Best Warrior

BEST WARRIOR: One of two entries from Sei Ishizaka’s stable, 6-year-old Best Warrior hopes the third time will be the charm for him at the February Stakes. In 2014, he went in as the third favorite but crashed to 13th while last year, he improved to third as the third choice once again. The February Stakes will be the first start of 2016 for Best Warrior, by Majestic Warrior out of Flirtatious Miss by Mr. Greeley. After a solid campaign in 2015 when he did not fail to finish under third in five races, Best Warrior has every chance of winning his first Grade 1 title in the Tokyo mile, where he’s won 3 of 7 with the 2014 February Stakes result the only time he has been out of the moneys. “He didn’t run a very good race the previous two times in the race,” said assistant trainer Hakuei Koizumi. “He’s had a good track record at this racecourse and we want to shoot for the top this time. As long as he puts in the work, he will be competitive. He’s getting better with each session. He should be in good condition for the race.”

Copano Rickey

COPANO RICKEY: The 6-year-old son of Gold Allure has been disappointing his last two times out, finishing seventh in the G1 Champions Cup as the favorite and fourth in the Dec. 29 Tokyo Daishoten as the second choice - not the ideal way to be going into a race with history riding on it. Trainer Akira Murayama, though, says Copano Rickey has recharged his batteries after spending almost all of January on the farm and is ready to try to accomplish what Japanese racing legends like Durandal, Gentildonna and Gold Ship could not do. "He was at the farm but he was still getting his work in," Murayama said. "Getting away from the training center, I think he managed to freshen up, mentally. He's coming along fine." Copano Rickey captured the February Stakes for a first time in 2014 as the least favored horse in the field and won it last year as the top pick. This weekend, Yutaka Take's mount may very well again be the favorite and despite his last two results, expect nothing different in approach or style for the biggest race of Copano Rickey’s career. "Rickey ran the race he always runs so there's not a whole lot you can do. Yutaka said, 'You've got to hand it to (Hokko) Tarumae for outlasting us. He was amazing,'” Murayama said, looking back on the Tokyo Daishoten that Sound True won. “For us, it's all about staying in rhythm.”

Moanin

MOANIN: The other threat from Sei Ishizaka’s stable, 4-year-old Moanin hadn’t even debuted this time last year but the Henny Hughes son has won 5 of 6 to start his career since May, including the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes on Jan. 31 at Tokyo over 1,400 meters. A testament to his potential, Moanin has been the favorite in all six of his starts, with his only defeat coming in the G3 Musashino Stakes where he finished third. With no runaway favorite in the field, Moanin could lord over the Japanese dirt circuit this Sunday if he taps into his potential. “He was clearly marked in his last start but still found a way to win. It was a strong performance from him,” Ishizaka said. “It won’t be easy with just two weeks in between starts, but we’re up for the challenge. He came back to the stable looking fresh after a break of two-and-a-half months. He’s gotten stronger as one would expect from a foreign-bred.”

Nonkono Yume

NONKONO YUME: The 4-year-old colt was runner-up to the now retired Sambista in the Champions Cup in December and could even emerge as the first choice ahead of Copano Rickey. Compared to Chukyo Racecourse where the Champions Cup is held, the spacious Fuchu track should work to the favor of Nonkono Yume, who hits his stride late. The upside the Masahiro Kato-trained horse showed in the Champions Cup was convincing enough for 14 voters to pick him as the JRA's dirt horse of the year last season (the award went to Copano Rickey), and jockey Christophe Lemaire is determined to build on that performance. The Twining son, out of the Agnes Tachyon mare Nonko, is a proven 4-for-5 at the Tokyo mile. "The corners are tight at Chukyo Racecourse where the Champions Cup is held and it gets difficult if you race wide, so I had to go inside," Lemaire said. "The pace picked up quite a lot but he ran his heart out all the way to the finish. The longer straight will be good for him. It's 500 meters long and there's plenty of room. This horse really comes to life once he hits the homestretch. He ran well under 58 kg in the Musashino Stakes he won two races ago. He doesn't weigh much so he accelerates quickly."

WHITE FUGUE: The 4-year-old filly by Kurofune is coming off victory in the Jan. 13 TCK Jo-o Hai, which was set up by a five-length win against eventual Champions Cup winner Sambista in the JBC Ladies Classic in November. There’s no reason to think the Noboru Takagi-trained horse cannot top the February Stakes, with far less pressure on the camp this time around. “There was a lot of pressure on her last time, but we’ve got nothing to worry about this time,” Takagi said.