Eighth favorite Dee Majesty pulled away down the stretch to win the 76th running of the Satsuki-sho on Sunday.

With Masayoshi Ebina aboard, Dee Majesty stormed past leader Leontes to cross the finish line in blustery conditions at Nakayama Racecourse in a time of 1 minute, 57.9 seconds for his first Grade One title.

Dee Majesty finished 1¼ lengths ahead of Makahiki, with Satono Diamond taking third place.

It was Ebina's second Satsuki-sho title, having steered Isla Bonita to victory here two years ago.

"The horses in front of us were flying down the course early on, and I was relaxed and patient at the back. The wind made things difficult and it made it hard to judge the pace," said the 47-year-old Ebina.

"I thought that if the race developed the way it eventually did then we would be in with the best chance."

The Satsuki-sho, also known as the Japanese 2,000 Guineas, is the first race of Japan's Triple Crown.