2025 Sprinters Stakes: Group 1 Review
Venue: Nakayama Racecourse
Distance: 1200m
Value: ¥369,900,000 (US$2,498,421)
International form emerged to the fore in the G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama – but not with the horse that most expected, Hong Kong and UK Group 1 placegetter Satono Reve. Instead, it was Win Carnelian – runner-up in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai earlier this year – who defied long odds and an outside barrier to land the autumn feature.
It provided popular jockey Kosei Miura with his first Group 1 win and provided trainer Yuichi Shikato with something of a full circle success, 17 years after Win Carnelian’s sire Screen Hero gave the horseman a first Group 1 win.
The Winner
Now an eight-year-old, Win Carnelian has been a stalwart of Japan’s Group 1 ranks since 2020. That year, he was fourth as the 360-1 outsider behind Contrail in the 2020 Satsuki Sho.
He did not race at the top level in 2021, but he has contested Group 1 races at home and abroad every year since. He has raced twice on Dubai World Cup night, including his second in the Al Quoz Sprint earlier this year, while he also ran in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2023.
He finished fourth in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen last year, his best effort at home as an older horse before his Sprinters Stakes success.
Sunday’s victory was Win Carnelian’s first Group 1 win and his first win at all since February, 2023. It was also his first victory below a mile.
The Jockey
It may have taken almost two decades, but Kosei Miura finally developed into the Group 1 jockey he had always promised to be – ever since his debut in 2008.
That year, he won the JRA Award as leading newcomer jockey having won 91 races in his rookie season. That easily surpassed the record of 69 wins, set by the legendary Yutaka Take in 1987, and he was considered Take’s heir apparent.
No first season jockey has surpassed 51 wins since.
It was in this race in 2008 that Miura made his Group 1 debut aboard Premium Box, finishing 14th behind Sleepless Night. He would go winless through another 126 JRA Group 1 races, most significantly a nose second aboard Grand Prix Boss in the 2014 Yasuda Kinen, before finally landing that elusive prize on Win Carnelian.
Miura’s relationship with Win Carnelian dates back to his maiden win in 2019, but from October 2020 until now, he has ridden the horse at all bar one of his 24 starts since.
Perhaps it was appropriate, too, that Miura overhauled Take on June Blair to win in a desperately close finish.
The emotional response from the crowd as Miura returned a Group 1 winner created one of the great moments in Japanese horse racing history.
The Trainer
Trainer Yuichi Shikato is best known for preparing Japan Cup winner Screen Hero, so it was fitting that Win Carnelian – a son of Screen Hero – should add to his Group 1 record.
Shikato, 63, also trained 2021 Horse of the Year Efforia but it is unlikely he has trained a horse who has turned up season after season like Win Carnelian.
In his former career as a jockey, Shikato rode in the Sprinters Stakes once, finishing seventh in 1993 aboard Biko Alpha. Since taking up his trainers’ licence, he had only had one runner in the race, finishing 15th with M O Winner in 2008 – one spot behind Miura on Premium Box.
The Runner-Up
June Blair has developed into a model of consistency over the last year. A Nakayama 1200m specialist, she won at the course and distance in December last year and March this year before placing in the G3 Hakodate Sprint Stakes (1200m) at Hakodate and the G3 CBC Sho (1200m) at Chukyo.
Returning to her favourite track and trip, she was rated a treat on the lead by Yutaka Take. It was not a slow tempo by any means, but Take guided the field through the first 800m in 44.9 seconds – almost two seconds slower than last year and the slowest first four furlongs in a decade.
June Blair and Win Carnelian sprinted sharply off the bend, recording the fastest 200m sectional between the 400m and the 200m and making it nearly impossible for those in behind to make any ground on them.
As a four-year-old, June Blair will likely be one to watch in the big sprints next year.
The Beaten Brigade
Satono Reve was out in clear air in time but couldn’t make any headway on the lead pair. On the line, he was passed by his old sparring partner Namura Clair.
Remarkably, Namura Clair finished third in the Sprinters Stakes for the third consecutive year. She has also finished second in the last three Takamatsunomiya Kinens, while she was also third in the 2022 G1 Oka Sho, meaning she has placed seven times at the highest level without a win.
Hong Kong raider Lucky Sweynesse was alongside Namura Clair at the 500m but quickly came under pressure and had little response. He finished 11th, just under five lengths from Win Carnelian and one spot ahead of last year’s winner Lugal.
