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Seiun Kosei Captures First Grade-race Title in G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen

Fifth pick Seiun Kosei sired by Admire Moon captured his first graded title in this year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen. Making his debut in a 1,800m race in June of his two-year-old season, he scored his first win in a 1,200m race in his seventh career start as a three-year-old. Marking three more wins that year, he won his kickoff start this year in the open-class Yodo Tankyori Stakes (1,200m) in January and marked a runner-up effort in his first grade-race challenge in the Silk Road Stakes (G3, 1,200m) three weeks later. This win marked the sixth JRA-G1 victory for trainer Hiroyuki Uehara since winning the 2007 Mile Championship with Daiwa Major. For jockey Hideaki Miyuki, this is his second Takamatsunomiya Kinen title, his first being in 2008 with Fine Grain, and his sixth JRA-G1 victory following his win in the 2014 Champions Cup with Hokko Tarumae.

Four-year-old Seiun Kosei broke smoothly from stall six and rallied to take the lead but eventually settled in fourth to press the pace. Taking a wide route entering the lane, the chestnut exerted a tenacious stretch kick, overtaking the dueling Let’s Go Donki and Red Falx 100 meters out from the outside, and continued to accelerate strongly to widen the gap for a 1-1/4-length victory.

“I raced the colt for the first time but I found him easy to ride from when I rode him at the training. I was told by the trainer that he handled the soft ground well and he ran comfortably in the forward position. He felt really good from the beginning and although I was afraid that I may have slipped him out too early, I believed in him and urged him to go until the wire,” commented Hideaki Miyuki.

Making a good break, second pick Let’s Go Donki was eased back to around sixth from the rear. Finding a narrow gap by the rail at the top of the homestretch, the 5-year-old mare by King Kamehameha rallied strongly with Red Falx and Teehaff at first then with Red Falx in the last 100 meters and managed to edge over the race favorite for second place with her impressive late charge that timed the fastest over the last three furlongs.

Other Horses:
4th: (1) Teehaff—sat behind favorite along rails, rallied with 2nd&3rd-place finishers, weakened in last 100m
5th: (2) Fiero—saved ground in rear pack, accelerated between horses, timed 2nd fastest over last 3 furlongs
6th: (14) Talking Drum—ran 3-wide in mid-group, switched to outside at early stretch, showed belated charge
7th: (11) Snow Dragon—settled in mid-pack, showed effort but never a threat
8th: (17) Nac Venus—traveled 4-wide in mid-division, lacked needed kick on outer stretch
9th: (13) Solveig—raced 3-wide in mid-group, showed little at stretch
10th: (12) Melagrana—took wide trip toward rear, showed brief effort, unable to threaten
11th: (15) Hiruno Devaro—traveled near rear, turned wide, passed tired rivals
12th: (8) Bakushin Teio—sat in rear division, even paced at stretch
13th: (4) Rhein Spirit—set pace, sustained bid until 300m out, fell back gradually
14th: (10) Xmas—rated outside favorite in mid-pack, showed brief response until 200m marker
15th: (9) Shuji—pressed pace in 2nd, led briefly, dropped back after 300m out
16th: (18) Once in a Moon—ran outside eventual winner, unable to reach contention
17th: (5) Red Arion—trailed in rear, no factor throughout
18th: (16) Tosho Piste—positioned among leading trio, faded after top of stretch

THE 47TH TAKAMATSUNOMIYA KINEN (G1) —the 3rd leg of Global Sprint Challenge—
4-year-old & up, 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), turf, left-handed
Sunday, March 26, 2017    Chukyo Racecourse      11th Race        Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 212,280,000 (about US$ 1,845,913 <US$1=¥115>)
4-y-o & up: 57kg (about 126 lbs),
2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 1kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2013
Safety factor: 18 runners

1. 1.Seiun Kosei (JPN), chestnut, colt, 4-year-old
   Admire Moon / Observant (Capote)

   Owner: Shigeyuki Nishiyama	Breeder: Sakurai Bokujo
   Trainer: Hiroyuki Uehara	Jockey: Hideaki Miyuki
   15 Starts, 6 Wins
   Added money: ¥ 101,780,000	Career earnings: ¥ 196,199,000

   
   
2. 2.Let’s Go Donki (JPN), chestnut, mare, 5-year-old
   King Kamehameha / Marutoku (Marvelous Sunday)

   Owner: Hirosaki Toshihiro HD Co.,Ltd	Breeder: Shimizu Bokujo
   Trainer: Tomoyuki Umeda	Jockey: Yasunari Iwata

   
   
3. 3.Red Falx (JPN), gray, horse, 6-year-old
   Swept Overboard / Vermouth (Sunday Silence)

   Owner: TokyoHorseRacing Co., Ltd	Breeder: Shadai Farm
   Trainer: Tomohito Ozeki	Jockey: Mirco Demuro

* Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1)

The Takamatsunomiya Kinen, one of two G1 championship events for sprinters held by the JRA, was formerly named Takamatsunomiya Cup in honor of Prince Takamatsunomiya who presented the trophy to the winner in 1971. In 1996, the race was shortened from 2,000 meters to 1,200 meters and granted a Japanese Grade 1 status, thus becoming one of JRA’s two prominent short-distance races together with the Sprinters Stakes (G1, 1,200m), which became an international event in 1994.
The Takamatsunomiya Kinen, which received its current name in 1998, was designated an international race in 2001, welcomed its first two foreign participants—Disturbingthepeace (13th) and Echo Eddie (17th)—from the U.S. in 2003 and became part of the Global Sprint Challenge, the international championship series for sprinters, in 2011. The first of flat turf G1 events held annually, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen was temporarily shifted to Hanshin Racecourse in 2011 and was contested over the newly renovated track back at Chukyo in the following year with added challenges of an uphill stretch and a longer homestretch exceeding 400 meters.
Last year’s defending champion Big Arthur (JPN, H6, by Sakura Bakushin O) who set the race record of 1:06.7 avoided this year’s race due to a bruise on his right foreleg. Also, the retirement of Mikki Isle (JPN, by Deep Impact), who was awarded the 2016 Best Sprinter or Miler by coming in second in both G1 sprint events and winning the Mile Championship (G1, 1,600m) last year, was announced at the end of January.
This year’s race featured: last year’s Sprinters Stakes champion Red Falx who came off a 12th-place finish in the Hong Kong Sprint; Fiero who had come within the money in three G1 mile races before challenging in the sprint event for the first time; Solveig who was third in the Sprinters Stakes and came off a sixth-place finish in the Silk Road Stakes (G3, 1,200m; Jan.29); 2015 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m) victor Let’s Go Donki coming off a win in the Kyoto Himba Stakes (G3, 1,400m; Feb.18); Talking Drum who registered his first grade-race win in the Hankyu Hai (G3, 1,400m; Feb.26); Shuji, winner of the Hanshin Cup (G2, 1,400m) held last December and eighth in the Hankyu Hai; Melagrana who came off her first grade-race win in the Ocean Stakes (G3, 1,200m; Mar.4); and 2014 Sprinters Stakes champion Snow Dragon who finished eighth in the Ocean Stakes.