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JPN: Puro Magic targets JRA’s premier straight sprint 

Puro Magic (Asia Express) will attempt to strengthen her bid for the Summer Sprint Series title when defending her crown in the Ibis Summer Dash (Gr 3, 1000m) at Niigata. The Summer Dash is the JRA’s only graded race conducted over a straight 1000 metres turf course. The five-year-old opened this year’s series with a dominant front-running victory in the Hakodate Sprint Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), securing the fourth graded success of her career. Another victory at Niigata would move the defending champion significantly closer to securing this year’s series title.

JPN: Coconuts Brown primed for Queen Stakes return

Coconuts Brown (Kitasan Black) completed her final preparation for Sunday’s Queen Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m) in what will be her first appearance since finishing fifth in the Victoria Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) in May. Coconuts Brown was narrowly denied in last year’s Queen Stakes, finishing a head second to Argine (Lord Kanaloa) after producing the fastest closing sectional in the field at her first start in graded company. Coconuts Brown has previously struggled to maintain her weight during long-distance travel, but her preparation in Hokkaido has allowed her to settle in well.