Sent-off favourite, Bird Watcher made a stunning debut with Christophe Lemaire on board and won the 2yo Newcomer at Tokyo Racecourse. Beautifully bred, 2010 Triple Tiara winner Apapane is the dam of Bird Watcher.

Lemaire commented, "He is amazing. He stayed calm from the start to the finish line and responded perfectly. He can run well at longer distances too." Trainer Kunieda added ,"He ran much better than I expected. He will rest for a bit and we will look into possible races."