Lovcen Targeting Japanese Triple Crown Triumph

The feature race of the coming weekend is the Kikuka Sho (G1), the final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown for 3-year-olds, held Oct. 25 at Kyoto Racecourse. Forest Racing's Lovcen (JPN), winner of the Satsuki Sho (G1) and Tokyo Yushun (G1), the first and second leg of Japan's Triple Crown, tries to become the ninth horse to sweep the three pinnacles. Lovcen, by World Premiere (JPN), is out of Giant's Causeway's Songwriting, who was bought at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for $800,000 by Katsumi Yoshida. She was disappointing on the track, failing to win a race through eight starts. Songwriting retired to Yoshida's Northern Farm and Lovcen is her sixth foal. Lovcen was offered at Northern Farm's Mixed Sale, which was held annually as a broodmare sale until Northern Farm began adding weanlings to the catalog in 2023. He was bought for ¥21 million (approx. US$139,294 at the exchange rate on day of sale) by Gaen Kogyo on behalf of Forest Racing. Songwriting was offered at Northern Farm's Mixed Sale in 2024, when she was in foal to Copano Lucky (JPN), and was bought by Sachiaki Kobayashi for ¥5 million (approx. US$33,165). Lovcen spent his summer break at Northern Farm after the Tokyo Yushun and returned to Haruki Sugiyama's stable in Ritto Training Center Aug. 19 to resume full training. He was prepped Sept. 21 in the Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2) at Hanshin Racecourse and won it while defeating Altramuz (JPN) by a nose.