Satono Diamond, Vazirabad win major races in Japan, France

Satono Diamond and Vazirabad won lucrative top-class distance races in Japan and France on Sunday.

Second in the Japanese Derby in the spring, Satono Diamond won the $2.53 million Japanese St. Leger for 3-year-olds at Kyoto Racecourse. Vazirabad won the $380,275 Prix Royal-Oak for the second consecutive year at Saint-Cloud Racecourse in Paris.

Satono Diamond, the 6-5 favorite, won the Grade 1 Japanese St. Leger at 1 7/8 miles on turf for colts and fillies for his first Grade 1 win. By Deep Impact, Satono Diamond was ridden by Christophe Lemaire for trainer Yasutoshi Ikee and owner Hajime Satomi.

Satono Diamond closed from the middle of the field of 18 to win by 2 1/2 lengths over 23-1 Rainbow Line. Air Spinel, a 19-1 shot, finished third, a nose behind Rainbow Line. Satono Diamond has won 5 of 7 starts.

Vazirabad, the 2-1 favorite, won the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak at 1 15/16 miles on turf by 1 3/4 lengths over 17-1 Endless Time, a 4-year-old filly who was second in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille at Chantilly on Sept. 11. A 4-year-old gelding, Vazirabad closed from the back of a field of 15 to take the lead in the final furlong.

Vazirabad has won 9 of 13 starts, including seven stakes.

Owned by the Aga Khan and trained by Alain de Royer Dupre, Vazirabad was second in the Group 1 Prix du Cadran at Chantilly on Oct. 2.