Despite missing the break and getting bumped by a foe to begin the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), favoured Lovcen delivered regardless stepping up to 2400 metres for the first time.
His head victory over fellow tenacious closer Peintre Naif (Kizuna) handed his trainer Haruki Sugiyama his ninth JRA Group 1 win. The World Premiere colt is the 25th to win the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and then the Japanese Derby. The Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) over 3000 metres in October would give Lovcen the opportunity to become the ninth Japanese Triple Crown winner and first since Contrail.
The 17-10 chalk missed a step once the gates opened, brushing with Green Energy (Suave Richard) to his inside. He drifted toward the rail, but was still well off the inside in the middle of the pack as longshot Meisho Hachiko (Roger Barows) showed the way while pressed by Realize Sirius (Poetic Flare). The pace was steady, with the first 1000 metres covered in 1:00.70.
Realize Sirius passed Meisho Hachiko on the backstretch before opening up on the final bend, reaching 1800 metres in 1:48.50. Edging closer, Lovcen hit the 600-metre pole in the upper third of the field and was starting to roll as Realize Sirius set sail for the wire. Any one of six colts had a shot at the 100-metre mark, but Lovcen, in tandem with Peintre Naif, passed the rail-running Basse Terre (Kitasan Black) a few strides from the winning post to prevail. The margin between second and third was three-quarters of a length, with Basse Terra a nose to the good of Going To Sky (Contrail) in fourth.
“I still can’t believe I’m now a ‘Derby Jockey’,” said Kohei Matsuyama, who was claiming his 11 Group 1 victory on the JRA circuit. “It was surreal coming back to the stands and being greeted by the enormous cheering crowd–I couldn’t hold back the tears. To be honest, I did feel the pressure, as odds-on favorite and the hopes of notching two-thirds of the Triple Crown, but I believed in the colt and he gave his best and showed his true strength today.
“We weren’t able to sit in the most ideal position due to the wide draw but, as in the Hopeful Stakes, Lovcen showed an incredible turn of foot which proves his strength and versatility. He still has potential and we have a lot to look forward to.”
A winner of both of his juvenile starts culminating in the G1 Hopeful Stakes, the winner was third in his three-year-old bow to Realize Sirius in the G3 Kyodo News Hai in February. He righted the ship with a three-quarter length victory in the Japanese 2000 Guineas over that foe at Nakayama in April. Sunday’s effort was his first beyond 2000 metres.
Pedigree Notes
It has been well publicised that Lovcen is the first stakes winner for his sire, World Premiere. On the broodmare side, Giant’s Causeway is responsible for 251 stakes winners (126 graded/group). With his latest victory, Lovcen joins fellow Japanese runner Lemon Pop and South American star Super Nao as three-time Grade/Group 1 winners out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. The late son of Storm Cat is credited with 37 top-flight winners in that sphere, the best of them the successful stallion Gun Runner and turf luminary Lord North (Dubawi).
Lovcen’s placed dam Songwriting (Giant’s Causeway) brought $290,000 as a 2014 Keeneland September yearling, before catching the eye of Katsumi Yoshida at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for $800,000 and racing in Japan. Lovcen is her sixth foal and fifth winner. She has a yearling colt by Copano Rickey and was bred back to that stallion last spring.
Canadian Champion Older Mare and Lovcen’s granddam Embur’s Song (Unbridled’s Song) won three times at the graded level in the U.S. and Canada. The family also features U.S. Classic hero and sire Exaggerator.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
TOKYO YUSHUN (JAPANESE DERBY)-G1, ¥608,720,000, Tokyo, 5-31, 3y, c/f, 2400mT, 2:22.70, fm.
1–LOVCEN (JPN), 126, c, 3, by World Premiere (Jpn)
1st Dam: Songwriting, by Giant’s Causeway
2nd Dam: Embur’s Song, by Unbridled’s Song
3rd Dam: Embur Sunshine, by Bold Ruckus
O-Forest Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Haruki Sugiyama;
J-Kohei Matsuyama; ¥327,104,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-1,
¥640,320,000. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Peintre Naif (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Kizuna (Jpn)–Art Brut (Jpn), by
Makfi (GB). *1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Carrot Farm;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥127,744,000.
3–Basse Terre (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Mambia (GB),
by Aldebaran. *1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Silk Racing;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥78,872,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, NS. Odds: 1.70, 8.10, 33.00.
Also Ran: Going to Sky (Jpn), Matenro Gale (Jpn), Altramuz (Jpn), Realize Sirius (Jpn), Reichsadler (Jpn), Congestus (Jpn), Ask Edinburgh (Jpn), Audacia (Jpn), Forte Angelo (Jpn), Meisho Hachiko (Jpn), M’s Begin (Jpn), Kenton (Jpn), Green Energy (Jpn), Shonan Gulf (Jpn), Justin Vista (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.
【日本ダービー（GⅠ）】#松山弘平 騎手騎乗の #ロブチェン が優勝🏇
ロブチェンは皐月賞に続き、日本ダービーも制してクラシック二冠を達成‼️
松山騎手はダービージョッキーの称号を手にしました👑👏
🔽レース結果はこちらhttps://t.co/RKOPVbdsDI pic.twitter.com/Tt0elDnJLV
— JRA公式 (@JRA_Special) May 31, 2026
AloJapan.com