The first Grade 1 of the Japanese year is the February Stakes run at Tokyo on Sunday.

A Melbourne Cup bid by classy Japanese stayer Curren Mirotic will not be determined until late September.

Second favorite Moanin claimed Japan’s first G1 contest of the year in the February Stakes in Tokyo on February 21.

International star Maurice has been named the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year for 2015.

Emerging as race favorite in this year’s February Stakes after being dismissed as the longest shot on the board in the 2014 event, Copano Rickey has become the first horse in JRA history to capture the title two years in a row.