Kazuo Fujisawa.
Twelfth-choice Bom Servico finished two lengths further behind in third, while top favorite Mi Suerte was fourth.