noun
Used in horse racing and other competitive contexts to refer to a stakes race or the prize money involved. Often appears in compound terms like ステークスレース.
彼はステークスで優勝した。
He won the stakes race.
このレースは高額のステークスがかけられている。
High stakes are placed on this race.
Borrowed from English 'stakes', referring to prize money or a race in which owners put up a stake.