Straight-line Speed

(THU) February 19th, 2026

8:25 p.m. And so I've pondered after some researching, what kind of trailers or lookers might perform well in February Stakes?

The course layout of Tokyo dirt mile consists of long straights, a sweeping bend, with a downhill at the beginning and a short uphill on the homestretch before the finish line. It often encourages the pace to get tight depending on the number of horses running and the line-up after the barrier draw, while the furlong time slightly drops around the enterance of the third corner. As the first half of the race usually speeds off at a tight lap, it gets tough for the front runners to hold out and by the time they climb up the hill, trailers as well as lookers charge down the homestretch to beat their tred rivals.

What's necessary to make this happen I think, is speed, straight-line speed. Therefore, I will weigh heavy the horses that have previously run in a tight-lapped race, recording the fastest final 3 furlongs regardless of the posts they draw. If they've performed well on fast, wet tracks or turf courses, that would be preferrable to back up their speed. Pedigree-wise, having Stom Bird lines, Norther Dancer lines, Bold Ruler lines which strengthens speed in their background will be reassuring, not to mention the Mr. Prospector line known to perform well on dirt courses.

The End

Caterpillar