Yutaka Take turned 55 on the 15th and aims to celebrate his birthday by riding Silver Sonic to victory in the G2 Hanshin Daishoten. He is familiar with this race as an eight-time Hanshin Daishoten winner and he holds the JRA record of the most wins for one graded stakes title.

The pair conducted a final piece of track work on the woodchip slope course at Ritto Training Center on Wednesday. Silver Sonic clocked 52.6 seconds for the final four furlongs and 12.4 for the final furlong. Take reflected: "He is better than last time I rode him four years ago. He got a bit tired at the end but it seems to be his pattern."

Take is also familiar with the dam side of his family. His grand-dam Ski Paradise won the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp in 1994 and gifted Take with the first G1 title outside of Japan. Take commented: "I have lots of memories with this family. She was a sprinter but he is a stayer. He is full of energy and I am excited."