Aaron's Rod, by Epiphaneia and the first foal out of the illustrious 9-time G1 winner Almond Eye, arrived at Miho Training Center on the 11th.

After passing a barrier trial at Miho in May, he was sent to Northern Farm Tenei in Fukushima Prefecture for some time at pasture. Now, he will be prepped for his debut at the third Niigata meet. Trainer Sakae Kunieda remarked, "Compared to when he was first stabled, he's developed more muscle and definition, and he feels stronger."