This
Sunday marks the 40th running of the Sprinters Stakes (1200m), a Gr.1 since
1990 and first opened to foreign-based runners in 1994. Last year the race first went for export with an easy victory by Silent Witness from Hong Kong and this success, coupled with
its inclusion in the Global Sprint Challenge,
look to have boosted the Sprinters Stakes' popularity worldwide, with four
non-Japanese taking on the home team at Nakayama this weekend.
Silent
Witness is back again to defend
his title but will find the foreign competition somewhat keener this year, with
three other runners - two from England, one from Australia - vying along with
12 local horses for the first prize equivalent of HK$6.2m from a total purse of HK$13.5m.
Silent
Witness is expected
to draw a good share of bettors' yen, despite being winless in his four starts since taking
this race last year. One of the British runners Les
Arcs merits respect coming off top-level
wins at Newmarket and Ascot. The other, Benbaun, has not tackled a Gr.1 sprint since running
sixth in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint last December but was only held a
short-head by Australia's Takeover
Target in the King's Stand Stakes (Gr.2-1000m). Takeover Target has since twice finished behind Les Arcs
and, on September 10, been runner-up in the Centaur
Stakes (Gr.2-1200m) in Japan.
Trends show that the winners of Takamatsunomiya Kinen - the country's only other Gr.1 over 1200m – and Centaur Stakes
(the fifth leg of the Global Sprint Challenge) traditionally fare well in this
race. As such, respective scorers Orewa
Matteruze and She is
Tosho are expected to be Japan's top choices to foil the overseas raiders. True, Orewa Matteruze fared poorly
in the Yasuda Kinen in June but only after meeting with interference
in the homestretch. The son of Sunday Silence is said
to be in good shape following a summer spent resting in Hokkaido.
Symboli
Escape, Golden Cast and
Keisei Hai (Gr.3-1600m) winner Suteki Shinsukekun make up the next
group getting nods to do well in the Sprinters. Three-year-old Suteki
Shinsukekun went wire to wire in the Keisei Hai at Nakayama just over two weeks ago and connections believe he has the ability to handle the sprint distance and the older rivals.
Symboli
Escape has yet to take on
higher-level competition but has won consistently in open company and comes off
a win of the NST Open
(Listed-1400m) in August. A poor starter, however, making the break for him will be crucial. Cheerful
Smile and Venus Line, a longshot surprise in the Hakodate Sprint (Gr.3-1200m) in July, are other names being given favorable
mention for the Sprinters run.
Favourites have a good record in this race, with seven top picks in the past decade
having won or placed. Longshots are a rare sight in the winner's circle.
The second choice on race day has been in the money eight times in the past 10
races and the third pick on four
occasions.
By and large, Nakayama sprint circuit favours those on the pace. Where the luck of the draw is concerned, past
years have also shown the outer gates to produce the most winners. Last year, Silent
Witness broke well
from gate 13 (of 16) and
gained a nice position three off the lead.