After taking on elite opposition all season, Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) stepped down in class and scored a deserved victory in the Elsdon Park (1300m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.
The $65,000 open handicap was the first time Sacred Satono has raced below Group or Listed level in his five-year-old preparation. His seven previous starts produced a seventh in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), third in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), second in the Gr.3 Counties Bowl (1100m), fourth in the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m), second in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m), ninth in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) and third in the Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m).
Saturday’s easier assignment brought an increase in weight to a hefty 62kg, but apprentice jockey Triston Moodley provided some relief with his 2kg claim.
Sacred Satono settled just behind midfield and a couple off the fence through the early stages of the race, and he had only three behind him coming up to the 600m mark. Moodley angled Sacred Satono wider approaching the home turn and pounced at the top of the straight, striding up purposefully on the outside of Merchant Queen (Merchant Navy), Bak Da Angel (NZ) (Ace High), Pericles (NZ) (Rubick) and You Say D’Orsay (Under The Louvre).
Moodley drove Sacred Satono to the front, but he was matched stride for stride by a gallant You Say D’Orsay, who had also endured a wide run after jumping from gate 10.
That pair drew away to fight out a tight finish, with Sacred Satono lunging at the line and winning by a head. You Say D’Orsay finished a length and three-quarters ahead of the third-placed Grande Gallo (NZ) (Belardo).
“I was very impressed with his performance today,” said Grant Cooksley, who trains Sacred Satono in partnership with Bruce Wallace. “He drew one of the outside gates and was caught wide for quite a lot of the race and had to cover plenty of ground. For him to still finish it off the way he did, fight hard and get the win was a good effort.
“It was nice to step down in class and put a win on the board today, but I don’t think it was a case of him needing a confidence boost or anything like that. He’s always had plenty of confidence and competitiveness and tries his best every time he goes out on the track.”
From 30 starts, Sacred Satono has now recorded seven wins and 10 placings including Group Three successes in the Counties Bowl (1100m) and Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m). He has earned $655,578 in stakes.
Wallace and Cooksley will now consider a shot at the $150,000 Gr.3 Manco Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie on April 19.
“Depending on how he comes through this, we could have a look at the Easter,” Cooksley said. “There’s not a lot else around for a horse like him at this time of year, so if we don’t go there, he’ll probably go out for a break and we’ll save him for next season.”
Sacred Satono was bred by Archer Equine Investments and is by Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin out of the Mellifont mare Belle Joie.
Herself a six-time winner over 1200m and 1300m, Belle Joie is the dam of four winners, with Sacred Satono backed by the Group Three-placed Simbaah. Belle Joie is a half-sister to 10-time Group One winner Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire) and to the dam of triple Group One winner Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux).
Sacred Satono was offered by Rich Hill Stud in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where Wallace Thoroughbreds bought him for $34,000.
