Japan: Auvergne, Red le Zele draw far out in February Stakes at Tokyo

The post position draw for Sunday’s Grade 1 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan was not kind to the recent stakes winner Auvergne and Red le Zele.

In a full field of 16, Auvergne and Red le Zele will start from posts 14 and 16 in the one-mile dirt race, which has a purse of $1.84 million and is the first Grade 1 race of 2021 at a Japan Racing Association track. The February Stakes starts on turf from a chute on the backstretch and joins the inner dirt course more than seven furlongs from the finish.

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Auvergne, 5, a winner of 7 of 19 starts, has won his last three races, including the Group 2 Tokai Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Hanshin Racecourse on Jan. 24. In his only start on dirt at Tokyo Racecourse, Auvergne was seventh in a one-mile allowance race as a 3-year-old in April 2019. Since August of 2019, Auvergne has thrived, winning 6 of 12 starts.

Red le Zele, 5, won the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes at seven furlongs on dirt at Tokyo on Jan. 31 for his first graded stakes win in his third attempt, all since last July. Red le Zele has raced primarily at six and seven furlongs in his career; the February Stakes will be his first start at a mile.

The February Stakes is the second start in a Grade 1 for the highly regarded 4-year-old Cafe Pharoah, a Kentucky-bred by American Pharoah. Cafe Pharoah, a winner of 4 of 6 starts, was sixth in the Grade 1 Champions Cup at 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Chukyo Racecourse in December. Cafe Pharoah won three stakes for 3-year-olds last year and was considered for the delayed Kentucky Derby until he finished sixth in the Japan Dirt Derby at Ohi Racecourse last July. Cafe Pharoah won two stakes at a mile at Tokyo Racecourse last year.

“It seems easy for him to race at Tokyo, and the one turn in the race is a plus,” trainer Noriyuki Hori told Japan Racing Association publicity.

Cafe Pharoah is one of two Kentucky-breds in the February Stakes field along with Air Almas, a 5-year-old by Majestic Warrior who was a Group 2 winner at Kyoto Racecourse in January 2020. Air Almas won the Tokai Stakes in January 2020, but did not race again until November when fourth in the Group 3 Miyako Stakes. Air Almas was 10th in the Champions Cup.

Inti, the winner of the 2019 February Stakes, and Arctos, who was fourth in the Negishi Stakes, are other well-regarded runners in the February Stakes field.

The February Stakes offers its winner a berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic as part of the Win and Your'e In program.

The 12-race program at Tokyo Racecourse begins at 8:05 p.m., Eastern, or 5:05 p.m., Pacific, on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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The program includes the $343,127 Hyacinth Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on dirt, which is the third of four races in a qualifying series to determine which Japan-based runner will run in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1. Two races in the four-race series were run in November and December. The first four finishers of the Hyacinth Stakes will earn 30, 12, 6 and 3 points.

Of the eight horses that earned points in the first two races, only Takeru Pegasus, who was second in the Cattleya Stakes at a mile at Tokyo Racecourse in November, is part of the projected field in the Hyacinth Stakes. The Cattleya Stakes was the first race in the qualifying series.

The Hyacinth Stakes will be the stakes debut for La Perouse, who has won 3 of 5 starts, and Taisei Slugger, who has won two starts this year, a maiden race and an allowance race on dirt.