February Stakes (G1) - Preview

Costa Nova

W Heart Bond

Wilson Tesoro

Ramjet

Lord Couronne

Natural Rise

Sixpence

JRA Grade 1 action returns for the first time in 2026 this coming Sunday (February 22), when the February Stakes will be run at Tokyo Racecourse over the distance of a mile on dirt. With the start on turf in the backstretch, the Tokyo mile just has the one turn, which can suit certain horses better than the tighter tracks with four corners over similar distances. It is one of just two Grade 1 races on dirt - the Champions Cup in December is the other - among the 15 graded races a year that are run on dirt.

Although the Tokyo dirt track dates back to 1961, it wasn’t until 1984 when a race known as the February Handicap was run as a Grade 3. Its status has gradually evolved since its early beginnings, and in 1994, it became a Grade 2 race. Just three years later, it was made a domestic Grade 1, before receiving its international Grade 1 acclaim in 2007. There has just been one runner from overseas since then, and that was Shirl’s Speight in 2023, with the American runner finishing ninth that year. History was made last year when Rachel King became the first female rider to win a JRA Grade 1 flat race, winning on the 5-year-old Costa Nova.

Despite the big races coming up in the Middle East, there are 22 nominations for a maximum 16 runner field, and 4-year-olds and up are permitted to run, while carrying a set weight of 58kg, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares. Four first favorites have made it to the winner’s enclosure in the past 10 years, and four 5-year-olds have won in that same time period. Record time for the race was set by Cafe Pharoah, winning in a time of 1 minute, 33.8 seconds in 2022. This year’s race sees a boost in prize money, with JPY150 million (not far off USD1 million) going to the winner, out of a total purse of JPY260 million overall.

A couple of races leading into this Sunday’s big race have been the Grade 2 Procyon Stakes, run at Kyoto in January over 1,800 meters, and the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes, run at Tokyo early this month over 1,400 meters. The latter race was run in commemoration of Forever Young’s Breeders’ Cup Classic victory in 2025. The Grade 1 February Stakes has been a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series of races since 2016, whereby the winner receives an automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup later this year.

Post time for the race on Sunday is 15:40 local time, and it is Race 11 on the Tokyo card. Final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later in the week.

Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to take on the 43rd running of the February Stakes:

W Heart Bond: The 5-year-old mare’s win in last year’s Grade1 Champions Cup was as narrow as it could have been, and once again she’s putting her credentials on the line for another big run here, as trainer Ryuji Okubo explained. “After the Champions Cup, we considered the options for her, including overseas, but have set our sights on the February Stakes. She didn’t pull in her last race, and with the speed she has, she was able to take up a good position, before battling it out at the finish. She should be fine over the 1,600 meters at Tokyo.” Ryusei Sakai returns from Saudi Arabia and his fine victory again on Forever Young to take the ride on W Heart Bond. History, however, will certainly be against him here, with just one filly and mare winning in the 42-year history of the February Stakes, and that was Hokuto Vega in 1996.

Costa Nova: The 6-year-old by Lord Kanaloa is back for his defense of the title, aiming to become just the third horse in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. Copano Rickey (2014 and 2015) and Cafe Pharoah (2021 and 2022) are the other two. Assistant trainer Yu Ota said: “Prior to his last race, his balance was a bit off, and his weak point is his right hindquarters. It’s taken some time to get things right with him. We’ll start to up his training from now, but he’s a tough character who doesn’t give up easily.” Christophe Lemaire rode him last time in the Grade 3 Musashino Stakes at the end of last year and keeps the ride on Sunday, while looking for his fifth win on the horse.

Wilson Tesoro: The 7-year-old remains as good as ever on the Japan dirt racing scene, as he showed in his latest run in the Grade 1 Champions Cup at the end of last year, when he just lost out in a tight photo-finish. Trainer Noboru Takagi also thought he was a bit unlucky. “He ran on the inside last time, and while the advantage was with the eventual winner on his outside, he did his best right up to the finish in a heads up, heads down situation. It has been three years in a row that he’s finished second in the race, so it’s a bit frustrating. The lighter dirt surface in JRA races is better for him. He has had a break at the farm, with this race as his next target.” Perhaps this time there will be some consolation for Wilson Tesoro, who hasn’t won a JRA dirt race since 2023.

Ramjet: While the 5-year-old was never going to catch the first two home in the Grade 1 Champions Cup, he had to be content with third in the end. He has started to show a liking for running on late in his races and not being too far off the winner in his recent runs, as trainer Shozo Sasaki explained. “He showed a lot of power to run on late last time, and we’ve decided on this race for him next. In the Miyako Stakes also, he ran on strongly after being well back in the race itself. This next race looks good for him, and I’d like him just to be a little more forward before he starts his run for the finish.” Jockey Kosei Miura continues his long association with Ramjet, and the horse has plenty of experience, which includes racing overseas in Dubai, Korea and Saudi Arabia.

Lord Couronne: Trained by Hirofumi Shii, Lord Couronne is a 5-year-old by Leontes, who has finished in the first three in his last 10 races, which have included five wins. He won his latest race, the Grade 2 Procyon Stakes at Kyoto in January. Recent comments from the trainer were: “He seemed like a different horse last time, compared to how he was for the Urawa Kinen. There’s a good feeling about him now. He’s started his 5-year-old career well, and regarding the distance of 1,600 meters in this next race, I think judging by his latest run, he’ll be able to adjust to it without any problems.”

Natural Rise: It will be the first start of 2026 for the 4-year-old by Kizuna, who has mostly plied his trade in NAR (local government) races with some degree of success, particularly at Oi. He also has an Open Class win to his name over a mile on dirt at Tokyo in 2024. His worst result ever came in his last race, when he finished 11th at Oi last December. Trainer Keizo Ito said: “He went forward from his inside draw last time, but it made him just a target for the other runners in the end. He’s had a refreshing break at the farm, with this as the next race in mind for him. He’s worked smoothly left-handed recently with jockey Takeshi Yokoyama, and has been finishing off his work strongly.”

One other horse to mention is Sixpence, who will give trainer Sakae Kunieda his last runner in a Grade 1 race before he retires this spring. The trainer is best known for his association with Apapane and Almond Eye, among others, and he currently has a total of 22 JRA Grade 1 wins to his name. He will be greatly missed among Japan’s racing fraternity, and if Sixpence can win on Sunday, it will be a great way to bow out.