Sprinters Stakes
Japan | FEATURE RACE GUIDE
History
The Sprinters Stakes is a Grade 1 race run under Weight For Age conditions for three year olds and above at Nakayama racecourse conducted by the Japan Racing Association.
The Sprinters Stakes is run over 1200m. It was first run in 1967 and was won by Onward Hill.
Originally a Domestic Grade 3 race, it was elevated to Domestic Grade 2 in 1987, Domestic Grade 1 in 1990, and to its present level in 2006. Horses trained outside Japan have been eligible to run in the race since 1994. Prior to 2000 the race was run in December.
The Sprinters Stakes was worth JPY369,900,000 in 2025.
Nakayama racecourse is a right handed course with the sprint start up the back straight.
The 2002 and 2014 runnings of the Sprinters Stakes were held at Niigata racecourse.
Older horses have been more dominant with few 4yos taking it out and the last 3yo winner prior to Pixie Knight in 2021 was Aston Machan in 2007.
Great Japanese sprinter Lord Kanaloa won the race twice. The 2012 running was his first G1 victory.
Hong Kong's hero Silent Witness was tried up to a mile but was beaten in the Champions Mile at home and then the Yasuda Kinen. Freshened up he came back to Japan and was far too good.
Australia's great evergreen sprinter Takeover Target was on a global crusade. He won at Royal Ascot then was beaten in the Centaur Stakes before Jay Ford took him to the front and he led all the way in 2006 around Nakayama.
Gran Alegria won a Yasuda Kinen then dropped back to take the Sprinters Stakes. She then won the Mile Championship and Victorian Mile to make her an elite horse in Japan.
The jockeys have spread this race around. Mirco Demuro won twice on Red Falx.
Takayuki Yasuda has three wins of late as a trainer. Yasutoshi Ikee has won the last two.
Notable winners of the Sprinters Stakes include Gran Alegria (2020), Tower Of London (2019), Fine Needle (2018), Straight Girl (2015), Lord Kanaloa (2012/2013), Curren Chan (2011), Takeover Target (2006), Silent Witness (2005), Black Hawk (1999), Taiki Shuttle (1997), Meiwa Kimiko (1977/1978) and Sakura Iwai (1974/1975).
The 2024 Sprinters Stakes was won by Lugal from Toshin Macau and Namura Clair.
Previous Sprinters Stakes Winners
| Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
WIN CARNELIAN
(JPN)
8H SCREEN HERO (JPN) - COSMO CRYSTAL (JPN) MEINER LOVE (USA) |
KOSEI MIURA | 58.0 | Y SHIKATO | 16 |
|
|
LUGAL
(JPN)
4H DURAMENTE (JPN) - ATAB (IRE) NEW APPROACH (IRE) |
ATSUYA NISHIMURA | 58.0 | HARUKI SUGIYAMA | 13 |
|
|
MAMA COCHA
(JPN)
4F KUROFUNE (USA) - BUCHIKO (JPN) KING KAMEHAMEHA (JPN) |
YUGA KAWADA | 56.0 | Y IKEE | 6 |
|
|
GENDARME
(USA)
7H KITTEN'S JOY (USA) - BELIEVE (JPN) SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) |
