Corepetiteur and Yasunari Iwata got the year off to a great start with their long-shot victory in the G3 Kyoto Kimpai. Session finished second and pre-race favourite Tudo de Bom came home in third.

Winning jockey Iwata commented, "I was confident when I saw the draw. He was a bit keen during the race as I asked him to quicken at the start to get a good position but he stayed calm and had no problems. I was unsure which path to take in the homestretch so I stayed inside, which paid off."

On his upcoming 50th birthday in March, Iwata added: "I have plenty more time to enjoy racing and keep winning. I will focus on races one by one, and just build up my number of wins." Clearly still hungry for winners, Iwata shows no signs of slowing down.