The Quotes
Kosei Miura (jockey, Win Carnelian, 1st): “It feels like it has been such a long road until today… truly a very long one. I have been paired with him for so long, and I knew his rhythm better than anyone, so today, regardless of the draw, my aim was to let him find the best rhythm possible.
“All I was thinking in the final moments was, ‘Please, Win Carnelian, please.’ Down the stretch, many memories of our long partnership came to mind. He is already eight years old, and his remaining chances are limited, so I rode with the determination that I absolutely wanted to win for him.
“I have long been indebted to the Shikato stable and received a lot of support from all of the stable staff. Even with that, I had never been able to reach a Group 1 victory, so to win my first JRA Group 1 with one of Mr. Shikato’s horses feels most special of all.
“There were times when I truly thought I might never be able to win one, but the owners continued to support me 127 times without a victory, and so many fans continued to cheer me on. There were periods when I felt rushed, thinking I had to respond to their feelings. That’s why I am truly glad that I was finally able to achieve this.
“Since my debut, it has been 18 years, and while I am grateful to everyone for allowing me to ride this long, the fact that I could not reach a Group 1 for 18 years made me realise that if you give up, it’s all over. By not giving up and continuing to push forward, everyone has been there watching, and being able to respond to such immense support has made this the happiest moment of my career as a jockey.”
Yuichi Shikato (trainer, Win Carnelian, 1st): “I’m just so happy. This horse has been paired with jockey Kosei Miura for a long time, and they had won a Grade 3 for us, but a Grade 1 always seemed just out of reach. To win a major race like this, I’m just truly grateful. And to be able to win a Grade 1 with a son of Screen Hero, a horse I also had the privilege of training, is the ultimate honour for a trainer.
“We really wanted an inside draw, but we ended up with the outermost post position, which is a bit of a disadvantage in a 1200-metre race at Nakayama. I spoke with Kosei and told him to just ride the horse according to how he broke from the gate, and Kosei rode him with that in mind.
“My heart was pounding. Win Carnelian is an eight-year-old horse, and I know it’s difficult for a horse at that age to dig deep and find more at the very end, but I think he gave it his all. I’m thrilled we were able to get this great result.
“Given his age, he naturally takes more time to recover now. I plan to take our time and discuss the next steps carefully with the owner and with Win Carnelian himself.
“This horse suffered from serious laminitis, and not just our stable staff, but the personnel at the farm were deeply concerned. They tried many different things to finally get him back to the races. Just having him come back was a joy in itself, but for him to be able to race consistently after that… it just shows how hard he tries. I’m reminded once again what a truly great horse Win Carnelian is.”
Yutaka Take (jockey, June Blair, 2nd): “She was able to run the race we had aimed for. Her condition had improved, and today it was a close contest. She was able to show her true ability.”
Hidenori Take (trainer, June Blair, 2nd): “There were no horses to go forward today, so I expected it would turn out like this. The pace was ideal, but the horse in second pressed us early. The opponent was more experienced… today, it was our lack of experience that showed.”
Christophe Lemaire (jockey, Namura Clair, 3rd): “She jumped well and I was able to get into the best position, just behind Satono Reve. In the straight, once I pulled her to the outside, she gave me her usual turn of foot. We beat him, but we couldn’t catch the two leaders. Still, today she showed the real Namura Clair.”
Kodai Hasegawa (trainer, Namura Clair, 3rd): “The slow pace was the cause of the defeat. It’s frustrating.”
Joao Moreira (jockey, Satono Reve, 4th): “He jumped well and was able to get a good position. He travelled nicely and felt good, but today he was beaten by the track that favoured those in front.”
Derek Leung (jockey, Lucky Sweynesse, 11th): “We tried to go forward and tried to sit in fourth, but the outside horse kept squeezing him so he had to come back a bit. He kept getting pressured from the outside, so it was never smooth in the race.
“At the 500m, when they sped up, my horse was really struggling because the tempo was quite different to Hong Kong – it was quick. That’s why he came home late. They just kept rolling and at the 500m, it felt like they just sped up again. It was Lucky Sweynesse’s first time here and he didn’t really get used to it.”
The Future
Twelve of the last 16 winners have gone on to race in the Hong Kong Sprint later that year. While Win Carnelian has never raced at Sha Tin, owners Win Co Ltd have had Win Bright complete the QEII Cup-Hong Kong Cup in 2019 and Win Marilyn take the Hong Kong Vase in 2022.
Whether Win Carnelian follows in their footsteps remains to be seen, but those behind – like June Blair and Satono Reve – may be heading across to Hong Kong in December. ∎
