Uma profile
Satono Diamond
Satono Diamond—often affectionately shortened to Dia—carries herself like a true young lady, all polish, grace, and quiet good breeding. A Middle School student living in Ritto Dormitory, she gives an immediate impression of elegance, but that softness is only half the picture. Her official image is built around a simple, striking contrast: a sheltered and gentle girl raised with abundant love, yet possessed of a will “as strong as a diamond.” For Dia, fate is not something to submit to. It is something to challenge, outshine, and remake through effort.
That conviction sits at the heart of her character. Satono Diamond is defined by her determination to defy bad luck and superstition in order to fulfill her family’s dream, and that gives her refinement a dramatic edge. Her self-introduction says it plainly: “Fate is never decided from the start. I will make the future shine with my running!” It is an idealistic line, but in her case it does not sound airy or naïve. It sounds steadfast. Even her catchphrase glitters with that same sense of belief: everyone is trusting in her victory, and so Dia will shine.
In day-to-day details, she feels especially vivid. She refers to herself as Watashi or Dia, and addresses her mentor as Trainer-san, fitting her courteous, composed manner. She is 158 cm tall, with a recorded weight of No change, and is noted for small, almost storybook touches: ears with a clear, glossy sheen, and a tail said to be exceptionally soft to the touch. Voiced by Hina Tachibana, she has the kind of profile that mixes refinement with endearing humanity. She never forgets promises, excels at crane games, treasures a jukebox from her father, and—charmingly—turns out to be not very good at slurping ramen.
Her weaknesses make that noble image feel more grounded rather than less. Rain and walking through crowds trouble her, a reminder that poise does not mean invulnerability. The same goes for her family background: she comes from wealth, and her father is described as a distinguished and philanthropic figure in the horse girl world, but the important part is not luxury for its own sake. With Satono Diamond, the emphasis stays on sincerity, duty, and the wish to live up to something larger than herself.
Her relationship context also gives her profile extra sparkle. Kitasan Black is especially central to her world: roommate, stablemate, and rival all at once, which immediately suggests a close and meaningful connection even without overstating it. She is also listed alongside Mejiro McQueen and Satono Crown as related names. Altogether, Dia comes across as a character of luminous contrasts—genteel but stubborn, pampered yet earnest, delicate in manner yet unafraid to push back against fate itself.
Sources
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Same races
Same Races
8 shared rivals
Latest: ARIMA KINEN (THE GRAND PRIX) · 2018-12-23
Latest: ARIMA KINEN (THE GRAND PRIX) · 2018-12-23
Latest: ARIMA KINEN (THE GRAND PRIX) · 2018-12-23
Latest: JAPAN CUP in association with LONGINES · 2018-11-25
Latest: TENNO SHO (SPRING) · 2017-04-30
Latest: ARIMA KINEN (THE GRAND PRIX) · 2018-12-23
Latest: JAPAN CUP in association with LONGINES · 2018-11-25
Latest: TAKARAZUKA KINEN · 2018-06-24
Related Umas
3 total · 3 linked
Rivals
1 total · 1 linked
Stablemates
1 total · 1 linked
Mentioned By Related Umas
2 profiles
Mentioned By Rivals
1 profile
Satono Diamond (サトノダイヤモンド) was a Japanese Classic winner and one of the leading colts of his generation, capturing both the Kikuka Sho and the Arima Kinen during a championship three-year-old season in 2016. The bay son of Deep Impact retired with eight wins from 18 starts, more than ¥865 million in JRA earnings, and a record that placed him prominently within Japanese middle- and long-distance racing of the late 2010s.
Career at a glance
Track record
Featured races
Finished 1st · G1 · at Kyoto · over 3000m · Kyoto (JP)
Finished 1st · G1 · at Nakayama · over 2500m · Nakayama (JP)
Finished 1st · G2 · at Hanshin · over 3000m · Hanshin (JP)
At a glance
Origins and pedigree
Foaled on 30 January 2013, Satono Diamond was bred by Northern Farm. He was a product of one of the defining sire lines in modern Japanese racing: his sire, Deep Impact, was a son of Sunday Silence and Wind in Her Hair. Satono Diamond’s dam was the Argentine-bred Malpensa, whose sire was Orpen and whose dam was Marsella.
