'Yell'ing With Joy As Group 1 Action Returns To Japan With Sprinters S.

On hiatus for the past several months, Group 1 action returns to the Land of the Rising Sun in Nakayama's 1200-metre Sprinters S. on Sunday. Sixteen horses have stood their ground, among them last-out G2 Centaur S. heroine Meikei Yell (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}). Leaving from gate 13, the 4-year-old filly and 2-1 morning line pick is aiming to become the first horse to complete the Centaur/Sprinters S. double since Tower Of London (Jpn) (Raven's Pass) in 2019. Trained by Hidenori Take, the Nagoya Keibo Co. Ltd colourbearer will have Kenichi Ikezoe in the irons.

Assistant trainer Kaname Ogino said, “Everything went to plan in her last race, and the jockey got the best out of her. She has returned to training again and seems relaxed, which is a good thing. There doesn't seem to be any change in her condition.”

Brilliance Their Stock In Trade

Something of a novelty in Japan, Sunday Racing's German-bred Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}), who scored his Group 1 win in the NHK Mile Cup in 2021 and was runner-up in the G1 Yasuda Kinen all the way back in June, will fly the flag for his Juddmonte sire. Connections did take a gamble and send him to Dubai to start his season in March, but it did not pay off. Half a world away, others looking to give their Juddmonte sire a fruitful weekend at the highest level include 'TDN Rising Stars' Habana (Ger) (G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac, 1400mT), and Kinross (GB) (G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, 1400mT) on Arc Day. The day prior, fellow Rising Star Laurel (GB) and Mrs Fitzherbert (Ire) go to the post in Newmarket's one-mile G1 Royal Bahrain Sun Chariot S. for the 11-year-old, who sits ninth on the TDN Europe General Sires List this year. A victory by the 4-year-old entire at Nakayama would nudge Kingman up to seventh, after the $1,198,977 was added to his progeny earnings.

Trainer Takahisa Tezuka said, “His condition wasn't so good after Dubai, even though he did manage to finish second in the Yasuda Kinen. After his usual summer break at Northern Farm Tenei, he returned to the stable early in September. He looks his usual self, if not a little bigger, but has moved well enough in recent work.”

Age Before Beauty?

Second choice is Mutsuhiro Namura homebred Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) at 3-1, who sneaks into the field under a featherweight of just 117 pounds. Classic-placed over 1600 metres in the G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas this spring, the June 12 G3 Hakodate Sprint S. victress was third over this trip in the G3 Kitakyushu Kinen on Aug. 21.

If she prevails, she would be the sixth Group or Grade 1 winner tracing to 1993 G1 Prix Morny/G1 Prix de la Salamandre heroine and blue hen Coup De Genie (Mr. Prospector) and first in Japan. Appropriately considering the international stakes on offer this weekend, one of that sextet, the now Japanese-based sire Bago (Fr) (Nashwan), claimed the 2004 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Tromphe among his many Group 1 victories.

Trainer Kodai Hasegawa said, “She has had a break at the farm with this race in mind. She has recovered well, and has been able to handle her training workload since. It has also been good to have had some time between races.”