Grape Brandy warmed up for Dubai World Cup day with victory in the February Stakes on Sunday, Japanese racing's first Grade One title of the 2013 season.
Third choice Grape Brandy took the tape in the 1,600-meter race at Tokyo Racecourse in 1 minute, 35.1 seconds for the first G1 win of his 16-start career.
The 5-year-old son of Manhattan Cafe, ridden by last year's leading jockey Suguru Hamanaka, who won the February Stakes for his first time, held off the race's former champion and ninth favorite Espoir City by three-quarters of a length.