Pixie Knight (3 c ex Pixie Hollow by King Halo) scored a dominant two length victory in Sunday’s Sprinters Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Nakayama, providing Maurice (Screen Hero), who is currently covering his fourth book of mares at Arrowfield Stud, with his first Grade One winner.
The Northern Racing-bred and Silk Racing-owned Pixie Knight defeated Resistencia (Daiwa Major) with Shivaji (First Samurai) a close third. The favourite, Danon Smash (Lord Kanaloa), finished sixth.
Winning jockey Yuichi Fukunaga indicated there is still plenty of development to come with the colt who has now won three of his eight career starts including the Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen (Gr 3, 1600m) in January.
“I had several ideas and tactics of where to position him, but it turned out that we got the best position than anyone could have hoped for,” said Fukunaga who positioned the colt on the rails in third, before finding a gap in the straight and powering clear with 150 metres left to run.
“From the beginning of his career, I’ve always believed in the strength and potential this colt obtains and have voiced it too, but to be honest, I never thought he would give such a strong performance and land a Grade One win this fast.
“He’s still not physically balanced yet but he will improve, mature and definitely become a target to beat in numerous future sprint races in or outside the country.”
Pixie Knight is the second winner out of Pixie Hollow (King Halo) and US Grade 1 winner A Kiss For Luck (Reflected Glory) is the colt’s third dam.
First 3yo since 2007 to win the G1 Sprinters Stakes!
— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) October 3, 2021
3c 4. PIXIE KNIGHT (Maurice x Pixie Hollow (King Halo)) under a great Yuichi Fukunaga ride brilliant in a sizzling 1.07.1
Congratulations to the champ MAURICE on his first G1 winner! #JRA#speeeed
pic.twitter.com/8qkziUxUKc
FP | Silk | Horse, Age & Sex Sire & Dam |
Jockey Trainer |
SP
WT |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st |
4. PIXIE KNIGHT (JPN) 3yo C MAURICE (JPN) - PIXIE HOLLOW (JPN) |
Y FUKUNAGA H OTONASHI |
$5.3
55kg |
||||||||
Silk Racing Co. Ltd. | |||||||||||
2nd |
12. RESISTENCIA (JPN) 4yo F DAIWA MAJOR (JPN) - MALACOSTUMBRADA (ARG) |
C P LEMAIRE TAKESHI MATSUSHITA |
$3.4
55kg |
||||||||
Carrot Farm Co. Ltd. | |||||||||||
3rd |
1. SHIVAJI (USA) 6yo H FIRST SAMURAI (USA) - INDIAN BAY (USA) |
HAYATO YOSHIDA K NONAKA |
$47.5
57kg |
||||||||
Kanayama Holdings Co. Ltd. | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
4th |
6. MEIKEI YELL (JPN) 3yo F MIKKI ISLE (JPN) - SHIROINGER (JPN) |
K IKEZOE HIDENORI TAKE |
$24.9
53kg |
||||||||
5th |
16. MOZU SUPERFLARE (USA) 6yo M SPEIGHTSTOWN (USA) - CHRISTIES TREASURE (CAN) |
FUMA MATSUWAKA H OTONASHI |
$15.3
55kg |
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
6th |
14. DANON SMASH (JPN) 6yo H LORD KANALOA (JPN) - SPINNING WILDCAT (USA) |
Y KAWADA TAKAYUKI YASUDA |
$2.6
57kg |
||||||||
7th |
8. BIEN FAIT (JPN) 4yo G KIZUNA (JPN) - LE SUCRE (JPN) |
Y FUJIOKA K NAKATAKE |
$43.8
57kg |
||||||||
8th |
9. KURINO GAUDI (JPN) 5yo H SCREEN HERO (JPN) - KURINO BILLIONAIRE (JPN) |
Y IWATA N FUJISAWA |
$15.6
57kg |
||||||||
9th |
2. MIKKI BRILLANTE (JPN) 5yo H DEEP BRILLANTE (JPN) - EPIC LOVE (IRE) |
R WADA Y YAHAGI |
$92.3
57kg |
||||||||
10th |
3. LOVING ANSWER (JPN) 7yo H DAIWA MAJOR (JPN) - LOVE LETTER (JPN) |
MIRAI IWATA KOICHI ISHIZAKA |
$209.8
57kg |
||||||||
11th |
11. GENDARME (USA) 6yo H KITTEN'S JOY (USA) - BELIEVE (JPN) |
S HAMANAKA Y IKEE |
$11.1
57kg |
||||||||
12th |
7. TAISEI VISION (JPN) 4yo H TURTLE BOWL (IRE) - SOMNIA (JPN) |
KOSEI MIURA MASAYUKI NISHIMURA |
$59.9
57kg |
||||||||
13th |
10. EIGHTEEN GIRL (JPN) 5yo M JOHANNESBURG (USA) - CENTER GRAN TASSE (JPN) |
KAZUO YOKOYAMA YUZO IIDA |
$106.8
55kg |
||||||||
14th |
13. A WILL A WAY (JPN) 5yo M JUST A WAY (JPN) - WILL POWER (JPN) |
K TOSAKI TOMOKAZU TAKANO |
$62
55kg |
||||||||
15th |
5. FIRST FORCE (JPN) 5yo H LORD KANALOA (JPN) - RUSH LIFE (JPN) |
KATSUMA SAMESHIMA MASAYUKI NISHIMURA |
$27.5
57kg |
||||||||
16th |
15. LORD AQUA (JPN) 5yo H LORD KANALOA (JPN) - EAU SUPER (JPN) |
KEN TANAKA H ASAMI |
$309.8
57kg |