Mr Melody lands first Grade 1 in Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo

Mr Melody won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, his first Grade 1 and one of the biggest sprint prizes in Japan, at Chukyo on Sunday.

Yuichi Fukunaga sat prominent on the four-year-old son of Scat Daddy before finishing powerfully to deny Seiun Kosei by half a length.

For trainer Hideaki Fujiwara, it was a tenth top-level success, and third victory in the race having scored with Sunningdale (2004) and Big Arthur (2016).

Fujiwara said: "I thought Chukyo's counter-clockwise course was a perfect fit for him. Also, both the fast ground and inside stall worked well for him.

"He can run well over a mile and on the dirt. His pedigree is very good and the win is important because the sire Scat Daddy died in 2015. I'm relieved because I felt pressure to make him a Grade 1 winner."

Seiun Kosei finished runner-up in the 18-runner contest, with Shonan Anthem third and Christophe Lemaire eighth on Logi Cry.

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