[3] Sol Oriens' father is Kitasan Black, who was owned by enka singer Saburo Kitajima, won seven GI races during his career.

His half-brother Vin de Garde won the G2 Fuji Stakes as well as finishing 2nd and 3rd in the GI Dubai Turf in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

[5] In November 2021, Sol Oriens suffered a mild fracture in his left hind leg.

"[7] On September 8, 2022, Sol Oriens passed his gate test at Miho training center.

[11] Sol Oriens made his debut at the Tokyo Racecourse on November 13 in a 2-year-old newcomer race on turf (1800m).

"[12] Sol Oriens was scheduled to run on January 15, 2023, at the Keisei Hai at the Nakayama Racecourse.

Despite veering outwards, he corrected himself and unleashed his powerful legs in the homestretch, breaking through the rest of the field.

"[15][16][17] On February 17, it was announced that Sol Oriens would run directly at the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) without using a trial race.

Starting from the innermost gate, he chose to avoid the rough inner part of the track, staying towards the back.

Putting in a strong finishing kick, he overtook Tastiera, who was in a good position forward, winning the race with an undefeated record and claiming his first Grade 1 victory.

[21][22][23] It was the first time in history that a horse that used the Keisei Hai as a preparatory race to win in the Satsuki Sho.

If there was a chance of losing, it might have been due to the pace of the race or if there were stronger horses, but his condition was outstanding, and I was confident from his warm-ups.

"[25] Shadai Farm owner Teruya Yoshida said, "When he drew the innermost gate, I thought it would be tough.

Shadai Racehorse owner Tetsuya Yoshida commented, "This pedigree is challenging to control, but this horse was relatively calm, so it may have worked out in a positive direction.

"[26] Sol Oriens was registered to the Japanese Derby (Tōkyō Yūshun), and the horse underwent training smoothly without any incidents leading up to the race.

This marked the third instance in the history of graded races where an undefeated horse who won the Satsuki Sho drew gate 5 in the Derby, following Symboli Rudolf in 1984, Deep Impact in 2005, and Contrail in 2020.

All three of these horses went on to become undefeated Triple Crown winners, and notably, Contrail also drew gate 1 for the Satsuki Sho.

The race was led by Pax Ottomanica, who won the Principal Stakes, and set a slow pace as the head of the pack.

In the final stretch, they held off late challengers, Hearts Concerto on the outside and Bellagio Opera, ridden by Takeshi's older brother Kazuo Yokoyama, from the inside.

However, they couldn't catch Tastiera, whom Sol Oriens had defeated previously in the Satsuki Sho, finishing in second place, just a neck behind.

[29][30] Takeshi Yokoyama, who rode the favorite Efforia, finished second to Shahryar two years ago on the same race.

[31] The owner Shadai Racehorse was also unable to complete the double crown with Isla Bonita back in 2014.