Location Tokyo Racecourse Race type Thoroughbred | Inaugurated 1984 Surface Dirt | |
Website japanracing.jp/_races/2011races/0220february.html Distance 1,600 meters
(About 8 furlongs) | ||
The February Stakes (フェブラリーステークス) is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 8 furlongs) at Tokyo Racecourse in late February.
It was first run in 1984 as February Handicap, and was given Domestic Grade 3 status. This was elevated to Domestic Grade 2 in 1994, Domestic Grade 1 in 1997, and to its present level in 2007.
It was renamed February Stakes in 1994. Horses from National Association of Racing(NAR) have been eligible to run in the race since 1995, and 2007 for horses not trained in Japan. This race and Japan Cup Dirt are the only Grade 1 dirt race organized by the JRA (the other international Grade 1 dirt race(Tokyo Daishōten) and domestic Grade1 races are all organized by NAR).
It is considered as the stepping race to the Dubai World Cup Night meetings' dirt races.