One of just two Group One sprints in Japan, the Sprinters Stakes has attracted an excellent field.
Group One racing heads to Nakayama on Sunday for the Sprinters Stakes (1200m) where a full field of 16 will line up for one of two Group 1 sprints on the calendar.
This year's edition has gained extra attention with Hong Kong star Lucky Sweynesse arriving safely last week in an attempt to become the first international horse to win the race in 15 years.
In 2010, Hong Kong trainer Ricky Yiu won the race with Ultra Fantasy but since then, not many have tried to venture to Japan for the race and so the addition of Lucky Sweynesse adds an extra dimension to the race.
Prior to that we also saw Hong Kong champion sprinter Silent Witness win the race in 2005 while Australian globetrotting superstar Takeover Target was successful in 2006.
Trained by Manfred Man, Lucky Sweynesse is a four-time Group One winner in Hong Kong and at his best during the 2023 season, one of the best sprinters in the world.
We haven't seen his best for a while now however his season reappareance in the Chief Executive's Cup at Sha Tin was very good, only beaten by the highest-rated sprinter in the world, Ka Ying Rising.
While no match for that horse, Lucky Sweynesse comes to Japan in good form with the talent to measure up strongly if he can make any improvement on his first-up run.
The sprinting scene in Japan isn't overly strong at the moment, however one of the better horses in the sprint division they've had in some time is six-year-old Satono Reve, a son of their best ever sprinter, Lord Kanaloa.
Still quite lightly raced with 14 starts to his name, Satono Reve progressed through the grades in 2024, beaten as favourite in last year's Sprinters Stakes before winning his maiden Group One in the Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) at Chukyo earlier this year.
We have also seen a test of his form in Hong Kong and around the world. Prior to winning the Takamatsonimya Kinen, Satono Reve ran third in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), beaten under a length by Ka Ying Rising.
He returned to Hong Kong for another attempt at Ka Ying Rising in the Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize (1200m) earlier this year and ran second, comfortably beating home Lucky Sweynesse in the process.
Now back on his home deck, Satono Reve will be clearly (and rightfully) favoured by the Japanese betting given his elevation to genuine Group One sprinter this year, and it'll take a heroic effort from Lucky Sweynesse or another horse