The family also included Linate, Satono Genesis, and Marchesa. Linate later won the 2019 UHB Sho, while Satono Genesis became a multiple winner in Japan. That depth complemented Satono Diamond’s place among the many high-profile runners by Deep Impact.
His commercial standing was evident well before his racing debut. Offered at the 2013 Select Sale, he brought ¥241.5 million. He subsequently raced for Satomi Horse Company Co. Ltd. and was trained throughout his career by Yasutoshi Ikee at Ritto.
Racing career
An unbeaten introduction
Satono Diamond made a faultless start to racing in late 2015. With Christophe Lemaire riding, he won his debut over 2,000 metres on soft turf at Kyoto on 8 November, defeating Leukerbad in a ten-runner field.
He returned at Hanshin on 26 December for another 2,000-metre event, this time on ground described as good to soft. Facing 14 rivals, he again finished first, with Queen’s Best in second. Those two victories established an unbeaten foundation before he moved into graded company as a three-year-old.
His first major examination came in the Grade 3 Kisaragi Sho at Kyoto in February 2016. Dropping to 1,800 metres on good turf, he won from Les Planches and extended his record to three victories from three starts. It was an important transition from promising juvenile to leading Classic prospect.
The 2016 Classics
Satono Diamond entered Japan’s three-year-old championship races with an unbeaten record, but his first two Classic appearances brought close defeats rather than victory. In the Satsuki Sho, the Japanese 2,000 Guineas, he finished third behind Dee Majesty over 2,000 metres at Nakayama. The race drew a full field of 18 and marked his first defeat.
Six weeks later he stepped up to 2,400 metres for the Tokyo Yushun, or Japanese Derby. Satono Diamond improved to second but was beaten by Makahiki. Although he had now placed in two of the season’s principal Classics, a top-level victory still remained beyond him.
His autumn campaign changed that. Returning at Hanshin in September, he won the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai over 2,400 metres, defeating Mikki Rocket. The result restored his winning sequence and prepared him for the longest race of the Japanese Triple Crown.
At Kyoto on 23 October, Satono Diamond contested the Kikuka Sho, the Japanese St Leger, over 3,000 metres. Ridden by Lemaire, he defeated Rainbow Line in an 18-runner field to secure his first Grade 1 victory. After finishing on the podium in both the Satsuki Sho and Tokyo Yushun, the Kikuka Sho completed his progression into a Japanese Classic winner and confirmed his effectiveness over an extended distance.
Career at a glance
- Foaled: 30 January 2013
- Breeder: Northern Farm
- Owner: Satomi Horse Company Co. Ltd.
- Trainer: Yasutoshi Ikee, Ritto
- Race record: 18 starts, 8 wins, 1 second, 3 thirds
- JRA earnings: ¥865.12 million
- Major Grade 1 wins: Kikuka Sho and Arima Kinen, both in 2016
- Award: JRA Best Three-Year-Old Colt, 2016
- Other major wins: Kisaragi Sho, Kobe Shimbun Hai, Hanshin Daishoten, and Kyoto Daishoten
Defining races
Kikuka Sho: the Classic breakthrough
The 2016 Kikuka Sho was the race that converted Satono Diamond’s strong Classic-season form into a Grade 1 success. His earlier third in the Satsuki Sho and second in the Japanese Derby had demonstrated his standing within the generation, but the 3,000-metre contest at Kyoto supplied the victory that defined him as a Classic winner.
It also highlighted the range of his campaign. During 2016 he won graded races at 1,800, 2,400, and 3,000 metres, while placing at Grade 1 level over 2,000 and 2,400 metres. The Kikuka Sho was therefore not an isolated staying performance, but the culmination of a season in which he competed successfully across Japan’s principal middle- and long-distance tests for three-year-olds.
Arima Kinen: victory against older horses
Satono Diamond’s most prestigious success came two months later in the Arima Kinen at Nakayama. Run over 2,500 metres on 25 December, the Grade 1 Grand Prix placed the three-year-old against an all-aged field that included Kitasan Black, Cheval Grand, and Sounds of Earth.
Satono Diamond defeated Kitasan Black, adding an all-aged championship race to his autumn Classic. The result was significant because it extended his achievement beyond his own generation: after winning the Kikuka Sho against fellow three-year-olds, he closed the year by defeating established older opposition at the highest level.
That combination of victories secured the JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt of 2016. His season had included three graded wins, two of them at Grade 1 level, as well as placings in the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown.
