Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) - Preview

Japanese Grade 1 competition returns to the turf on Sunday afternoon at Chukyo Racecourse with the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, and while the 1,200-meter race again failed to entice runners from overseas, it promises to be as closely contested as ever with a wide-open full field of 18.

Chukyo Racecourse

The only G1 race organized at the track just outside of Nagoya, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen opens into a straight of 400 meters at the back before a looping left-handed turn that leads into the 314-meter home stretch. The 1,200-meter course at Chukyo is a fair course, with the long run from the stalls and the flat, final straight giving all horses an opportunity at the 95 million yen first-place prize money.

The Takamatsunomiya Kinen was founded in 1967 as the Chukyo Daishoten, before the race for 3-year-olds & up at set weights was renamed in 1971 as the Takamatsunomiya Hai-in honor of the trophy presented by Prince Takamatsu. For long, the race was held at 2,000 meters in the summer time, but in 1996, with the revision of the Japan Racing Association's sprint program, the race was given its current G1 status and distance and set for May. The Takamatsunomiya Kinen took on its existing name in 1998 and two years later, was fixed for the final weekend in March as the prime sprint competition of the spring season for 4-year-olds and above.

This year's race will be tough to call even for the most experienced of punters, with close to half the field having a legitimate shot to take home the honors, from defending champion Fine Grain to Sprinters Stakes winner Sleepless Night to rising star Faridat.

The following are the major players for the 39th running of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen:

