After some key retirements, the Japanese sprint division looked ripe for new talent to rise to the fore in the Sprinters Stakes (G1) Oct. 1 at Nakayama Racecourse and 4-year-olds Mama Cocha and Mad Cool obliged, dueling to the finish with Mama Cocha and jockey Yuga Kawada getting the nod.
The favorite, Namura Clair and Jasper Krone were third and fourth, completing a sweep for promising 4-year-old runners.
Mama Cocha is a daughter of Kurofune out of the King Kamehameha mare Buchiko, thus a full sister to the popular white mare Sodashi although she shares none of Sodashi’s coloring.
Coming into the Sprinters Stakes, she was one of many who had shown promise to fill the leadership spots vacated by last year’s winner, Gendarme, and First Force, winner of this year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1), the other top-level sprint on the Japanese calendar. Both are now retired to stud.
Mama Cocha had five wins from 12 starts and finished second to Jasper Krone in one of the three key preps for the big race. It was her first run in a grade 1 event and first victory in a graded stakes.
Kawada positioned the filly behind the early leaders through the backstretch run of the 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), smoothly moved her up outside rivals around the turn and challenged for the lead nearing the finish. After striking the front, she found Mad Cool ranging up to her inside, and the issue was in doubt until the final strides.
The final time was 1:08.0, well off the stakes and course record of 1:06.7, set by Lord Kanaloa in 2012.
Kawada judged Mama Cocha is ready to emerge as a force among Japanese sprinters.
“This filly is a completely different type of horse compared to her famous sister,” he said, “but she has a good potential in her own right to become a good sprinter and while still winless in grade-race level coming into this race, I felt she had a good chance when I first rode her in her speedwork and at the post-race parade.”
He cautioned, though, that more work needs to be done to realize her potential.
“She still has a lot of room for improvement and there were moments where I had to be careful in keeping her in good rhythm while she was forced out slightly by pressure from the horses on the inside between the last two corners. She did respond well though when challenged at the straight and I am glad that she was able to sustain her bid to the wire to claim the win,” Kawada said.
Mama Cocha was bred by her owner, Kaneko Makoto Holdings and is trained by Yasutoshi Ikee.
【🇯🇵 Sprinters Stakes (G1) , Nakayama, 1200m, 3yo&up, approx US$ 2.81m】
Winner: Mama Cocha(JPN)
J: Yuga Kawada
T: Yasutoshi Ikee
Sire: Kurofune
Dam: Buchiko#スプリンターズステークス は、#ママコチャ が優勝！！ pic.twitter.com/iYkV6PuyPf— JRA World Racing (@JRA_WorldRacing) October 1, 2023
Ikee was looking forward even before the victory.
“She’s a horse to think about from now… We’ll see what she can do,” he said.
Mad Cool might be another to think about. The colt is a son of Dark Angel , from the Indian Ridge mare Mad About You . He entered the Nakayama starting gate as a winner of five of his last seven starts and finished third in the Silk Road Stakes (G3) Jan. 29 at Chukyo Racecourse
“He got pretty close to Namura Clair and First Force in this year’s Silk Road Stakes, so he has the ability to take on a grade 1 race,” trainer Manabu Ikezoe said.
Leave feedback about this