Hong Kong-trained runners return to the G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) in Japan for the first time since 2018 on Sunday (29 September), when Victor The Winner and Mugen bid to join Silent Witness (2005) and Ultra Fantasy (2010) on the illustrious honour roll.

Former jockey Felix Coetzee partnered Hong Kong’s legendary galloper Silent Witness in each of his 29 starts, including his unmatched 17-race unbeaten streak at Sha Tin, which spanned from December, 2002 to April, 2005.

Now Chief Riding Instructor at The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School, Coetzee reflects on the city’s banner horse of the early 2000s – who also featured in TIME magazine – and his win at Nakayama in 2005, when he was made to overcome a training mishap and an awkward draw.  

“It was a drama trip because the day before the race (2005 Sprinters Stakes) he got away. I was just giving him a slow canter and he knuckled, I went underneath him and there was no way I was going to let the reins go. But I was underneath him and he went – I had no chance,” Coetzee said.

“I was there in the sand looking at this 1,200-pound horse galloping away from me flat out. He went right around the track – a heavy sand track – and he was coming to me and I half made an attempt to stop him but he was in that mental state, and you know you have to step out of the way because he’s not stopping.”

An extra workout didn’t blunt Silent Witness as he unleashed his devastating finish in the home straight to score by a length and a quarter in 1m 07.30s from barrier 13. Victory at Nakayama was the horse’s final victory across his glittering racing career for trainer Tony Cruz.

“It was a bit of a wide draw, too. He jumped on terms, but they just went too fast for him, so, I thought to myself if they’re going too fast for him then they’re going too fast.

“I was comfortable where I was and as we turned into the straight at the bottom of the hill, I asked him to go and he just quickened straight away,” Coetzee said.

Silent Witness is the only horse immortalised in bronze as a statue at Sha Tin, and Coetzee fondly recalls the galloper’s supreme competitive spirit.

“We had to put him on the track last in the mornings when he was doing his canter, because if there was anything else in front of him, he would take off and try to beat them. If it was behind him, he wanted to run away – he was such a character,” Coetzee said.

Stablemate Bullish Luck ended Silent Witness’ famed streak in the 2005 Champions Mile (1600m) by a short head. He was again defeated in the 2005 G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) before stepping back in distance successfully for the Sprinters Stakes four months later.

Twice Hong Kong Horse of the Year (2004 & 2005) and three-time Hong Kong Champion Sprinter (2004, 2005 & 2006), Silent Witness was foaled on 1 October, 1999.

“Those Japan crowds, it was so nice it felt like they were cheering for me. The presentation ceremony was really nice and respectful. I had my family with me, I was allowed to bring my son onto the track – it was a lovely feeling,” Coetzee said.

The unheralded Ultra Fantasy became Hong Kong’s second Sprinters Stakes winner in 2010 at odds of 31/1 for the all-local combination of trainer Ricky Yiu and jockey Alex Lai.

Ultra Fantasy won as an eight-year-old. Breaking from gate seven, the horse sped to the lead and held on by a nose. Fellow Hong Kong runner Green Birdie, who also finished eighth in the 2011 running of the Sprinters Stakes, was the market favourite in 2010, however could manage only seventh.

“He was an older horse when he went to Japan – it was a surprise. They were all focused on Green Birdie, the other horse from Hong Kong, but my horse ran away. Alex Lai was at his peak that year – I picked the right guy,” Yiu said.

Yiu returned for the 2017 Sprinters Stakes with Blizzard (fifth), who raced for the Infinitude Syndicate, owners of Mugen, who represent trainer Pierre Ng this weekend. 

“It’s a bit like Happy Valley. It’ll be a big field, so you need a good draw – it’s a short straight and you can’t up make too much ground,” Yiu said.

The turf home straight at Nakayama is a steep uphill – 310m in length. In comparison, Happy Valley’s straight when the rail is in the ‘A’ position is 312m.

Hong Kong has had 14 attempts at winning the Sprinters Stakes for two wins. Cape Of Good Hope tried twice in 2004 and 2005, finishing third and 11th, respectively.

Lucky Nine ran twice in 2011 and 2012. He was fifth both times, while Best Of The Best (15th, 2000), Little Bridge (10th, 2012), Rich Tapestry (sixth, 2015) and Lucky Bubbles also tried in 2018.  

Australia’s Takeover Target won the Sprinters Stakes in 2006, the only other internationally-trained runner to win the dash at Nakayama.

The Sprinters Stakes carries a purse of JPY 368,200,000 (approx. HK$20.44 million).