Hanshin Daishoten and the rematch with Kitasan Black
Satono Diamond opened his four-year-old campaign in March 2017 with victory in the Grade 2 Hanshin Daishoten. Racing over 3,000 metres, he defeated Cheval Grand and demonstrated that the stamina shown in the Kikuka Sho remained a major part of his racing profile.
He then advanced to the 3,200-metre Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto. There he again met Kitasan Black, the horse he had beaten in the previous year’s Arima Kinen. This time Kitasan Black prevailed, while Satono Diamond finished third in a field of 17. The result maintained Satono Diamond’s high-level record over long distances, but reversed the order from their important Nakayama meeting.
France and a difficult international campaign
Later in 2017, Satono Diamond travelled to France. His preparatory start came in the Grade 2 Prix Foy over 2,400 metres at Longchamp, where he finished fourth of six behind Dschingis Secret on soft turf.
Three weeks later he contested the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe over the same distance and course. Facing 17 rivals on another soft surface, he finished 15th behind Enable. The French campaign represented a sharp change from his earlier successes in Japan and became the principal setback of his four-year-old season.
Kyoto Daishoten: a return to winning form
Satono Diamond resumed racing in Japan in 2018. He finished third behind Suave Richard in the Kinko Sho, then seventh to the same rival in the Osaka Hai. A sixth-place finish behind Mikki Rocket in the Takarazuka Kinen followed in June.
His return to the winner’s enclosure came at Kyoto in October. Ridden by Yuga Kawada, he won the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten over 2,400 metres, defeating Red Genova in an 11-runner field. It was his first victory since the Hanshin Daishoten more than 18 months earlier and showed that he could still produce a major performance after the difficulties of his French trip and the winless first half of 2018.
His final two recorded starts came in major Grade 1 races. He finished sixth behind Almond Eye in the Japan Cup at Tokyo and occupied the same position behind Blast Onepiece in the Arima Kinen at Nakayama.
Connections and racing profile
Satono Diamond’s principal human connections remained notably consistent. He raced for Satomi Horse Company Co. Ltd. under the care of Yasutoshi Ikee at Ritto. Christophe Lemaire rode him throughout his rise, including his two juvenile wins, the Kisaragi Sho, all three Japanese Classics, the Kobe Shimbun Hai, the Arima Kinen, and his principal races as a four-year-old.
His major results depict a versatile middle- and long-distance performer. He won from 1,800 to 3,000 metres, with his most important successes coming over 2,500 metres in the Arima Kinen and 3,000 metres in the Kikuka Sho. He was also effective at 2,400 metres, winning the Kobe Shimbun Hai and Kyoto Daishoten and finishing second in the Japanese Derby.
As a stalker, he was associated with a racing profile suited to staying in touch with the contest before making his challenge. More broadly, his results showed adaptability across several Japanese courses: he recorded significant victories at Kyoto, Hanshin, and Nakayama, while his Japanese Derby second came at Tokyo.
Retirement and legacy
Retired as a stallion after a compact four-season career, Satono Diamond left racing with eight wins, one second, and three thirds from 18 starts. His JRA earnings were ¥865.12 million, reflecting sustained competition at the top level as well as his victories in two of Japan’s most important Grade 1 races.
His lasting reputation rests principally on the autumn of 2016. The Kikuka Sho established him as a Classic winner; the Arima Kinen then showed that his quality extended to all-aged competition. Together, those performances earned him championship recognition and secured his position among the notable Japanese colts of the Deep Impact era.
His later career added further dimensions to that record. Victory in the Hanshin Daishoten confirmed his staying ability at four, the French campaign tested him in international company, and the Kyoto Daishoten supplied a meaningful return to form at five. He retired as a Japanese Classic hero, an Arima Kinen winner, and an important representative of Northern Farm and Deep Impact’s far-reaching influence.
