Mirai Iwata guided the second favourite David Barows (Gelding, 6yo) to his first graded stakes triumph, drawing away strongly from a prominent position to win with authority. The final time was 1:43.7. Seventh favourite Scents Blood finished second, followed by third favourite Matenro Leo in third. The race favourite Grande Venus settled for fourth.

Iwata, who won this race last year aboard Yoho Lake, making it back-to-back Naruo Kinen victories in an unconventional sequence, praised his mount afterwards. "There wasn't anything in particular I needed to worry about. I sat just behind the leaders, kept a smooth rhythm, and he won so convincingly that I felt if we lost, it would simply have been our limit," he said, lauding David Barows' performance.

"He's been remarkably stable both physically and mentally since being gelded. He's an incredible horse. To win a graded stakes at six years old, he's only getting better, and I expect him to keep progressing," Iwata added with confidence.