Namura Clair

The G1 Sprinters Stakes went to 27-1 longshot Win Carnelian at Nakayama on Sunday. His trainer Yuichi Shikato also trained his sire, Screen Hero. Booked widest of all in the car park in stall 16, the chestnut won the break and soon perched just off June Blair (American Pharoah) to his inside. That rival was in a beautiful rhythm through fractions of :22.70 for the quarter-mile and :44.90 for the half-mile. Win Carnelian moved up to the filly's throat leaving the bend and the duo were in lockstep throughout the...

A 16-strong field loaded with two past winners of the G1 Sprinters Stakes will vie for the 1200-metre feature at Nakayama on Sunday. Seventh in the 2024 edition to Lugal (Duramente) with Namura Clair (Mikki Isle) third, Satono Reve ran third in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint last December. After defeating Namura Clair in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen in March, he was a good second to Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize a month later. In action during Royal Ascot,...

From an aesthetic perspective, the only similarity between Sodashi (Jpn), the world's most recognizable and talented white galloper, and her year-younger full-sister Mama Cocha (Jpn) (Kurofune) is the latter's broad blaze, but they now have something else in common, namely Group 1 winner, after Mama Cocha dove across the line to narrowly best Mad Cool (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in Sunday's Sprinters S. at Nakayama Racecourse. Favoured Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) was a further length back in third. "This filly is a completely different type of horse comparing...

After a break of just over 100 days, elite-level racing returns to the Japanese racing scene, as a full field of 18 is set to face the starter in Sunday's Sprinters' S. at Nakayama Racecourse. Five of the entrants are making a repeat appearance in the 1200-metre test, including Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}), who was a sound fifth in last year's running in what was her final appearance as a 3-year-old. After besting First Force (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G3 Silk Road S. in January, the...

Coming into this G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen off a seasonal bow back in January in the G3 Silk Road S., where he finished second behind Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}), First Force (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) found his redemption after a ninth place effort in this contest last season with a grinding, determined victory to pick up his career-first Group 1 black-type on Sunday. Breaking in good order from barrier 13 over a rain-drenched course, First Force was pushed along by Taisei Danno to hold an outside spot from mid-pack...