Tidal Lock, a 2-year-old colt by Maurice, is slated to make his debut in Sunday's Race 5 at Fukushima Racecourse over 2000 meters on turf. He hails from a strong lineage, being out of Earthrise, who placed second in the 2015 Flower Cup and finished third in both the 2016 Aichi Hai and 2017 Mermaid Stakes, each a graded stakes race. He is also closely related to this year's G1 Japanese Derby winner, Croix du Nord. Trainer Ryo Takei speaks highly of the colt, saying, "He's a good horse with strong stamina and cardio."

In his final piece of trackwork one week out, Tidal Lock breezed over the woodchip course at Miho Training Center under jockey Takuya Ono, clocking 6F in 81.4 seconds with a final 3F in 37.5 and 1F in 11.5. He finished alongside a 3-year-old stablemate, showing the stronger action while remaining under a hand ride. Trainer Takei commented, "He still seemed to have something left in the tank. I hope he finds another gear once we ask him to really go." He added, "He's the type who benefits from distance, and I'm envisioning a race where he takes up position early and controls the pace from the front." With tactical ability and a deep pedigree, Tidal Lock looks ready to claim victory in his debut.