Cafe Pharoah Wins February Stakes, Earns BC Classic Bid

Cafe Pharoah  made it back-to-back victories in one of Japan's top dirt races Feb. 20 at Tokyo Racecourse, in the process earning the right to return to Kentucky for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland in November.

The 5-year-old son of American Pharoah   might be an unlikely candidate to return to the Commonwealth but he certainly returned to his peak form in the February Stakes (G1) after going winless in three lackluster efforts since the 2021 victory. That run included an 11th-place finish in the Champions Cup (G1) in December, the only other Japanese grade 1 event run on dirt.

The February Stakes effort showed a whole other animal. After a so-so start, jockey Yuichi Fukunaga placed Cafe Pharoah perfectly behind the leaders on the long run down a muddy backstretch. Moving up as the field exited the turn, Cafe Pharoah steadily made up ground outside rivals, led well before the finish, and won by 2 1/2 lengths. He ran the mile in 1:33.8.

Watch him go!

Cafe Pharoah secured his spot in the @Longines #BreedersCup Classic with his victory in the #WinAndYoureIn February Stakes! #BC22 pic.twitter.com/qriJwggGyA

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) February 20, 2022

The February Stakes is part of the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, awarding winners fees-paid "Win and Your're In" berths plus a $40,000 travel allowance for horses based outside North America.

T M South Dan outran his odds to finish second after leading for much of the way and the white filly, Sodashi, also rebounded from a dismal, 12th-place finish in the Champions Cup to report third in the February Stakes.

Neither trainer Noriyuki Hori nor owner Koichi Nishikawa immediately addressed the chances of taking up the Breeders' Cup challenge. Cafe Pharoah has struggled with the 1 1/4-mile Breeders' Cup Classic distance, both on dirt and turf.

Fukunaga, recently returned from serious injuries suffered in December in the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (G1) at Sha Tin Racecourse, reported no trouble in getting Cafe Pharoah back into the win column.

"Mr. Hori and I went over the tactics before the race and everything went as planned," Fukunaga said. "Cafe Pharoah's start wasn't that sharp but he recovered well and we were able to sit in a good position, in third, where he didn't have to bear too much sand in his face, which was what I was hoping for.

"After that, I just tried to keep him focused, especially after taking over the lead in the final stages. I'm grateful to the connections who offered me this ride even before I had fully recovered from the fall in Hong Kong and am happy that I was able to do a good job," Fukunaga added.

Cafe Pharoah, out of the grade 2-winning More Than Ready   mare Mary's Follies , was bred in Kentucky by Paul Pompa and sold for $475,000 to Narvick International at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-year-Olds in Training out of Eddie Woods' consignment. He is a half brother to grade 1 winner Regal Glory  and grade 3 winner Night Prowler .

The race lacked a bit of the usual competition found at the top level of Japanese dirt racing as stars such as Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Marche Lorraine , reigning Japanese dirt champion T O Keynes , and Chuwa Wizard  detoured to chase the spoils of races in Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

Still, you can only beat what lines up against you and Cafe Pharoah, who appears fond of the Tokyo surface, had no trouble with that.

He now is 4-for-4 over the Tokyo dirt. Those victories included the 2020 Hyacinth Stakes, a leg of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, but he did not persist on that path and has not raced outside Japan.

Sodashi, who captured the imagination of Japanese fans when her early-career performance matched her striking appearance, may have redeemed herself in just her second start on the dirt.

Before the race, jockey Hayato Yoshida mused the outcome might depend on the filly's mood.

"Such is her character, to some extent, it's what she feels like doing on the day," Yoshida said.