Green Birdie, Lucky Nine and Rocket Man will look to keep the Sprinters Stakes title in foreign hands when the race will be held for the 45th time on Oct. 2 at Nakayama Racecourse.

Last season, Hong Kong's Ultra Fantasy became the first runner from overseas in four years to win the 1,200-meter Sprinters Stakes, the seventh race in the nine-legged Global Sprint Challenge series.

Green Birdie and Lucky Nine appear determined to take the trophy back to Hong Kong this year, the Caspar Fownes-trained duo using this month's Centaur Stakes as a springboard for the 197 million yen Sprinters Stakes.

The 8-year-old Green Birdie has entered the Sprinters Stakes for the second straight year, after finishing seventh in 2010. He remains winless this season, his most recent victory dating back to May last year when he stunned Rocket Man in the Singapore KrisFlyer International Sprint.

By Catbird out of the Last Tycoon mare Mrs. Squillionaire, the Roger Ka Chun Li-owned Green Birdie had somewhat of a rough race in the Grade 2 Centaur Stakes on Sept. 11 at Hanshin, being demoted to 14th for interference after crossing the line fourth. Tye Angland took the reins in the Centaur Stakes, but Green Birdie's jockey currently remains undecided. Whoever rides, should Green Birdie run a clean race, expect him to bounce back in a big way in the Sprinters Stakes.

"Even though he's 8 years-old, he ran a good race today," Fownes said following the Centaur Stakes. "Since he broke from stall four, I told the jockey to race one lane off the rail. After seeing videos of previous races, Tye, who has never been on this horse, probably thought it best to steer him wide out before making his bid.

"If only he had stayed behind Lucky Nine and found an inner route, maybe we could have seen better results. I'm not very happy with the outcome."

Fownes' other gelding, the 4-year-old Lucky Nine owned by Dr Chang Fuk To & Maria Chang Lee Ming Shum, had far better luck in the Centaur Stakes, finishing runnerup to A Shin Virgo. Under a punishing 59 kilograms, Lucky Nine, one of the rising stars in Hong Kong racing, came within a head of the Ken Kozaki-trained 4-year-old filly who had a four-kg handicap.

While Fownes had to settle for silver for the second straight year, the Lucky Nine camp was pleased with the horse's performance in the Centaur Stakes ahead of the Sprinters Stakes when his weight assignment will be a much more manageable 57 kg.

"He's a true super horse," jockey Brett Prebble said. "The pace was too slow for him. Seeing him race like this with 59 kilos - you can really look forward to the big race."

Added Fownes, "He ran extremely well. It was almost the same as winning but the 59 kilos was a big load for him. I think he felt it climbing up the final hill and in the last 20 meters. Although the winner was a filly, 4 kilos is a big difference.

"I'm looking forward to the next race and hope that both of my horses will do well."

Japanese racing fans will be lining up to see 6-year-old Rocket Man make his Japan Racing Association debut, the highest rated horse in the field at 125 (Lucky Nine is 117, Green Birdie 114).

The Singapore-based Rocket Man is the most high-profile sprinter to visit Japan since Australia's Takeover Target in 2006, whose career has been nothing short of marvelous.

Rocket Man, by Viscount out of the McGinty mare Macrosa, has 17 victories from 21 starts - all at 1,200 meters - taking second in the four races he didn't win. Trainer Patrick Shaw's gelding has won five Grade 1 titles, two of them coming this year in the KrisFlyer International Sprint in Singapore and the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Rocket Man's record alone should easily make him one of the favorites - if not the overall favorite.

Rocket Man touched down in Japan last weekend, and assistant trainer Jacqueline Lee Detert was pleased to see the horse make the trip in one piece.

"There's almost no change in his weight and the trip went smoothly," Detert said. "Before we left there were no particular instructions as far as training went, but we'll just be doing light gallops at the racing school. I'll be in touch as needed with the trainer. He's in good shape."

The three challengers from abroad will have a lot to overcome from the domestic contingency, with 4-year-old Dasher Go Go spearheading a strong group of Japanese horses.

Dasher Go Go, by legendary JRA sprinter Sakura Bakushin O and the highest rated Japanese horse in the field, was the top pick in the Centaur Stakes, but finished third behind winner A Shin Virgo and Lucky Nine while running under 58 kg. There's no denying the talent in Dasher Go Go, but the Takayuki Yasuda-trained colt has had some forgettable moments at the Grade 1 level. In last year's Sprinters Stakes, Dasher Go Go went under the wire second to Ultra Fantasy but was demoted to fourth on grounds of interference. He was dropped again in this year's Takamatsunomiya Kinen from fourth to 11th on the same charge. If jockey Yuga Kawada can keep his mount under control, Dasher Go Go is a safe bet to reach the board.

A couple of 4-year-old fillies in A Shin Virgo and Curren Chan are also expected to give the field a run for their money. The Falbrav-sired A Shin Virgo won a pair of graded races this summer in the Centaur Stakes and the 1,000-meter Ibis Summer Dash, and was crowned champion of the JRA's *Summer Sprint Series. Curren Chan, by former Japan Cup Dirt winner Kurofune, has reeled off four straight victories as the first choice this summer -- the last three being grades races -- beating Sprinters Stakes entries B B Guldan and Pas de Trois in the Aug. 28 Keeneland Cup at Hakodate in Hokkaido. The Sprinters Stakes will be the Takayuki Yasuda-trained Curren Chan's first Grade 1 test.

