2025 G1 February Stakes: Group 1 Review
Venue: Tokyo Racecourse
Distance: 1600m
Value: ¥260,400,000 (US$1,745,016)
The February Stakes marks the dawning of the Group 1 calendar in Japan, providing the first opportunity each year for horses to race at the highest level on the JRA circuit.
In 2025, it marked another dawn of a different kind as Rachel King – the English-born, Australian-based rider who is currently in Japan on a short-term contract – became the first ever female jockey to win an international Group 1 race in the country.
The Race
Caught slightly on the back foot out of the gates, Costa Nova was last to break away – although only marginally so.
He quickly mustered under King though and, in a race where so many of her rivals seemed rather laissez-faire and happy to end up wherever they should land, her tactical assertiveness was the key difference between victory and defeat.
Costa Nova settled sixth between runners behind an even tempo set by longshot Mitono O. While there wasn’t too much speed, there was pressure with William Barows, Sunday Funday and Emperor Wakea among those in the front group.
Whereas most seemed to be struggling on the turn, Costa Nova travelled sweetly as King pulled him out into the four-wide line. He clearly had those to his inside covered from early in the straight – it was just a matter of who would charge home from behind.
It was the quirky Sunrise Zipangu along the rails and the well-backed favourite Mikki Fight out wide who both chimed in, but Costa Nova took advantage of having first run and King powered him home to a three-quarter length success.
The Winner
In late 2023, Costa Nova served as an entree to his high-profile stablemate Equinox.
Two races before Equinox bowed out from racing with an emphatic Japan Cup triumph, Costa Nova won the Listed Applause Sho (1600m) for trainer Tetsuya Kimura and jockey Christophe Lemaire – the same jockey/trainer combination who would combine with the world champion just 75 minutes later.
On Sunday, Costa Nova progressed from warm-up act to headline horse. He became the 11th Group 1 winner for his sire Lord Kanaloa and his second on dirt, following 2023 Saudi Cup winner Panthalassa.
It was his seventh win from 10 starts, with every one of his wins coming on dirt.
The Runner-Up
As of two weeks ago, Sunrise Zipangu was due to head to the Middle East to contest Saturday’s G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap over 3000m.
It seemed an interesting decision as he had only raced beyond 2000m once when finishing 12th to Danon Decile in last year’s G1 Tokyo Yushun (2400m).
However, an abrupt about-face saw trainer Hidetaka Otonashi – who retires on March 4 after a storied career – instead elect to tackle the February Stakes.
On paper, it was a tougher race a day later over almost half the trip and on a different surface. However, as a Group 3 winner on dirt over 1800m who had been placed in the JPN1 Japan Dirt Classic (2000m) behind subsequent G1 Saudi Cup winner Forever Young, it was a more natural fit and he almost rewarded connections by charging home into second.
Sunrise Zipangu was one of three runners for Otonashi in his final Group 1 race: Sunday Funday finished 10th, while Derma Sotogake looked a shadow of his former self trailing home in 14th.
The Statistic
Rachel King became the first female jockey to win an international Group 1 race on the JRA circuit – but she is technically not the first JRA Group 1-winning jockey.
That title belongs to Kiwi rider Rochelle Lockett, who won the 2002 Nakayama Daishogai on Gilded Age. However, it is a steeplechase, which means it is not considered a Group 1 race by international classification standards.
King has quickly become popular in Japan, riding for trainer Noriyuki Hori at the Breeders’ Cup in the United States last year.
Hori unveiled a potential Kentucky Derby candidate, Luxor Cafe, earlier on the card at Tokyo with King in the saddle and she is now in the mix to become the first Australian-based jockey to ride in America’s most famous race.
The Missing Jockeys
Unlike Hong Kong, which still saw James McDonald winning the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) only 14 hours after riding Romantic Warrior into second in the Saudi Cup, the extra distance to Tokyo meant that those who rode in Riyadh on Saturday could not make it back in time for the Sunday meeting.
That meant that jockeys like Yutaka Take, Yuga Kawada, Ryusei Sakai, Christophe Lemaire, Akira Sugawara, Kosei Miura, Kohei Matsuyama, Akihide Tsumura, Taisei Danno and Atsuya Nishimura were all unavailable for the first Group 1 of the year. Among them, there were six of the top 10 jockeys in Japan in 2024.
There was still a wealth of talent among those who remained with 13 of the 16 riders having won international Group 1 races previously. However, King proved clearly superior and deserving of a place among the best jockeys riding in Japan.
The Quote
Rachel King (jockey, Costa Nova, 1st): “I’m very moved. I’m very proud to be the first female, but I’m also very proud that Japanese fans have welcomed me as just a jockey and not just as a female jockey. It’s something I always strive to be – we’re equal and we’re treated the same. Big thanks to all the supporters in Japan for welcoming me like that.
“He is a very easy horse to ride. This was my first time riding him, but I watched a lot of videos of him and also received plenty of advice. I’m sure he will be a Group 1 contender for years to come.”
Tetsuya Kimura (trainer, Costa Nova, 1st): “He has strong form, so I feel a responsibility to guide him towards becoming a stallion in the future. His best distance is between 1400m and 1600m. We will continue to aim for races that fans can enjoy.”
The Future
Costa Nova is likely to have a break before returning for a series of dirt races later in the year. Sunrise Zipangu is entered for both the Dubai World Cup and the Dubai Gold Cup, but a decision on whether he heads to the Middle East and which race he will contest if so will need to be made by a new trainer – no replacement has yet been announced for Otonashi ∎
