Amakihi, a two-year-old by Black Tide and first foal out of Triple Tiara-winning mare Apapane, was sent off as the race favourite. Despite being briefly overtaken in the stretch by Rogerley Mine, the blue-blooded colt dug deep and fought back to claim victory on his debut.

Jockey Christian Demuro praised Amakihi's potential, saying, "He ended up in the lead, and in the stretch, he got distracted and was a bit playful, but when he saw a horse coming from the outside, he responded well. He's got great potential." Trainer Sakae Kunieda added, "We owe this one to Christian. He's a colt, so he'll continue to mature. We're aiming for the Classics next year, and to get there, we need to accumulate prize money."