Racing: Brittain goes East

LORD HUNTINGDON and Clive Brittain are the British first trainers to take advantage of the opening of more of Japan's valuable races to outside competition. The Lord Huntingdon-trained Sharp Prod and Brittain's Sayyedati have been selected to take part in the pounds 690,000 Keio Hai Spring Cup at Tokyo racecourse on 23 April.

Sharp Prod, owned by the Queen, is no stranger to overseas sorties, having won races at Longchamp and Munich last year. Sayyedati, last year's 1,000 Guineas winner, represents the stable that sent out Jupiter Island in 1986 to provide Britain's sole success in the Japan Cup, previously the only race in that country open to foreign horses.

The Keio Hai Spring Cup is a seven-furlong event limited to 18 runners. The other foreigners chosen are the French-trained pair Ski Paradise and Dolphin Street, plus Zieten, once with Andre Fabre but now based in Dubai.

The foreign runners are expected to stay in Japan for the pounds 1m Yasuda Kinen over a mile at the same course on 15 May.