Straight Girl

Last year’s runnerup, the 6-year-old Straight Girl, is back for revenge and sitting pretty, just off a nice run in the Centaur Stakes. The daughter of Fuji Kiseki traveled to Hong Kong following the Sprinters Stakes last year and landed a third in the Hong Kong Sprint, then took on the Takamatsunomiya Kinen without a prep and ran 13th out of 18. Next out, however, in the Victoria Mile, her sixth top-level bid, she finally reached the winner’s circle. Sitting out the summer to recoup and refresh, she came back for a fourth-place finish in the Centaur Stakes (G2) earlier this month and looks nicely primed for her second G1 victory. She’s said to have overcome any hauling problems so the trip east shouldn’t raise issues and she’ll be looking for a fast track.

Uliuli

The 5-year-old Deep Impact-sired Uliuli looks like she may be something of a late bloomer. She was up and down throughout last year and though she did nab her first G3 in January of 2014 and a second in a G2 three months later, her two G1 bids ended in double-digit finishes. She started this year with a fifth but after being given shorter distances has made the money in all her four starts. Those included a win of the G3 CBC Sho in July and a second last out in the G2 Centaur Stakes despite having been drawn wide. She just missed out on taking the Summer Sprint Series.* Word is she’s matured a lot mentally and is up for a challenge. Her third G1 may prove the charm.

Bel Canto

Bel Canto, a fetching chestnut 4-year-old filly by champion sprinter Sakura Bakushin O, is coming off two wins in a row, both G3 events – the 1,000-meter Ibis Summer Dash, which she captured easily, and the 1,200-meter Kitakyushu Kinen. Though she won the G2 Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue in March of 2014, Bel Canto has at best a fifth at the G1 level (in last year’s Sprinters Stakes at Niigata). But, she has returned after time off in fine form and looks like she may have come into her own.

Active Minoru

Active Minoru, a 3-year-old colt by Statue of Liberty, topped the field of the G2 1,200-meter Centaur Stakes last out following a 5-month layoff. His only run at Nakayama was in the New Zealand Trophy the race prior to that where he finished 15th and was never a factor. He is said to have come out of his last race well. The high-strung colt has always had problems relaxing but his last spell looks to have done him well though connections say the focus is still on keeping him calm.

Ukiyono Kaze

Ukiyono Kaze, a 5-year-old mare by On Fire, has also just put two wins behind her, the last a win of the G3 Keeneland Cup over 1,200 meters at Sapporo. Though her five starts before that were all at the earning 16-million or less class, she did notch another win of a G3 in February 2013 and a second in the G3 Fairy Stakes at Nakayama the month before. Trainer Takanori Kikuzawa says he’s not surprised at her recent wins. “After all, she did win a graded race early on in her 3-year-old year. But problems with her legs meant she had to have a lot of time off. She’s solid now, thanks to having treated her with care.”

Mikki Isle

The 4-year-old Deep Impact-sired Mikki Isle, winner of the NHK Mile last year and third in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen this past March, ran 15th in his next and only other race after that, the Yasuda Kinen. Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi notes that it’s the miles his colt has done poorly at and says 6 furlongs will be just right. Mikki Isle will be racing for the first time since June.

Hakusan Moon

Hakusan Moon, a perpetual runnerup, will be back for his third Sprinters Stakes bid and hoping to capture his first G1. Second in the 2013 Sprinters Stakes, the 6-year-old by Admire Moon ran 13th last year but ran second in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen this year after a second in the G3 Ocean Stakes. In his first race since the March sprint, Hakusan Moon took on the G2 Centaur Stakes last out, but he faded in the stretch to finish eighth. Trainer Masato Nishizono is hoping the return to Nakayama will prove a plus.

Teehaff

After a poor year last year, Teehaff, a 5-year-old by Storming Home, has done an about-face, perhaps thanks to his new pairing with jockey Yusaku Kokubun. The Sheik Mohammed-owned Japan-bred Teehaff has finished in the top three spots in all of his six outings this year. The last two were at the G3 level, a win of the Hakodate Sprint Stakes on June 21 and a third in the Keeneland Cup last out, on Aug. 30. Both races were over the Sprinters distance and if he hadn’t run into traffic problems and missed his cue, says his connections, the Keeneland Cup results would likely have been better. The Sprinters Stakes will be only his second bid in a G1 ever. His first, as a 2-year-old ended with a fifth-place finish in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes.

* Summer Sprint Series: A series of six races (Hakodate Sprint Stakes, CBC Sho, Ibis Summer Dash, Kitakyushu Kinen, Keeneland Cup and Centaur Stakes) held from June to September. Runners are awarded points depending on their finish in these races, and the horse with the most points overall is declared Series Champion (based on a minimum requirement of 13 points and at least one win). The owner of the Series Champion receives prize money of 32 million yen and the stable connection 8 million yen.