Sprinters Stakes (G1) - Preview

Victor The Winner

Satono Reve

Mama Cocha

Mad Cool

Namura Clair

Toshin Macau

Win Marvel

Mozu Meimei

Win Greatest

The much-anticipated return of JRA Grade 1 action takes place this coming Sunday (September 29), when the 58th running of the Sprinters Stakes will be held at Nakayama Racecourse in Chiba Prefecture, just a short distance outside of Tokyo. The race is one of just two top-level sprints on the JRA calendar, and is run over 1,200 meters on the outer turf track at Nakayama, which has a gentle first curve out of the backstretch, before the much sharper one turning for home.

First run back in 1967, it acquired Grade 2 status 20 years later in 1987, and in 1990 it became a Grade 1 race. By 1994, runners from overseas were permitted to take part. It’s a race for 3-year-olds and up, where the former carry 56kg, and 4-year-olds and above carry 58kg, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares.

There are 18 nominations for this Sunday’s big race, with a field size of 16 being the maximum number. Two runners from Hong Kong, namely Victor The Winner and Mugen, will take two of the berths available, and will bid to give Hong Kong its third win in the race, after wins by Silent Witness in 2005, and Ultra Fantasy in 2010. Victor The Winner’s big run earlier this year in the Grade 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen gives a real sense of this becoming a reality.

Some races in Japan leading up to the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes have included the Grade 3 TV Nishinippon Corp. Sho Kitakyushu Kinen, run over 1,200 meters at Kokura back in June, and the Grade 3 Keeneland Cup, run over 1,200 meters at Sapporo in August. The Grade 2 Sankei Sho Centaur Stakes, run just recently over 1,200 meters at Chukyo, is often considered to be the best trial race.

First favorites have won the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes four times in the last 10 years, with Gran Alegria being the last market leader to win in 2020, and the race does occasionally throw up a winner at a big price. Among the different age groups, 4-year-olds and 6-year-olds have come out on top in the past decade, with three wins apiece. The last 3-year-old winner of the race was Pixie Knight in 2021. Record time for the race was set by Lord Kanaloa in 2012, when he won in a time of 1 minute, 6.7 seconds. The winner’s check this year is JPY170 million (in the region of USD1.2 million).

The Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Nakayama, with a post time locally of 15:40. Final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later in the week.
Here’s a look at some of the Japanese runners expected to play a major part in the race:

Satono Reve: Everything points to a big run for the 5-year-old by Lord Kanaloa, and his six wins from seven races over 1,200 meters (two of them at Nakayama) add a lot more to his profile. Trainer Noriyuki Hori recently commented: “He’s remained in good shape, despite the hot weather, and his appetite and overall condition are good. In recent work, his breathing was good, and he put in a fast run. After that training, he weighed 551kg. His hooves are something to be careful about, so we make sure to pay attention to that, as well as his balance when running. All being well, jockey Damian Lane will get a short-term license and will take the ride.” The Australian rider partnered Satono Reve when winning the Grade 3 Keeneland Cup at Sapporo in August, so things look good once again for a shot at a win at the highest level here.

Mama Cocha: Winner of the race last year, the 5-year-old mare by Kurofune will try to join an elite group of five horses to date who have won the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes in consecutive years. The last one to do so was Red Falx in 2016 and 2017. Mama Cocha finished a close second in her last race, the Grade 2 Sankei Sho Centaur Stakes at Chukyo earlier this month, which was her first run since the spring. Assistant trainer Yuki Iwasaki said: “It was decided to get her well forward in the race last time, with the wide draw she had. She ran well, despite carrying 57kg, getting a good position and then keeping things up right to the finish. She came out of the race well and things have been as expected with her.” If successful here, Mama Cocha will give trainer Yasutoshi Ikee a hat-trick of wins in the race, after Gendarme’s win in 2022.

