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#1
02-18-2008, 10:08 PM
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The February Stakes
The early buzz is it'll be the pre-Dubai Daiwa Scarlet
 / Vermilion match up.Should be a good one... 
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#2
02-19-2008, 11:07 AM
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JRA.....
2008 News February 19, 2008 February Stakes (G1) – The first Grade 1 of the year Preview Tokyo racecourse Tokyo racecourse The Grade 1 February Stakes will be run on Sunday 24th February over 1600m at the internationally renowned Tokyo racecourse. The February Stakes was established in 1984 as a Grade 3 under dirt conditions, before being upgraded to Grade 2 and converted to set weights in 1994. Subsequently, in 1997, it was upgraded to Grade 1 status, and has since been the feature dirt race on the Japanese Spring racing calendar. The 1600m Tokyo dirt course begins in the back straight, with the first 75m or so actually on turf. There is a long run of over 600m to the first turn which is more than 450m long and leads into the final straight of 501m, the first 300m of which is uphill. Vermilion There are no foreign horses this year, but the field includes most of Japan’s top middle distance dirt performers. One of the horses likely to be popular is Vermilion. After beginning his career on turf, the Japanese son of El Condor Pasa, has established himself as one of the best dirt horses in Japan. After finishing 4th in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup last year, he is undefeated in his 3 runs – all at the top level in Japan. Those wins include 2 top-tier races on the NAR circuit (contested by the best dirt horses in Japan) and the Grade 1 Japan Cup Dirt last November. Each of his wins has been dominant, but this time he has a few questions marks over him. He was scratched from his last planned outing at the end of January with an inflammation to his back knee, and although he has been back in work since, there must be questions as to his fitness. In addition, this weekend’s race is over 1600m, a distance much shorter than he has been racing over recently. He has been tried at the distance once (in this race 2 years ago) for a well beaten 5th, but he has clearly improved since then, which it makes it impossible to leave him out. Field Rouge Field Rouge beat Vermilion home in the 2006 Japan Cup Dirt when finishing 3rd, but last year Vermilion beat Field Rouge into 2nd place. Field Rouge has won his two starts on the NAR circuit since the Japan Cup Dirt, but like Vermilion those races were over longer distances than what he will be tested over on Sunday. Field Rouge’s difficulty is that he tends to get a long way back in the early stages, but he has a very strong finish. If he is within striking range as the field enters the straight, he will likely be in the finish, but last year he could only finish 5th, and that was run at a frantic pace and dominated by swoopers. The 1600m distance does look to be too short, but he will be running on.  Daiwa Scarlet Another horse that will attract a huge amount of interest is the freak filly Daiwa Scarlet.Together with her brother Daiwa Major (who was retired last December), the family dominated the Japanese racing scene in 2007, finishing the year with a 2nd (Scarlet) and 3rd (Major) in Japan’s biggest race, the 2500m Grade 1 Arima Kinen on turf. She is yet to put in a bad run in her career, with 6 wins and 3 seconds from 9 starts. Sunday will see her tested on dirt for the first time, as she continues her preparation for her trip to Dubai, where she will run in either the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free (1777m on turf) or the Group 1 Dubai World Cup (2000m on dirt), depending on how she performs on the weekend. If she handles the dirt, she could win this very easily, based on her performances against the best turf horses in Japan last year. Her style of racing will make her task easier, as she is always ridden on the pace, and usually given plenty of room by jockey Katsumi Ando. One of the most worrying aspects when a horse tries dirt for the first time is how the horse will react when he/she has dirt kicked in its face. As mentioned above, the start of Sunday’s race is actually on turf, so it is very likely that Ando will be able to position Daiwa Scarlet on the pace on Sunday, and she may even lead – eliminating any worry of having dirt kicked up by those in front of her. There does not seem to be many on-pace runners in the lineup for Sunday (in fact most of the favored runners usually settle towards the rear of the field), so if Daiwa Scarlet can fight on as well on dirt as she does on turf, she may well be heading to Dubai with a legitimate chance in the Dubai World Cup.Wild Wonder Wild Wonder is an up-and-coming dirt performer, who looks to be suited perfectly by the 1600m course on Sunday. He won the traditional lead-up to Sunday’s race, the Grade 3 Negishi Stakes (over dirt on 1400m) in early February, and has a great record at Tokyo where he has 4 wins and a second from 6 starts, and his only unplaced run was his 5th in last year’s Japan Cup Dirt where it appears the 2100m was too long. With Yasunari Iwata on board, he will certainly be well supported by the Japanese racing fans on Sunday. Big Grass Other horses on Sunday who look likely to get a run (there are 44 nominations for a place in the 16-horse field), and look to have a chance, include Big Grass who likes the track and is working well after experiencing major interference leading to his 14th in the Negishi Stakes earlier this month, Blue Concorde who is now an 8yo but is still a very competitive horse who will appreciate the drop back in distance to 1600m here, Meisho Tokon who like Field Rouge gets a long way back, but does have a very powerful finish and has been racing the best horses in Japan over the past year, and Long Pride who is another big finisher who missed the Japan Cup Dirt last year, but has been racing at a high level. If 4yos Dragon Fire and Ferrari Pisa get a run (they are 18th and 22nd in order of entry at this stage), they should also be treated with respect. Dragon Fire, who was the second favorite in the Japan Cup Dirt last year, has been a little disappointing in his latest 2 runs but is working much better now and has ability, and Ferrari Pisa has run well at Tokyo in the past against top class opponents (he has run twice in Tokyo with one win and one 2nd place finish), and with a good run in transit, could well be competitive.
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#3
02-19-2008, 10:44 PM
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Feel better, Daiwa Scarlet.
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#4
02-22-2008, 11:43 AM
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Nowhere near as exciting with Ms. Scarlet out, but.....
The barrier draw... http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/080222.html ... and for the Kyoto Kinen (Vodka!!!!!)... (Dream Passport and Eye Popper also entered). http://japanracing.jp/card/index.html
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#5
02-23-2008, 01:21 AM
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#6
02-23-2008, 11:28 AM
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#8
02-23-2008, 12:33 PM
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Quote:
Awww what's the matter Morte?
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#9
02-23-2008, 12:58 PM
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Oh nothing...really.
I'm happy as a bevy of bumble bees in a Mason jar of honey. Excuse me...won't you?....I am on my way to our world renown cultural center,University Circle,where one can admire fine art, take in the worlds finest symphony orchestra and stop by the Brotherhood Loan Co. for quick cash......all within 5 minutes of each other.
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#10
02-23-2008, 01:08 PM
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Quote:
Last edited by my miss storm cat : 02-23-2008 at 01:20 PM.
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#12
02-23-2008, 01:14 PM
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Quote:
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#14
02-23-2008, 09:30 PM
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Quote:
http://www.shoeblitz.com/wp-content/...ystal-heel.jpg
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#15
02-24-2008, 10:47 AM
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Vermilion wins, Field Rouge pulled up. Anyone have news?
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#16
03-23-2008, 07:37 PM
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Wow, nice to see Eye Popper looking good again.....
He was 2nd (to Admire Jupiter..... Pop Rock 3rd). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRAySf5uCVc
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