SLEEPLESS NIGHT: Named the JRA's top sprinter in 2008, this 5-year-old daughter of Kurofune boasts an impeccable record at 1,200 meters. Sleepless Night has won nine of 10 at six furlongs, with one second-place finish; the last three victories have come on turf, including the 1 1/4-length win in the Oct. 5 Sprinters Stakes. She has never failed to reach the board in 16 career starts, and even made a G1 winner out of 17-year veteran jockey Hiroyuki Uemura, who had never won at the highest grade until the Sprinters Stakes. The one knock on Sleepless Night ahead of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen-and it's one that she could very conceivably overcome given her quality-is that trainer Kojiro Hashiguchi's mare has not raced since the Sprinters Stakes. While a layoff of six months, forced by a rash, is not particularly encouraging material, Hashiguchi remains convinced that Sleepless Night will awaken when post time comes around. With the two-kilogram handicap given to female entries, Uemura's mount should end up as the favorite on Sunday.		Sleepless Night
FINE GRAIN: His last victory dates back to last year's Takamatsunomiya Kinen, which he won by a neck ahead of Kinshasa no Kiseki who will also race on Sunday. Since becoming a Grade 1 winner, the Shadai Race Horse-owned Fine Grain has struggled to live up to his billing, finishing no better than third-at the Mile Championship in November-in five starts. Following a three-month break, he bombed to 11th with 59 kilograms in his first race this year, the 1,400-meter Hankyu Hai on March 1 at Hanshin where he has generally disappointed. Yet back on the flat Chukyo surface at 57 kilograms, Fine Grain will be expected to vastly improve on his last finish. With long-time partner Hideaki Miyuki in the saddle again, the Fuji Kiseki 6-year-old cannot be overlooked just yet.		Fine Grain
KINSHASA NO KISEKI: The 6-year-old horse settled for silver in the two Grade 1 sprint races last year, finishing a neck behind Fine Grain in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and trailing Sleepless Night by a length and a quarter in the Sprinters Stakes. Like Fine Grain, the popular Kinshasa no Kiseki has started the year on a down note, with a 10th-place showing in the Grade 3 Ocean Stakes at Nakayama on March 7. But the son of Fuji Kiseki is much too talented to stay down, and with one race under his belt, the Aussie-bred should look more like a horse on the cusp of G1 glory. Showing the way for Kinshasa no Kiseki will be jockey Yasunari Iwata, who rode him in both G1 races in 2008 and knows a thing or two about winning big races. A miracle could finally be in store for Kinshasa no Kiseki this Sunday.		Kinshasa no Kiseki
B B Guldan: The only minus going into Sunday for this 5-year-old son of Chief Bearhart is the absence of partner Katsumi Ando, who is committed to Casino Drive for the weekend at the Dubai World Cup. Filling in for the big-race veteran is Koshiro Take, who has won his share of Grade 1 titles but with all due respect, is no Ando. B B Guldan is coming off a strong length and a quarter win in the Hankyu Hai earlier this month, a performance strong enough to even wow Ando. That the horse, who took third in last year's Sprinters Stakes, did it in his first start after a layoff of three months makes it all the more impressive. Clearly, trainer Masazo Ryoke knows what he's doing with B B Guldan who should be in even better form for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. All the pieces appear to be in place for him to become a G1 winner, and it's now up to the younger Take to make him one.		B B Guldan
LAUREL GUERREIRO: Another 5-year-old who is on the brink of joining Grade 1 company, the Mitsugu Kon-trained Laurel Guerreiro set the pace and took second to B B Guldan in the 1,400-meter Hankyu Hai. While he is admirable at 1,400 meters, Laurel Guerreiro's hard-running tactics probably makes the horse a tougher matchup at 1,200 meters. He seems to run well when Shinji Fujita has the reins, and the jockey will be in the driver's seat again this Sunday. Kon says he did not work Laurel Guerreiro particularly hard for the Hankyu Hai, and assures that the King Halo son will be in improved form for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, in which he finished fourth last year. If Laurel Guerreiro has a sizeable lead turning for home, he will be difficult to catch on the flat, short straight at Chukyo. Definitely cannot be ignored.		Laurel Guerreiro (Left)
FARIDAT: The 4-year-old colt by Kingmambo out of former Japanese Grade 1 sprinting champion Believe, Faridat has been surrounded by hype from the very beginning of his career. With big-race rider Hirofumi Shii in the saddle, the Shigeki Matsumoto-trained star has been the favorite in two of his last three races, and barring a severely poor workout this week, the blueblood should be among the top picks again for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. But Faridat, who came in seventh in the Hankyu Hai, will need to start proving that he is worth the hype. The Takamatsunomiya Kinen will be his first G1 test, and will expose the horse for better or worse. At 4 years of age, Faridat still has plenty of races to show the world the best is ahead of him. But a respectable performance will be necessary on Sunday for people to keep talking about him the way they have.		Faridat
URBANITY: The Shadai-bred and -owned 5-year-old has emerged as the darkhorse in the field after winning a pair of 1,200-meter races at Nakayama on back-to-back weekends, the second of which was the Grade 3 Ocean Stakes, a half-length victory over fellow Takamatsunomiya Kinen nomination Cosmo Bell. Urbanity entered the Ocean Stakes at the urging of Norihiro Yokoyama, who was duly impressed by the horse's win in the Korea Racing Authority Trophy the week before, and the jockey was proven right about his partner's quality. A clear late bloomer, the son of Manhattan Cafe has nothing to lose here and with red-hot Yokoyama in the irons again, it will be difficult to pass up on Urbanity, despite his inexperience on the big stage.		Urbanity
DRAGON FANG: While it would be cruel to expect the 4-year-old son of legendary sprinter Taiki Shuttle to become anything like his father, Dragon Fang is certainly making his case. The colt has all of nine career starts, but has won four and come in second three times; he was third in the Hankyu Hai-his first graded challenge-and his lowest finish to date has been sixth. The Takamatsunomiya Kinen will be a big jump for him, but it wouldn't be too shocking if Dragon Fang, whose best race is still ahead of him, cleared it on his first try.		Dragon Fang
URBAN STREET: This year's Silk Road Stakes winner could be a tough sell, with the 5-year-old horse having won the 1,200-meter race at Kyoto on 54 kilograms. Urban Street will be shouldering three more kilograms on Sunday against much stiffer competition, and the Swept Overboard offspring will have to be at his absolute best to stand a chance. But two elements work in his favor: the Chukyo track, where Urban Street has won three of his six career victories, and the jockey, Yuichi Fukunaga, who has staged more than his share of shockers at the Grade 1 level. The Takamatsunomiya Kinen will be a make-or-break race for this horse.		Urban Street