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Mad Cool Claims First G1 Victory in Takamatsunomiya Kinen

Just missing by a nose in second in the Sprinters Stakes last fall, Mad Cool, who was sent to post sixth favorite in this year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen, landed his first grade-race and G1 title. Debuting in January of his three-year-old season, the son of Dark Angel broke his maiden in his third career start and concluded the season with four consecutive wins. Registering his fifth victory in the listed Shunrai Stakes (Listed, 1,200m), on yielding going, the gray colt finished second by a nose to Mama Cocha in his first G1 challenge, the Sprinter Stakes (G1, 1,200m) and capped off his four-year-old campaign in Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Sprint (G1, 1,200m) in which he was eighth. Trainer Manabu Ikezoe collected his second JRA-G1 title after the 2022 Hopeful Stakes with Dura Erede while jockey Ryusei Sakai, whose last G1 victory was with Lemon Pop in the 2023 Champions Cup, registered his fifth career JRA-G1 title.

Mad Cool broke sharply to come out to the front, soon joined by Victor The Winner and Win Carnelian from the outside, and raced close to the pace while hugging the rails in second or third. Still keeping the inside route turning for home, the powerful gray inherited the lead as the pacesetter weakened at the uphill stretch and continued to pull away while chased by fast-closing Namura Clair from behind to hold off that foe by a head for his first G1 victory.

“I am so glad to have won this race after our narrow defeat last fall (in the Sprinters Stakes). He broke well and we were in an ideal position, right behind the pace, throughout the trip. The plan to stay in the inside for our attack at the stretch also worked to our advantage and he held on well to deter the chase from behind at the end. I’ve been riding this horse from early in his career and the connections had been eyeing this race from the beginning, but he still has room for improvement so I look forward to his future as well,” commented jockey Ryusei Sakai.

Second pick Namura Clair was rated in mid-pack while saving ground along the rails early. The Mikki Isle mare steadily advanced approaching the final turn, stayed along the rails as the field shifted out for better footing on the outside, crept closer to the eventual winner racing in front approaching the uphill stretch and closed in on that foe with the fastest finishing speed up to the wire, just missing by a head in second.

Fifth favorite Victor The Winner was quick out of the gate, disputed the lead with Win Carnelian close behind on his outside, dictated the pace into the stretch, struggled to find another gear going the uphill and outrun by the Mad Cool and Namura Clair in the last furlong but held on well to finish a good length in front of the rest of the field.

“The race went as planned with a quick jump and he got into a good position and today he was even more fresh than he was in Hong Kong. The track was soft and he fought a little bit because it was his first time racing in Japan, so it was not 100 percent for him, but he ran very well. When he was asked going uphill in the last 350 meters, he struggled a little bit and he was one paced from there under pressure but I am so proud of him to have run such a good race in Japan,” commented jockey Ka Chun Leung.

Race favorite Lugal broke sharply and stayed close to the pace between rivals in fourth or fifth but failed to show much after shifting out turning for home and faded to tenth.

Other Horses:
4th: (13) Win Carnelian—stalked leader in 2nd, rallied for lead, showed tenacity
5th: (12) Lotus Land—hugged rails around 13th, launched 2nd fastest late kick
6th: (5) Toshin Macau—ran around 6th, failed to keep up with frontrunners
7th: (1) Big Caesar—saved ground around 6th, showed brief effort
8th: (14) Mama Cocha—tracked leaders around 3rd, failed to sustain bid
9th: (11) Meikei Yell—sat around 6th, angled out, unable to find another gear
11th: (15) Divina—traveled around 15th, failed to respond
12th: (16) Win Marvel—raced around 13th, lacked needed kick
13th: (18) Schwarz Kaiser—positioned 3-wide around 12th, even paced
14th: (8) So Dazzling—settled around 10th, gradually dropped position
15th: (4) Mozu Meimei—trailed in rear, circled wide, unable to reach contention
16th: (17) Matenro Orion—ran 2nd from rear, turned wide, never fired
17th: (9) Champagne Color—raced 3rd from rear, showed little
18th: (7) T M Spada—traveled 3-wide around 6th, dropped back at stretch

THE 54TH TAKAMATSUNOMIYA KINEN (G1)
4-year-olds & up, 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), turf, left-handed
Sunday, March 24, 2024         Chukyo Racecourse          11th Race         Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 368,200,000 (about US$ 2,612,000 <US$1=¥141>)
4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares,
1kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2020
Course Record: 1:06.2            Race Record: 1:06.7 [Big Arthur (JPN, by Sakura Bakushin O), 2016]
Safety factor: 18 runners        Going: Yielding                 Weather: Drizzle

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 15,910,615,800       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 24,186,296,200       Attendance: 28,381

Winner= 12 starts: 6 wins, 1 second & 3 thirds / Added & stakes money: ¥ 173,780,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 333,466,000

* Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1)

The Takamatsunomiya Kinen, one of two G1 championship events for sprinters held by the JRA together with the Sprinters Stakes (G1, 1,200m) in autumn, was formerly named Takamatsunomiya Cup in honor of Prince Takamatsunomiya who presented the trophy to the winner in 1971. The race was shortened from 2,000 meters to 1,200 meters and granted a Japanese G1 status in 1996, then renamed Takamatsunomiya Kinen in 1998. The first of flat turf G1 events held annually, the race 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 and a longer homestretch exceeding 400 meters.
The Takamatsunomiya Kinen was designated an international race in 2001 and welcomed its first two foreign participants—Disturbingthepeace (13th) and Echo Eddie (17th)—from the U.S. in 2003 and was part of the Global Sprint Challenge, the international championship series for sprinters between 2011 and 2017. Aerovelocity (NZ, by Pins) from Hong Kong became the first foreign horse to win the race in 2015 and Blizzard (AUS, by Starcraft), also from Hong Kong, finished fifth in 2018. This year’s edition welcomed Victor The Winner from Hong Kong, the first foreign entrant in six years and winner of the Centenary Sprint Cup (G1, 1,200m).
While 2023 champion First Force (JPN, by Lord Kanaloa) did not defended his title, having retired to stud, 2023 Sprinters Stakes champion and JRA Award Best Sprinter Mama Cocha kicked off her 2024 season in this race. Runners coming off prep races included Lugal, winner of the Silk Road Stakes (G3, 1,200m, Jan.28); So Dazzling, Namura Clair and Meikei Yell, who finished first, second and tenth, respectively, in the Kyoto Himba Stakes (G3, 1,400m, Feb.17); Win Marvel, victor of the Hankyu Hai (G3, 1,400m, Feb.25); and Toshin Macau, winner of the Ocean Stakes (G3, 1,200m, Mar.2). The spring 1,200-meter G1 event also featured Mad Cool, runner-up in the 2023 Sprinters Stakes, and Champagne Color, winner of the 2023 NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m).