February Stakes (G1) - Preview

Costa Nova

Mikki Fight

Peptide Nile

Emperor Wakea

Gaia Force

Sunday Funday

Sunrise Zipangu

Dura Erede

The much-anticipated first JRA Grade 1 race of 2025 takes place this coming Sunday (February 23), when the February Stakes will be run - for the 42nd time - at Tokyo Racecourse over 1,600 meters on the dirt track, although the start is on turf. It’s one of just two JRA Grade 1 races on dirt, with the other being the Champions Cup, which is run in December.

First run in 1984 as a Grade 3 race known as the February Handicap, the race’s status has been gradually elevated since, and it became a domestic Grade 1 in 1997. Ten years later in 2007, it became an international Grade 1 open to horses from overseas, and in 2023 welcomed its first runner from abroad, when Shirl’s Speight from North America took on the race and finished ninth. Since 2016, the race has also been a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, whereby the winner receives an automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup later this year.

Despite the big races coming up in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, nominations for this year’s Grade 1 February Stakes stand at 23, with a maximum field of 16 to take part on Sunday. The race is for 4-year-olds and up, and weight is set at 58kg, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares. Record time for the race is held by Cafe Pharoah, who won in a time of 1 minute, 33.8 seconds in 2022. This year’s winner’s check is JPY120 million (in the region of USD800,000), out of a total prize money of JPY260 million.

First favorites have won the race five times in the past ten years, and 5-year-olds have been the most successful, with four wins in that same time period. A couple of races leading into Sunday’s big race have been the Grade 2 Procyon Stakes, run over 1,800 meters at Chukyo in January, and the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes, run over 1,400 meters at Tokyo early this month.
The Grade 1 February Stakes will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Tokyo, with a post time locally of 15:40. Final declarations and the barrier draw will come out later in the week.
Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to be in the line-up on Sunday:

Costa Nova: The 5-year-old by Lord Kanaloa is unbeaten in all five of his starts at Tokyo, and his impressive win last time in the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes, although over 1,400 meters, sets him up for a big chance to capture his first Grade 1 win this Sunday. Assistant trainer Yu Ota said: “Things were a bit tight on the turn for home in the Negishi Stakes, but he showed what he could do by running on well to win comfortably. He came out of the race with no tiredness, and it wasn’t long before he was training again as usual.” Costa Nova is trained by Tetsuya Kimura and runs in the colors of Katsumi Yoshida.

Mikki Fight: Trained by Hiroyasu Tanaka, the trainer responsible for last year’s JRA Best Dirt Horse, Lemon Pop, 4-year-old Mikki Fight is certainly heading in the right direction to become another big name for the stable. This will be the colt’s first run of the year, after his win in the Nagoya Daishoten over 2,000 meters last December, which followed his second-place finish to Forever Young two starts ago in the Japan Dirt Classic at Oi. Assistant trainer Hiroyuki Yamazaki commented: “He’s had his usual routine, returning to the stable a month ago. He was plus 14kg for his last race, so we’ve just been training him accordingly and checking his weight. Since some time ago, we thought he would become a better horse, and he’s developing well.”

Peptide Nile: Last year’s winner of the race surprised at odds of 38/1, but this year his price will be a lot shorter, as he bids for consecutive wins. Although the horse is now a 7-year-old, trainer Hidenori Take still thinks he has what it takes. “He’s still running well, despite his age,” he said recently. “He maintained his form in the latter half of last year, and even though the Champions Cup was a tough race, he managed to finish fifth. I think he can run well with just the one turn over 1,600 meters, even if the field is bunched together more.” Peptide Nile is aiming to become just the third horse in the history of the race to win in consecutive years, and only one other horse has won the February Stakes as a 7-year-old, which was Roman Prince back in 1988.

Emperor Wakea: One of two probable runners for trainer Haruki Sugiyama, the 5-year-old Emperor Wakea is by Lord Kanaloa, and has never been out of the first two in nine starts on dirt. He’ll be having his first race of 2025 this Sunday, and was last seen winning the Grade 3 Tokyo Chunichi Sports Hai Musashino Stakes over 1,600 meters at Tokyo last November. The trainer said: “He had to wait for the gaps to come in the homestraight last time, but once he got them, he ran on strongly. The distance was fine for him, and it’ll be about how he matches up to the Grade 1 opponents in his next race.”

Gaia Force: The other runner from the stable of Haruki Sugiyama is the 6-year-old Gaia Force, who has already put in some good performances in Grade 1 races, but mostly on turf. He did, however, finish second in last year’s February Stakes. He’ll also be making his first appearance of the year, after a disappointing run in the Grade 1 Champions Cup last December. “The race last time took in four corners, and the start on dirt didn’t seem to suit him, “commented Sugiyama. “That and the wide draw that he had didn’t make for a good race for him. He doesn’t run well on turf in winter, and because he ran a good race in the February Stakes last year, after his last race, we decided on this as his next target.”

Sunday Funday: The 5-year-old by Suzuka Causeway is coming off a win in the Grade 2 Procyon Stakes over 1,800 meters at Chukyo in January, when he managed to lead all the way and hold on for a win. With 200 meters less to run this time, he might be able to put the same tactics to good use at Tokyo as well. Comments from assistant trainer Masanari Tanaka were: “With his inside draw last time, he was able to get to the front from the start, and showed plenty of courage to lead all the way and win. He’s had a break at the farm, and having had plenty of recent races, he’s kept his condition well.”

Sunrise Zipangu: From the same stable as Sunday Funday, the 4-year-old colt by Kizuna has shown some consistency in dirt races, and just lost out last time to his stablemate in the Grade 2 Procyon Stakes. “He didn’t start so well last time, but he did make up ground at the finish, “assistant trainer Masanari Tanaka said. “Things might have been a little easier if he’d been more forward in the race, so there’s a slight concern about the pace this time, with just the one turn and the distance of 1,600 meters.” Jockey Hideaki Miyuki takes the ride on Sunrise Zipangu for the first time, and is looking for his first Grade 1 win since winning the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 2021 on Akai Ito.

Dura Erede: The 5-year-old by Duramente is already a Grade 1 winner, but that was back in 2022, when he won the Hopeful Stakes, and connections would be hoping that he has another big win to come, having had a few near-misses in both turf and dirt races. He finished third in his latest race, the Grade 2 Procyon Stakes, and trainer Manabu Ikezoe is pleased with the horse’s recent return to form. “He needs to run smoothly in a race, and his run in the Champions Cup was very good, “the trainer said. “He’s had regular races, so we don’t need to change things too much with him. Hopefully he’ll get a good start this time, and we’ll just have to see what he can do over the 1,600 meters at Tokyo.”