Sources
- netkeiba: Satono Diamond profile, pedigree, and race record
- JBIS-Search: Satono Diamond
- netkeiba: 2016 Kisaragi Sho
- netkeiba: 2016 Satsuki Sho
- netkeiba: 2016 Tokyo Yushun
- netkeiba: 2016 Kobe Shimbun Hai
- netkeiba: 2016 Kikuka Sho
- netkeiba: 2016 Arima Kinen
- netkeiba: 2017 Hanshin Daishoten
- netkeiba: 2017 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- netkeiba: 2018 Kyoto Daishoten
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satono_Diamond
- https://en.netkeiba.com/db/race/201508050205/
- https://en.netkeiba.com/db/race/201509050707/
More photographs
IRL image archive
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| Date | Race | Grade | Course | Going | Dist | Pos | Draw | Jockey | Wgt | SP | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-12-23 |
ARIMA KINEN (THE GRAND PRIX)
|
G1 | Nakayama (JP) | Good to Soft | 2500 m | 6 | 6 | B.Avdulla | 57.0 kg | 18.1 | 2:32.8 |
| 2018-11-25 |
JAPAN CUP in association with LONGINES
|
G1 | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 2400 m | 6 | 3 | Joao Moreira | 57.0 kg | 7.1 | 2:21.9 |
| 2018-10-08 |
KYOTO DAISHOTEN
|
G2 | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 2400 m | 1 | 2 | Yuga Kawada | 57.0 kg | 2.3 | 2:25.4 |
| 2018-06-24 |
TAKARAZUKA KINEN
|
G1 | Hanshin (JP) | Good to Soft | 2200 m | 6 | 3 | Christophe Lemaire | 58.0 kg | 3.9 | 2:12.4 |
| 2018-04-01 |
OSAKA HAI
|
G1 | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 2000 m | 7 | 2 | Keita Tosaki | 57.0 kg | 4.0 | 1:59.2 |
| 2018-03-11 |
KINKO SHO
|
G2 | Chukyo (JP) | Good to Soft | 2000 m | 3 | 5 | Christophe Lemaire | 57.0 kg | 3.3 | 2:01.9 |
| 2017-10-01 |
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
|
G1 | Longchamp (FR) | Soft | 2400 m | 15 | 9 | Christophe Lemaire | 59.5 kg | 0.0 | - |
| 2017-09-10 |
Prix Foy
|
G2 | Longchamp (FR) | Soft | 2400 m | 4 | 5 | Christophe Lemaire | 58.0 kg | 0.0 | 2:36.4 |
| 2017-04-30 |
TENNO SHO (SPRING)
|
G1 | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 3200 m | 3 | 15 | Christophe Lemaire | 58.0 kg | 2.5 | 3:12.7 |
| 2017-03-19 |
HANSHIN DAISHOTEN
|
G2 | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 3000 m | 1 | 9 | Christophe Lemaire | 57.0 kg | 1.1 | 3:02.6 |
| 2016-12-25 |
ARIMA KINEN (THE GRAND PRIX)
|
G1 | Nakayama (JP) | Good | 2500 m | 1 | 11 | Christophe Lemaire | 55.0 kg | 2.6 | 2:32.6 |
| 2016-10-23 |
KIKUKA SHO (JAPANESE ST.LEGER)
|
G1 | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 3000 m | 1 | 3 | Christophe Lemaire | 57.0 kg | 2.3 | 3:03.3 |
| 2016-09-25 |
KOBE SHIMBUN HAI
|
G2 | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 2400 m | 1 | 14 | Christophe Lemaire | 56.0 kg | 1.2 | 2:25.7 |
| 2016-05-29 |
TOKYO YUSHUN (JAPANESE DERBY)
|
G1 | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 2400 m | 2 | 8 | Christophe Lemaire | 57.0 kg | 3.8 | 2:24.0 |
| 2016-04-17 |
SATSUKI SHO (JAPANESE 2000 GUINEAS)
|
G1 | Nakayama (JP) | Good | 2000 m | 3 | 11 | Christophe Lemaire | 57.0 kg | 2.7 | 1:58.3 |
| 2016-02-07 |
KISARAGI SHO (NHK SHO)
|
G3 | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 1800 m | 1 | 9 | Christophe Lemaire | 56.0 kg | 1.2 | 1:46.9 |
| 2015-12-26 |
2yo ALW (1 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Hanshin (JP) | Good to Soft | 2000 m | 1 | 11 | Christophe Lemaire | 55.0 kg | 1.2 | 2:03.8 |
| 2015-11-08 |
2yo DBT
|
Maiden | Kyoto (JP) | Soft | 2000 m | 1 | 6 | Christophe Lemaire | 55.0 kg | 1.6 | 2:03.8 |
Citations
Race Result Sources
AI Race Import 2026-07-10 12:12 UTC
Imported and enriched race results from supported racing sources.