Lemon Pop, the 6-year-old powerhouse with five G1 wins to his name including the February Stakes and Champions Cup, and last year's Champion Dirt Horse, will retire after his final run in the G1 Champions Cup on December 1st at Chukyo Racecourse over 1800 meters on dirt. Trainer Haruki Tanaka confirmed, "The Champions Cup will be his last race."

After successfully defending his title in the Nambu Hai in October, Tanaka shared insights on Lemon Pop's condition leading up to his farewell race. "Physically, there's been no decline in performance, his movement is even better than last year. Although his motivation in training has slightly faded, we aim to give it everything for this last run."