Japan: Cafe Pharoah earns Breeders' Cup berth with February Stakes win

Cafe Pharoah earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar with an attractive win in Sunday’s Group 1 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.

The $1.84 million February Stakes, run at a mile on dirt, was Cafe Pharoah’s fourth stakes win and his first since the Grade 3 Sirius Stakes in October. Cafe Pharoah is a Kentucky-bred by American Pharoah, the prominent stallion’s first Grade 1 winner in Japan.

Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Cafe Pharoah (the 9-5 favorite in American pools) stalked pacesetters Air Almas and Wide Pharaoh to the top of the stretch before taking the lead in the final furlong. Cafe Pharoah finished three-quarters of a length in front of 45-1 Air Spinel, who was 1 3/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Wonder Lider, a 25-1 chance in the field of 16.

A 4-year-old colt, Cafe Pharoah has won 5 of 7 starts at distances ranging from a mile to 1 3/16 miles. The BC Classic is run at 1 1/4 miles.

“The colt has such high potential,” Lemaire told Japan Racing Association publicity. “I had no doubt that he could land a Grade 1 win if he gave his best.”

Earlier on the program, La Perouse moved into first-place in the points standings for the Japanese berth to the Kentucky Derby win a win in the $343,127 Hyacinth Takes at a mile on dirt.

The Hyacinth Stakes is the third of four races in a qualifying series for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1. One horse from the series can start in the Kentucky Derby.

The second choice at 2-1, La Perouse, ridden by Lemaire, finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of 50-1 Probatio, who was a neck in front of 11-1 Ladybug. Takeru Pegasus, second in the Cattleya Stakes in the qualifying series at Tokyo Racecourse in November, finished fourth as the 4-5 favorite.

La Perouse, a winner of 4 of 6 starts, is a Japanese-bred colt by the Zenno Rob Roy stallion Pelusa. La Perouse had his stakes debut in the Hyacinth Stakes and earned 30 points for the Kentucky Derby. Alain Barows, winner of the Nisai Yushun Stakes at a mile at Kawasaki Racecourse in December, is second with 20 points.

Alain Barows, undefeated in five starts, did not start in the Hyacinth Stakes.

The Japan qualifying series for the Kentucky Derby began in 2017. Since then, two runners have started in the Kentucky Derby through the series – Lani, who was ninth in 2016, and Master Fencer, who was sixth in 2019.

This year’s series concludes with the Fukurya Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Nakayama Racecourse on March 27, which has 40, 16, 8 and 4 points available to the first four finishers.