by Mike Curry

Aston Machan opened a clear lead while setting a swift pace and held on for a three-quarter-length score in the $1,569,565 Sprinters Stakes (Jpn-G1), the sixth leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.

Group winners Benbaun and Magnus were among the international sprinters slated for the 1,200-meter (5.97-furlong) race at Nakayama Racecourse, but no international runners contested the race due to an outbreak of equine influenza that has affected Japan since August.

Aston Machan accelerated quickly to the lead under jockey Eiji Nakadate and led by three lengths on the backstretch after three furlongs in :33.10. Runner-up Sans Adieu, I’ll Love Again, and King’s Trail made strong bids at the winner but came up short as Aston Machan completed the distance in 1:09.40 on turf rated as soft.

“We always thought the filly had great ability as a sprinter,” winning trainer Sei Ishizaka said. “She has terrific speed over firm goings, but I knew that she could also run well on soft going. We’re overjoyed with her result today and we want to celebrate on that for the moment. We’ll think about her future plans after that.”

Sans Adieu closed with a rush to edge third-place finisher I’ll Love Again by a neck in the closing strides.

Aston Machan earned her first Group 1 victory and improved to five wins in nine career starts for owner Mayumi Tosa. Bred in Japan by Shadai Farm, the three-year-old Admire Cozzene filly is out of the winning Woodman mare Rustling Copse.

The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint (HK-G1) on December 9 at Sha Tin racecourse is the seventh and final leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times daily news editor