TOKYO Gold looked a champion when winning the Group 2 Derby Italiano at the Cappannelle in Rome last Sunday but, on closer inspection, the form probably equates to that of a listed Derby trial in England.

The 12-furlong race attracted 14 runners, including one from Britain, Ralph Beckett sending over the Juddmonte-owned Fabilis. That Frankel colt had previously finished second in a hot Sandown handicap off a mark of 91 and only finished ninth here.

Coincidentally, the winner of that Sandown race, Juan De Montalban, also ended up in the Italian Derby, having been sold out of Andrew Balding’s yard. Now trained by Raffaele Bioni, this Ballylinch Stud-bred son of Lope De Vega finished second in Rome.

Tokyo Gold is trained in France by Satoshi Kobayashi. A former assistant to John Hammond, Kobayashi reportedly moved to France after failing to pass the exams to become a trainer in Japan.

The Derby Italiano marked the trainer’s first group race success. Ridden by Cristian Demuro, Tokyo Gold was sent off the favourite at around 2/1. He came up the middle of the home straight and stretched clear inside the final furlong to win by four lengths.

Demuro was following up his classic win at ParisLongchamp a week earlier aboard Coeursamba, while his brother Mirco also got in on the act last weekend when winning the Japanese Oaks.

Tokyo Gold is by Kendargent out of a Dalakhani mare, so his grey colour is no surprise. He is owned and was bred by Teruya Yoshida, the prolific Japanese owner-breeder in whose colours Johnny Muratgh’s Group 1 winner Champers Elysees now runs.

Earlier in the day Demuro won the Group 3 Premio Carlo d’Alessio aboard the Irish-bred Baptism, a son of Sea The Stars bred at Stanley Lodge in Cashel by Tullpark Ltd. He was sold as a foal at Goffs for €460,000 and won for John Gosden and Cheveley Park Stud before being sold for 68,000gns to go to Italy.

On the same card the Group 2 Premio Presidente Della Repubblica over nine furlongs went to the Irish-bred Attimo Fuggente, a four-year-old by Exceed And Excel, who made all for a comfortable success.