Danon Decile will face a full field of rivals on the expanse of Kyoto Racecourse for the G1 Kikuka Sho. His aim is to become only the third horse in history to win both the Japanese Derby and the Kikuka Sho. Danon Decile, has already defied the odds to reach the pinnacle of his generation, will he once again prove his mettle this autumn?

He was only the ninth favourite in the Japanese Derby, but he made a mockery of those odds with a brilliant victory. An excellent start put him in a good position on the inside and he was able to get into a solid position. In the straight he broke away through a narrow gap and easily overcame the challenge of Satsuki Sho winner Justin Milano. "I was able to confirm that he's a really good horse. He has a bright future ahead of him and I'm looking forward to seeing him" Jockey Norihiro Yokoyama enthused after the race.

Behind the glory, however, was a lot of hard work by the management of connections. In the first Classic race, the Satsuki Sho, he was unfortunately withdrawn just before the race with a right forelimb strain. He was then rebuilt from the ground up, with particular attention paid to his gait, balance and tension. He has shown his true potential and this time he has not missed a beat after a five-month absence.

A week ago, he recorded a workout of 6f 78.1-35.8-11.4s on the Ritto woodchip track. Trainer Yasuda was happy with the workout, saying, "I wanted to give him a strong workload and I was able to give him a good workload as planned. I have noticed a lot of changes since the spring. He has put on weight and is taller now".

On Monday morning, he worked up a sweat on the Ritto corner track and is now looking forward to his final rehearsal on Wednesday. His preparations for the 3000 metre marathon in Kyoto are progressing well.