by Mike Curry

Captain Thule duplicated a victory his sire, Agnes Tachyon, achieved seven years ago as he cruised to a front-running score in the $1,775,962 Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas) on Sunday at Nakayama.

Sent off as the seventh betting choice in the 18-horse field, Captain Thule went immediately to the lead under jockey Yuga Kawada, responded when challenged in the stretch, and drove to a comfortable 2 1/2-length triumph.

Trained by Hideyuki Mori, the Shadai Farm homebred earned his second career stakes victory and improved to three wins in seven starts. Captain Thule entered off a fourth-place finish on March 9 at Nakayama in the Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho, which was won by Japanese Two Thousand Guineas favorite Meiner Charles.

Captain Thule turned the tables on that foe in the 2,000-meter (9.94-furlong) Japanese Two Thousand Guineas. He covered the distance in 2:01.70 on firm turf.

Agnes Tachyon won the Japanese Two Thousand Guineas by 1 1/2 lengths in 2001.

Runner-up Take Mikazuchi, third in the Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho, nipped Meiner Charles by a nose.

Shonan Alba, one of a limited number of foals by his sire, dual classic winner and champion War Emblem, was unplaced.

The Japanese Two Thousand Guineas has served as a springboard to stellar careers for two-time Japanese Horse of the Year Deep Impact, winner of the 2005 Two Thousand Guineas; champion Meisho Samson, who won the ‘06 edition en route to champion three-year-old male honors; and two-time Japanese champion sprinter Daiwa Major, who won the classic in ’04.

Captain Thule is out of Japanese stakes winner Air Thule, by Tony Bin.

Mike Curry is Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor