Big Arthur Primed For Sprinters Test

The 50th running of the G1 Sprinters S. at Nakayama kicks off the JRA's autumn Grade 1 season on Saturday. A deep field has assembled for the race and many people's idea of the winner is Big Arthur (Jpn) (Sakura Bakushin-Oh {Jpn}). The 5-year-old won the other major Japanese sprint prize the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo in March and warmed up for this assignment by beating the re-opposing Nero (Jpn) (Johannesburg) in the G2 Centaur S. at Hanshin Sept. 11. His trainer Kenichi Fujioka is pleased with his condition leading up to the race and commented, “Early in last week, we gave him a strong gallop keeping things easy for the first half and just focusing on the finish. I didn't want him to get overly excited but it is a G1 so I do have to give him a good workout and that's what I did. I think it went well.” The trainer has no concerns about the horse's lack of familiarity with the course and added, ”It is his first time at Nakayama but I'm not worried about the long trip to Tokyo. He can race from any position, so it being his first time at the course isn't much of a concern. I've left the decision at the break all up to the jockey. I really want him to be in tiptop shape because we're aiming for spring and autumn victories and the Best Sprint Horse of the Year award.” Mikki Isle (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) finished second to Big Arthur in March on his last start and is aiming to strike at the top level for the first time. Despite his long absence trainer Hidetaka Otonashi is hopeful he has him primed for action. “He was tired after his last race, so I gave him time off. I had considered running him in the Centaur S., but with the long trip to the track I thought it best not to have him too tense, so I decided to just go straight to the Sprinters. He's good coming off a layoff anyhow.” Regarding race tactics Otonashi is keeping an open mind. “I'm not going to insist on him leading. After seeing his last start, I'd say he can race from any position. I think Big Arthur is likely to sit back and mark him so Mikki Isle is going to have to be in good enough shape to shake him off,” he said. Snow Dragon (Jpn) (Admire Cozzene {Jpn}), winner of this race in 2014 is bidding to end a long losing sequence while the mare Bel Canto (Jpn) (Sakura Bakushin-Oh {Jpn}) has a victory over both Big Arthur and Nero to her credit but may have to settle for a share of the minor money on this occasion.