Mad Cool: The Irish-bred Mad Cool has had a nice long break since running in Hong Kong back in April, where he disappointed as one of the fancied runners that day. Two starts ago though, he won the Grade 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo, and now he tries to become just the sixth horse in history to win that race and the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes in the same year. Trainer Manabu Ikezoe gave his thoughts on the horse: “He returned to the stable at the end of August, so we’ve had plenty of time to get him ready. He’s been training well, and we’ll have the race jockey ride him a while before the race. As he’s a big horse, his footwork isn’t always the best. The race has plenty of good horses in it this year, but hopefully he’ll run as well as he did last year.”

Namura Clair: The 5-year-old mare is still looking for an elusive Grade 1 win, and will be hoping to find just a bit more on her runs in the last two Sprinters Stakes, when she finished fifth and third. In her first race since the spring last time, she finished fifth, just 0.4 seconds off the winner of the Grade 3 Keeneland Cup, Satono Reve. Recent comments from assistant training staff were: “On returning to the stable, she weighed 488kg. There hasn’t been much time since her run in the Keeneland Cup, so we haven’t pushed her too hard, but in training the other week, she posted a final furlong time of 12.1 seconds, proving that she’s in good shape. Her breathing’s fine and she knows when to switch on and off, as well as being stronger mentally now.” Regular jockey Suguru Hamanaka picked up a suspension the other week, so Takeshi Yokoyama now comes in for the ride.

Toshin Macau: Coming off a win in the recent Grade 2 Sankei Sho Centaur Stakes, where the 5-year-old overcame a wide draw, he’s looking to follow in the footsteps of Tower of London, the last horse to win both the Centaur and the Sprinters Stakes in the same year, which was 2019. Trainer Mizuki Takayanagi is pleased with the 5-year-old’s build up to the big race. “Coming off a break, and at a track where he hasn’t had good results, I was a bit worried about his last race,” the trainer said. “As things turned out, he got a good result, especially considering his wide draw. When he leads with his left leg, he runs better, so he should be more suited to racing right-handed in this next race.” Young jockey Akira Sugawara is looking for just his second JRA Grade 1 win on the son of Big Arthur.

Win Marvel: Another horse that is consistent over 1,200 and 1,400 meters, Win Marvel is also looking to capture his first Grade 1, and comes to the race fresh, having had his last run back in May, when he won the Grade 2 Keio Hai Spring Cup over 1,400 meters at Tokyo. Trainer Masashi Fukayama commented: “After his last race, we checked his condition, and decided that the best rotation for him would be to go directly to this next race. He returned to the Miho stable well over a month ago, and he’s been his usual self since. He improves for his training, and currently his reactions are good, particularly at the finish of his work.”

Mozu Meimei: The 4-year-old filly by Real Impact won the Grade 3 Ibis Summer Dash over 1,000 meters at Niigata in July, and followed that up with a third-place finish most recently in the Grade 2 Sankei Sho Centaur Stakes early this month. It is best if she’s well forward in a race, and she can be a tough character when it comes to fighting out a finish. Assistant trainer Shinichiro Kobayashi said: “She did her best last time, running on the inside, where the ground was not so good. She’s had three races this summer, and with a short time since her last run, we’re just being careful with her, and the vet also has been checking her over. So far, it looks like she can take on the strong opponents in this next race, and it’ll be interesting to see what she can do.”

Win Greatest: The now 7-year-old Win Greatest will be making just his third appearance in a Grade 1 race, but he won the Grade 2 MBS Sho Swan Stakes over 1,400 meters at Kyoto last autumn, and has finished second in his last two races, the latest being the Grade 3 Ibis Summer Dash at Niigata in July. Trainer Yoshihiro Hatakeyama commented: “After his last race, we wanted to avoid a tight schedule, so we’ve made this his next target, with plenty of time in between. His recent training has been good, and he marked a final furlong time of 11.3 seconds, when working with two other horses. Things are as usual with him, and his condition’s improving as the race approaches.”