KIWAMU OGINO | 57.0 | Y IKEE | 2 |
|
|
PIXIE KNIGHT
(JPN)
3C MAURICE (JPN) - PIXIE HOLLOW (JPN) KING HALO (JPN) |
Y FUKUNAGA | 55.0 | H OTONASHI | 4 |
|
|
GRAN ALEGRIA
(JPN)
4F DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - TAPITSFLY (USA) TAPIT (USA) |
C P LEMAIRE | 55.0 | K FUJISAWA | 10 |
|
|
TOWER OF LONDON
(JPN)
4H RAVEN'S PASS (USA) - SNOW PINE (GB) DALAKHANI (IRE) |
C P LEMAIRE | 57.0 | K FUJISAWA | 8 |
|
|
FINE NEEDLE
(JPN)
5H ADMIRE MOON (JPN) - NEEDLECRAFT (IRE) MARK OF ESTEEM (IRE) |
YUGA KAWADA | 57.0 | Y TAKAHASHI | 8 |
|
|
RED FALX
(JPN)
6H SWEPT OVERBOARD (USA) - VERMOUTH (JPN) SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) |
M DEMURO | 57.0 | TOMOHITO OZEKI | 8 |
|
|
RED FALX
(JPN)
5H SWEPT OVERBOARD (USA) - VERMOUTH (JPN) SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) |
M DEMURO | 57.0 | TOMOHITO OZEKI | 13 |
|
|
SNOW DRAGON
(JPN)
6H ADMIRE COZZENE (JPN) - MEINE CAPRICE (JPN) TAYASU TSUYOSHI (JPN) |
TAKUYA ONO | 57.0 | N TAKAGI | 18 |
|
|
LORD KANALOA
(JPN)
5H KING KAMEHAMEHA (JPN) - LADY BLOSSOM (JPN) STORM CAT (USA) |
Y IWATA | 57.0 | TAKAYUKI YASUDA | 10 |
|
|
LORD KANALOA
(JPN)
4H KING KAMEHAMEHA (JPN) - LADY BLOSSOM (JPN) STORM CAT (USA) |
Y IWATA | 57.0 | TAKAYUKI YASUDA | 16 |
|
|
CURREN CHAN
(JPN)
4M KUROFUNE (USA) - SPRING TICKET (JPN) TONY BIN (IRE) |
K IKEZOE | 55.0 | TAKAYUKI YASUDA | 10 |
|
|
ULTRA FANTASY
(AUS)
8G ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) - BELLE ANGLAISE () SIR IVOR (USA) |
ALEX LAI | 57.0 | P F YIU | 7 |
|
|
LAUREL GUERREIRO
(JPN)
5H KING HALO (JPN) - BIG TENBY (JPN) TENBY (GB) |
S FUJITA | 57.0 | M KON | 13 |
|
|
SLEEPLESS NIGHT
(JPN)
4M KUROFUNE (USA) - WHAT KATY DID (USA) NUREYEV (USA) |
H UEMURA | 55.0 | K HASHIGUCHI | 14 |
|
|
ASTON MACHAN
(JPN)
3F ADMIRE COZZENE (JPN) - RUSTLING COPSE (USA) WOODMAN (USA) |
E NAKADATE | 53.0 | S ISHIZAKA | 7 |
|
|
TAKEOVER TARGET
(AUS)
7G CELTIC SWING (GB) - SHADY STREAM (AUS) ARCHREGENT (CAN) |
J FORD | 57.0 | J A JANIAK | 13 |
|
|
SILENT WITNESS
(AUS)
6G EL MOXIE (USA) - JADE TIARA (AUS) BUREAUCRACY (NZ) |
F COETZEE | 57.0 | A S CRUZ | 13 |
|
|
CALSTONE LIGHT O
(JPN)
6H WARNING (GB) - OSHIMA LUCIA (JPN) CRYSTAL GLITTERS (USA) |
NAOHIRO ONISHI | 57.0 | H ONEDA | 5 |
|
|
DURANDAL
(JPN)
4H SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) - SAWAYAKA PRINCESS (JPN) NORTHERN TASTE (CAN) |
K IKEZOE | 57.0 | MASAHIRO SAKAGUCHI | 8 |
|
|
BELIEVE
(JPN)
4M SUNDAY SILENCE (USA) - GREAT CHRISTINE (USA) DANZIG (USA) |
YUTAKA TAKE | 55.0 | SHOICHI MATSUMOTO | 4 |
|
|
DAITAKU YAMATO
(JPN)
6H DAITAKU HELIOS (JPN) - DAITAKU BRAINS (JPN) TESCO BOY (GB) |
T EDA | 57.0 | S ISHIZAKA |
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