February Stakes (Group 1)

AUSTRALIAN-based jockey Rachel King became the first female jockey to win a flat Group 1 race in Japan when she partnered second favourite Costa Nova to win the February Stakes over about eight furlongs at Toyko on Sunday.

It was a first Group 1 win for the Lord Kanaloa horse who now has six wins in as many starts on dirt at Tokyo. He gained an automatic starting position into the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, for trainer Tetsuya Kimura.

King has ridden under a short-term license this year. Rochelle Lockett was the first female jockey to win JRA’s jump Group 1 event in the 2002 Nakayama Daishogai with Gilded Age.

British-born King’s first group race success in Australia came in March 2018, when Lanciato, trained by Mark Newnham, won the Group 3 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap. This was followed in October 2018 by her first Group 1 win, riding Maid Of Heaven for Newnham in the Spring Champion Stakes.

“I’m very proud to be the first female jockey (to have won a Group 1 title) but also proud that Japan has welcomed me as a jockey and not just a “female” jockey - something that I’ve always strived to be - I’m one of everyone and we’re treated the same, so I’m always thankful to the Japanese and all the supporters for welcoming me like that. They’ve given me huge support last year and also this year so it’s nice to be able to repay them with a group one (victory),” King said to the media afterwards.

Costa Nova was a fraction slow at the break but quickly found his rhythm to position himself towards the front group. Travelling smoothly behind a moderate pace led by Mitono O, he closed on the leader with other rivals towards the final bend. Rachel King urged the son of Lord Kanaloa into contention with two furlongs to go. Driven to the wire, Costa Nova held off a strong challenge by Sunrise Zipangu to a three-quarter-length victory.

Fifth choice Sunrise Zipangu travelled off the pace along the backstretch while shifting to the inside. Hugging the rails to move up rounding the final corner, the Kizuna colt waited patiently behind a crowd of horses, then produced the fastest finishing speed to finish three-quarters of a length short of the winner but out-finishing the rest of the field by a length and a quarter.

Favourite Mikki Fight was keen while being held back in mid-field by Keita Tosaki. The Drefong colt had much ground to cover, just managing to reach contention at the furlong pole and, while continuing to show good effort to the wire and overtaking a couple of rivals for third.