Hong Kong sprinter Fast Network will attempt to emerge from champion Ka Ying Rising’s shadow when he contests the JPY128.7 million (approx. HK$6.3 million) G2 Centaur Stakes (1200m) at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan on Sunday (6 September).

To be ridden by Damian Lane, Fast Network will bid to become the first Hong Kong-trained horse to win the Centaur Stakes, which also serves as a key lead-up race to the G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama on 27 September.

Fast Network has twice finished third in Group 1 races behind Ka Ying Rising. He is rated 121 in Hong Kong, while the six-year-old’s most significant victory so far came in the 2025 G3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin.

Prepared by Dennis Yip, the gelding was unsettled when first arriving in Hanshin, according to the trainer’s assistant and son, Jason.

“The horse was a bit nervous when he arrived here, but I think he will settle down after a few hours,” Jason Yip said this week. “The trainer will come here on Friday morning. We plan to gallop the horse tomorrow (Tuesday, 1 September) and will see how his condition is. If he is okay, we may do another gallop on Friday.”

Fast Network will face 15 quality Japanese sprinters, including Group 1 winner Mama Cocha, who has finished runner-up in this race for the past two years.

With four top-three finishes from seven attempts at Hanshin, the veteran mare cannot be ruled out.

Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said: “She’s (Mama Cocha) good in the hot weather. Her hooves are not giving us any problems, and she got a lot of work at the farm.”

Puro Magic is another threat after her record-breaking win in the G3 Ibis Summer Dash (1000m) at Niigata on 2 August, when she clocked 53.5s to eclipse the record of 53.7s she matched in 2025 in the same race.

Boasting five Group 3 wins among her tally of seven career victories, Puro Magic has competed twice over this course and distance, finishing second on both occasions.

Rising star Flicker Jab, to be ridden by Kohei Matsuyama, is also in excellent form as he appears at Group 2 level for the first time.

With five wins from his past six starts, the son of Saturnalia suffered a rare setback when sixth in the G3 Ocean Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama on 28 February before rebounding with victory over 1200m at Kyoto on 16 May when he clocked 1m 06.4s, before triumphing in the G3 Kitakyushu Kinen (1200m) at Kokura on yielding ground in July.

Trainer Shota Nishizono said: “The handicap (127lb) was heavy last time, but he sat second on the pace and still kept going strongly all the way to the finish.

“He’s in the kind of condition where he can show his ability in the race (Centaur Stakes).”

Nishizono said he was not worried about Flicker Jab’s ability to cope with Hanshin’s undulating circuit, which features a downhill section from the 800m to the 200m followed by a testing climb before it flattens out over the closing 80m.

“In the Ocean Stakes at Nakayama, the opposition was strong and he had a wide draw, so we rode to win from out there. He has already won on dirt as well, so we know he has power. I’m not worried about the uphill finish,” he said.

Yuga Kawada will ride high-class three-year-old Diamond Knot, who is chasing his fourth win at his ninth start after an outstanding two-year-old campaign.

The Bricks and Mortar colt triumphed in the G2 Keio Hai Nisai Stakes (1400m) in November, and finished 2025 as runner-up in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (1600m) at Hanshin before landing the G3 Falcon Stakes (1400m) at Chukyo and finishing a creditable fifth in the G1 NHK Mile Cup (1600m) at Tokyo in May.

The G2 Centaur Stakes (1200m) is carded as S2-1 and will be run at 2.30pm (Hong Kong time) on Sunday, 6 September.