Win Carnelian, winless in 12 starts since a Grade 3 sprint at Tokyo Racecourse in February 2023, a span that included an 11th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita in November 2023, won his first Grade 1 race in Sunday’s $2.19 million Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan.
Win Carnelian (who paid $98.80 in American pools) was the ninth choice in a field of 16 and had an ideal trip under jockey Kosei Miura in the six-furlong race.
Starting from the outside post, Win Carnelian had a sharp start and stalked 28-1 June Blair for the first half-mile. Win Carnelian challenged June Blair in the stretch and won by a head in 1:06.90. The time was slightly slower than Lord Kanaloa’s 2012 course record of 106.70.
The Sprinters Stakes was the first Grade 1 winner for Miura, 35.
“I’ve been riding this horse for a long time, so regardless of the draw, I was confident in knowing how he could find his best and most comfortable rhythm, which was the top priority for us,” Miura told Japan Racing Association publicity.
June Blair held second, and finished 1 1/2 lengths clear of 9-2 Namura Clair, who was a nose in front of even-money favorite Satono Reve. Namura Clair finished third in the Sprinters Stakes for the third consecutive year on Sunday. A 6-year-old mare, Namura Clair raced in traffic on the turn.
Satono Reve was favored on the strength of his win in the Grade 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at six furlongs at Chukyo Racecourse earlier this year. The Sprinters Stakes was Satono Reve’s first start in Japan since the race at Chukyo.
Satono Reve has second by 2 1/2 lengths to Ka Ying Rising in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize in Hong Kong in April, and second by a half-length to Lazzat as the 9-5 favorite in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at six furlongs at Royal Ascot in Britain in June.
Win Carnelian is 8 and was the oldest horse in the Sprinters Stakes. A winner of 9 of 33 starts, Win Carnelian is the second 8-year-old to win Japan’s leading sprint in the second half of the year, preceded by Ultra Fantasy in 2010.
Win Carnelian, a horse by Screen Hero, is owned by Win Co., Ltd., and is trained by Yuichi Shikato.
Earlier this year, Win Carnelian was second in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on turf in Dubai.
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