The 7-year-old B B Guldan has yet to win at the top level, but the Chief Bearhart son was third in the 2008 Sprinters Stakes and runnerup in 2009. He slumped to 10th in the race last season, but under veteran jockey Tetsuzo Sato, has recently shown signs of a turnaround with his second-place finish in the Keeneland Cup. The Shadai bred and owned 5-year-old San Carlo could prove to be the darkhorse of the pack, having finished third in last year's Sprinters Stakes and second to the now retired Kinshasa no Kiseki in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in March. Also intriguing is 5-year-old Fifth Petal, who was a contender of the 2009 Classic races but was sidelined for nearly a full season before returning to competition in late March this year. The King Kamehameha-sired Fifth Petal is coming off victory in the Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap over a mile at Nakayama on Sept. 11, his first graded win in more than three years.

A few changes have been made to the Global Sprint Challenge this year, starting with the removal of the Centaur Stakes from the fixtures and the additions of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and KrisFlyer International Sprint, making the series a pure Grade 1 competition.

The Global Sprint Challenge also abolished the awarding of a championship based on a points system after the series failed to produce a winner the last four years; Takeover Target was the last horse to capture the title, which required competitors to win a minimum of 42 points and race in three different countries in what was then an eight-race series.

The Global Sprint Challenge still offers a $1 million bonus, given to any horse who wins in three countries outside his or her jurisdiction. Until last year when the series caravanned through four nations, the bonus went to anyone who won in three countries including his home. The bonus will not be awarded this season, however, with the first six races of the Global Sprint Challenge all producing different winners, among them Rocket Man.

The prize money for the winner of the 197 million yen Sprinters Stakes (and Takamatsunomiya Kinen) is 95 million yen, making it the richest of the nine races in the Global Sprint Challenge. To win the Sprinters Stakes, however, he or she must maneuver their way through a tough six furlongs at the Chiba Prefecture racecourse.

The Sprinters Stakes starts on the backstretch at Nakayama from a downhill of 200 meters to the first turn, which curves to the right for 400 meters before leading into a sharp final bend for the 310-meter straight - punishing to most runners because of a steep rise over the last 200 meters. While Nakayama generally tends to favor those who draw inside, the Sprinters Stakes has proven to be a level playing field with horses from the No. 1 post to No. 16 having finished inside the top three during the last decade.

The Sprinters Stakes was added to the JRA calendar in the spring of 1967 as the nation's only handicapped race at 1,200 meters for 3-year-olds & up. It earned Grade 3 status in 1984 and was bumped up to Grade 2 three years later, becoming a major prep race for the 1,600-meter Yasuda Kinen held in June.

The Sprinters Stakes joined Grade 1 company in 1990, when it was fixed a week ahead of the year-ending Arima Kinen in December, and began accepting entries from overseas in 1994 as the race was internationalized. The Sprinters Stakes was moved again in 2000 to the end of September/early October where it has remained since, launching the JRA's autumn Grade 1 campaign.

Post time for the Sprinters Stakes is 3:40 p.m.

* Summer Sprint Series: A series of five races (Hakodata Sprint Stakes, Ibis Summer Dash, Kitakyushu Kinen, Keeneland Cup and Centaur Stakes) held from July to September. Runners are awarded points depending on their finish in these races, the Series Champion being the horse that amasses the highest number of points, based on a minimum of 13 points and one win. The owner of the Series Champion receives prize money of 40 million yen and stable personnel 10 million yen.

Training Report of Foreign Entrees 45th Running of the Sprinters Stakes (G1) - the seventh leg of Global Sprint Challenge -

September 29, 2011 (Thursday)

Green Birdie (NZ, G8, bay)

- jogged 1/2 lap, cantered 2 laps (dirt course) (exercised from 7:21 AM to 7:33 AM, ridden by Dale Bussey) weight: 508 kg

Lucky Nine (IRE, G4, bay)

- jogged 1/2 lap, cantered 2 laps (dirt course) (exercised from 7:35 AM to 7:47 AM, ridden by Dale Bussey) weight: 492 kg

"We gave them an easy canter yesterday after the gallop, and today was just normal work for them. Their fitness is very good. Green Birdie weighed over 500 kg this morning, but he looks beautiful and we're not bothered about his weight. Lucky Nine is not that quick when breaking but he's always quick to find his feet when he gets running, and he normally gets into a good position so it's not a concern. The barrier draw being between 4 and 8 would give both horses plenty of options." (Comments taken from Dale Bussey)

Rocket Man (AUS, G6, bay)

- cantered 1-1/2 lap (dirt course) (exercised from 7:18 AM to 7:35 AM, ridden by Felix Coetzee) weight: 474 kg

"He just did a normal canter this morning and he's very relaxed, but he'll do a bit more (faster) tomorrow on the dirt." (Comments taken from Patrick Shaw)

"His preparation is going very nicely and he's feeling consistently good to me. We have our final work ahead of us but so far it's been all good." (Comments taken from Felix Coetzee)