Home cooking is on the menu for the February Stakes (G1) Feb. 22 at Tokyo Racecourse as some of Japan's international travelers have stayed put this year to contest the 1-mile event on the dirt.
The February Stakes is one of only two top-level dirt races on the Japanese Racing Association calendar. And, despite the attraction of big-money dirt races in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, this year's renewal has an overflow field including the first three finishers from the other grade 1 event, December's Champions Cup (G1).
Leading the charge are W Heart Bond and Wilson Tesoro, who finished in a head-bobbing battle in the Champions Cup with W Heart Bond getting her nose down at the right moment. That relegated Wilson Tesoro to second for the third straight year.
The Champions Cup win was a breakthrough for the 5-year-old Kizuna mare—her seventh win from just eight starts but her first in a grade 1 event. It left her connections with some decisions.
"After the Champions Cup, we considered the options for her, including overseas," trainer Ryuji Okubo said. "But we have set our sights on the February Stakes."
Nonetheless, there will be an international flavor to the 5-year-old mare's effort as Ryusei Sakai returns from Saudi Arabia, where he rode Forever Young to his second victory in the Saudi Cup (G1), to take the ride.
While W Heart Bond is lightly raced and familiar with the winner's enclosure, Wilson Tesoro seems beset by bad luck. The 7-year-old son of Kitasan Black has represented Japan around the world, appearing in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Korea. His best efforts overseas were fourth-place finishes in the 2024 Dubai World Cup (G1) and 2025 Saudi Cup, and a second in the 2024 Korea Cup (G3)
At home, "seconditis" set in. In addition to the three runner-up finishes in the Champions Cup, Wilson Tesoro got home second twice in the Tokyo Daishoten (G1).
Trainer Noboru Takagi said the 2025 Champions Cup spotlighted his horse's woes.
"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," Takagi said.
Ramjet, third in the Champions Cup, stayed home this year after finishing sixth in the 2025 Saudi Cup and ninth in the Dubai World Cup. He hasn't won a race since taking the Tokyo Derby at Oi Racecourse in 2024 but trainer Shozo Sasaki is upbeat about the 5-year-old son of Majestic Warrior, particularly if he can modify his late-running style a bit.
"He showed a lot of power to run on late last time, and we've decided on this race for him next ... 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."
Natural Rise, a 4-year-old by Kizuna, finished second in the Japan Dirt Classic in October but then reported 11th when stepping into grade 1 company for the first time in the Tokyo Daishoten.
Both Ramjet and Natural Rise have contested the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series although neither made it to Churchill Downs. Natural Rise won the Cattleya Stakes and finished fourth in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun in late 2024. Ramjet won the Hyacinth Stakes in the spring of 2024.
The JRA notes the February Stakes will mark the final grade 1 race for trainer Sakae Kunieda before his retirement. Kunieda has saddled 22 grade 1 winners in a career highlighted by the exploits of Almond Eye and Apapane. His February Stakes runner is Sixpence, yet another by Kizuna.
A Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In event, the February Stakes grants the winner an automatic, fees-paid berth to the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland. Last fall at Del Mar, Forever Young became the first Japanese horse to win the Classic.
