The Takamatsunomiya Kinen, one of two G1 championship events for sprinters held by the JRA, is also the third leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, the international championship series for sprinters which began in 2005. Aerovelocity (NZ), who won impressively last year for Hong Kong, subsequently won the KrisFlyer International Sprint in Singapore which boosted his chances for the Global Sprint Challenge bonus but was found to have suffered a heart irregularity and nose bleed after finishing last in the Premier Bowl (HK-G2) in October, forcing him to give up the challenge for the bonus in the Hong Kong Sprint in December. Healthy again for the Centenary Sprint Cup (HK-G1) on January 31, Aerovelocity promptly scored his fourth G1 title and marked his personal best in ratings at 119S which places him as the highest rated runner in the field in the 46th running of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen.

Meanwhile, the opposing Japanese field of this year includes a variety of promising runners including those who finished second and third last year.

Mikki Isle

Currently ranked the highest among the Japanese field is Mikki Isle (JPN, H5, by Deep Impact). Landing four grade-race titles including the NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m) during his three-year-old campaign, the speedy son of Deep Impact was considered best at a mile but showed good effort in his first test over 1,200 meters in the 2015 Takamatsunomiya Kinen. While the soft surface following fair amount of rain did not help and he was unable to reach the winner in the closing stages, Mikki Isle turned in an impressive performance from a sharp break with a good turn of foot at the stretch for a close third. He failed to show much last December in the Hong Kong Sprint, in which he chased the pace in second then dropped back to seventh at the finish, but bounced back in the Hankyu Hai (G3, 1,400m), dictating the pace throughout for a wire-to-wire victory in his prep start towards this year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen. He was rated 116S when third in his first Takamatsunomiya Kinen challenge last year and 113M after his victory this year in the Hankyu Hai.

Hakusan Moon

Hakusan Moon (JPN, H7, by Admire Moon), runner-up in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen last year, is also positioned as a highly rated sprinter along with Mikki Isle and is known for his good jump out of the gate and lasting speed to the finish. He has beaten the legendary Lord Kanaloa in the 2013 Centaur Stakes (G2, 1,200m) while carrying two kilos less, and although winless since, he demonstrated a remarkable degree of tenacity after being pressed for pace early this month in the Ocean Stakes (G3, 1,200m), covering the first half of the trip in 32.7 seconds and staying well at the stretch while beaten in the end by A Shin Bullseye. Making his fourth consecutive start in the coming sprint G1, he has come off the Ocean Stakes in all three of his past starts, finishing ninth, 13th and second place before his respective third, fifth and second-place finishes in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen between 2013 and 2015. He has proved consistent in all three G1 sprints at Chukyo regardless of the results in his preps and looks to be in good form again this year. With other runners such as Mikki Isle and Laurel Veloce predicted to join the contest for the lead, his chances in the race this year will heavily depend on the race development. He was rated 106S as of his runner-up effort in the Ocean Stakes and 116S as of his runner-up effort in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen last year.

A Shin Bullseye

A Shin Bullseye (USA, H5, by Belgravia) claimed his first grade-race victory with an eye-catching closing speed that swept past the front runners including Hakusan Moon to win by a comfortable margin. While the fast early pace worked to his advantage, he displayed a powerful turn of speed which will be put to the test against G1-company. His rating 110S is as of his victory in the Ocean Stakes.

Dance Director

Dance Director (JPN, H6, by Aldebaran) also score his first grade-race victory in the Silk Road Stakes (G3, 1,200m) in January this year but had already been highly regarded as a sprinter with runner-up efforts by close margins in the CBC Sho (G3, 1,200m) and the Hanshin Cup (G2, 1,400m) during 2015. If he is allowed to run a smooth race while securing a good position, he has a good chance for further success. His rating 111S,M is as of his victory in the Silk Road Stakes and his runner-up effort in the Hanshin Cup.

Snow Dragon

Snow Dragon (JPN, H8, by Admire Cozzene), winner of the 2014 Sprinters Stakes, was sidelined for 14 months with a leg problem but made an impressive comeback in the Ocean Stakes in which he kept close watch on A Shin Bullseye in mid-division and accelerated well for third place. The son of Admire Cozzene finished second in the 2014 Takamatsunomiya Kinen and while rated 105S for his third-place finish in the Ocean Stakes, he is rated 115S for his 2014 Sprinters Stakes victory.

Let’s Go Donki

Let’s Go Donki (JPN, F4, by King Kamehameha) is a four-year-old filly who has a good chance in the coming sprint G1. While raced mainly at a mile distance or beyond during her three-year-old season, she held great potential to race at shorter distances, making use of her outstanding speed which has allowed her to win wire-to-wire by an overwhelming four-length margin in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m). She was unsuccessful in her first test at 1,400 meters in the Hankyu Hai, unable to close the gap and finishing sixth after chasing Mikki Isle in second early in the race. However, judging from her time during workout over the 800-meter uphill training course at Ritto, she has every reason to handle the 1,200-meter distance. Her rating 112M is as of her victory in the Oka Sho last year.

Albiano

Albiano (USA, F4, by Harlan’s Holiday), a runner-up in the NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m) and winner of the Swan Stakes (G2, 1,400m) last year, was sent to post race favorite in this year’s Oceans Stakes and while forced to race behind early and meeting traffic at the stretch, the Harlan’s Holiday filly accelerated well in the closing stages for fifth. Although her entry in the race is still uncertain as her connections may choose not to run her this time, it would add excitement to the race if she does start. Her rating 110M is as of her victory in the Swan Stakes and also as of her fifth-place finish in the 2015 Mile Championship (G1, 1,600m).

Big Arthur (JPN, H5, by Sakura Bakushin O) won the 2015 Okazaki Tokubetsu (Allowance, 1,200m) in 1:08.6 at Chukyo Racecourse on the same day as the Takamatsunomiya Kinen which Aerovelocity won over the same distance in 1:08.5. While the pace and race development differed between the two races, the fact that the son of Sakura Bakushin O was just 0.1 seconds short of Hong Kong’s sprint champion made a great impact. Although still yet to claim a grade-race title, Big Arthur has been race favorite in all nine starts since his second career race which shows how much expectation there is for the talented sprinter. His rating 108S,M is as of his victory in the 2015 Opal Stakes (Listed, 1,200m), his runner-up effort in the Keihan Hai (G3, 1,200m) and third-place finish in the Hanshin Cup.