By Alan Carasso
The first Group 1 event of the new year, Sunday's February S. over the Tokyo dirt course, features the last three winners of the event, but nevertheless, a case can be made for as many as half of the runners in the 1600m test, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Classic.
Kafuji Take (Jpn) (Precise End) has registered his best form over seven furlongs, including a latest defeat of Best Warrior (Majestic Warrior) in this track's G3 Negishi S. going that distance Jan. 29, but he has run with credit over further. A fast-finishing third in the course-and-distance G3 Musashino S. in November, the 5-year-old rallied from well back to finish a close fourth at 54-1 behind upset-minded Sound True (Jpn) (French Deputy) in the G1 Champions Cup (1800m) last December.
“The distance is a furlong longer this time but he handled 1800 metres before that, so I think it'll be OK,” commented Takayuki Yukubo, assistant to trainer Sachio Yukubo. “Unlike before, he's not bothered by racing in with the other horses and I feel he's matured mentally. This time again he's only got the one turn and the long Tokyo stretch. I'm looking forward to the race.”
Best Warrior, a $47,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $400,000 OBS April 2-year-old, was third to Copano Rickey (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) when the latter was successfully defending his title in 2015, but dropped one spot to be fourth behind a track record-setting performance in back of Moanin (Henny Hughes) 12 months ago. Best Warrior will look to snap a streak of four consecutive runner-up efforts while stretching back out to the metric mile Sunday. Moanin, a $90,000 graduate of the 2013 Fasig-Tipton NY-Bred Sale and subsequently a $335,000 OBS March breezer, gets the services of visiting jockey Ryan Moore.
Nonkono Yume (Jpn) (Twining) was second to Moanin in last year's running of the February S., but will be trying to win for the first time in seven tries dating back to the 2015 Musashino S. The 5-year-old gelding drops back in trip for this, having finished a non-threatening fourth in the G1 Tokyo Daishoten (2000m) when last seen Dec. 29. Christophe Lemaire is back in the saddle.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
