Shin Emperor, who finished second in the G1 Hopeful Stakes, conducted a final piece of fast trackwork with Yuga Kawada ahead of the G2 Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen. A full brother to Sottsass, he showed his readiness for the upcoming race, clocking 54.6 seconds for the final four furlongs and 11.9 seconds for the final furlong.

Kawada reflected: "He is a nice horse. We did not push him too much but he kept going by himself. He was great in the Newcomers but for the next two races, he was not in his best form. He is much better now. He is still immature in some places so this Yayoi Sho will help him a lot for the Classics."

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi commented: "This is a preparation race for the Classics but we cannot lose. He has the potential to win this race and we just need to support him to showcase our work at the track." Also a half-brother to seven-time G1 winner Sistercharlie, Shin Emperor has enough substance both on pedigree and track form to win this race.