On the 19th, in race three at Niigata, the Hideyuki Mori-trained two-year-old colt Emblem Bomb was scratched from the race due to a case mistaken identity. The horse that was mistaken for Emblem Bomb was Ecoro Neo, a juvenile colt from the same stable. Both horses were purchased at the OBS March Sale and arrived at the Ritto Training Center on July 28th.

Under the supervision of trainer Hideyuki Mori on August 2nd, they both passed their respective gate tests. Up until that point, the two horses had been properly identified. However, during training on the Ritto uphill galop on the 5th, their saddlecloths were mistakenly swapped, causing Emblem Bomb to assume the identity of Ecoro Neo and vice versa.

The mistake was discovered around 10:25 AM on race day. The mismatch was revealed through microchip verification and an examination of markings. Both horses are chestnut colts, but they differ in facial markings and have a weight difference of about 30 kg. The 'real' Emblem Bomb had been in the pre-training centre under the name Ecoro Neo on the 12th. According to the Japan Racing Association (JRA), there have been two instances of scratching due to 'mistaken identity' since 1989. This incident marks a rare occurrence after 34 years. Trainer Hideyuki Mori was fined the maximum amount of 500,000 yen for negligence. Mori mentioned that the lack of consistency in staff assigned to individual horses and the daily rotation of staff might have contributed to the mix-up. He also cited his own business trip to the United States from the 3rd to the 11th as one of the reasons for the delayed discovery.