Top Japanese dirt sprinter-miler Shamal may have earned a first trip abroad after he set a new track record in winning the Jpn1 Sakitama Hai (1400m) at his fourth attempt at Urawa on Wednesday.
In hot and humid conditions following a significant downpour that saw two races on the undercard cancelled, the Takeshi Matsushita-trained Shamal was sent off as the 2.1 favourite in a field that included a number of leading JRA dirt horses. Among them was G1 February Stakes winner Costa Nova, G3 Musashino Stakes victor Emperor Wakea and Chikappa, making his first appearance since finishing down the track behind Straight No Chaser in Riyadh earlier this year.
However, they were all left to chase in vain as Shamal relished the heavy dirt and made all to win by an easy five lengths under Haruhiko Kawasu. Such was the dominance of his victory, Kawasu celebrated high in the irons well before the post.
His time of 1:23.20 broke the Urawa 1400m track record that had stood for 26 years, ever since Setano King won this race in 1999.
Although Shamal is a JRA horse himself, he has made a home on the NAR circuit. It was his third local Grade 1 win and his ninth graded stakes win at an NAR track.
It was also a case of fourth time lucky for him in the Sakitama Hai, having failed three times previously to follow his sire Smart Falcon as a winner of this race. He finished on the bottom of a three-way photo behind Salsa Dione in 2022, he was eased down after suffering a near hind leg issue in 2023 and he again finished third behind Lemon Pop last year.
“I am so happy that Shamal has finally won this race on his fourth try,” said Matsushita. “I always thought this track would suit him. Before the race, I was saying, ‘Let’s go for the race record!’ So I’m not surprised he won in a record time.
“I don’t think there’s been any obvious improvement in him from previous years, I just think it was the right race today in how it set up and he had the right rivals to win like that. I think he is as good as before and he’s not showing signs of getting older or slowing down either.”
The popular Kawasu, whose greatest success has come in partnership with Shamal, was showered with praise by the Urawa crowd chanting his name and he admitted this win was particularly emotional.
“The horse really tries hard every time and no matter the ground, he always gives his best,” Kawasu said. “I think that makes this horse great – he has become a star of dirt racing. He led at a fast pace but I always felt it was ideal. Before the winning post, I couldn’t hear any other horses coming towards us and as we got close to the finish line I became really emotional. It was a great feeling.”
Shamal’s ultimate goal is likely to be November’s Jpn1 JBC Sprint, which will be run this year over the Funabashi 1000m instead of its usual 1200m or 1400m distance. However, Matsushita said that his path to get there is yet to be decided and could include a trip to Seoul in September.
“He will have a rest now and I will discuss with the owner about his next race,” the trainer said. “Our target will be the JBC Sprint but we may use the Nambu Hai before that or we may even head to the Korea Sprint. However, the horse has never gone abroad before and so I am worried that he might overrace there and then he won’t be able to give his best back here.
“This year’s JBC Sprint will be at 1000m so I’m not very confident as he will be facing a lot of really fast rivals and the race will unfold in a totally different way. However, if I had to choose between the JBC Sprint and the JBC Classic (at 1800m), I have to choose the 1000m race.” ∎
