Gold Ship
Gold Ship began his four-year-old season on 17 March in the Group Two Hanshin Daishoten, a trial race for the Tennō Shō. Starting at odds of 1/10 he won the fourteen-furlong race by two lengths from Desperado. On 28 April, the colt was moved up further in distance for the two-mile Tennō Shō at Kyoto. He started odds-on favourite and finished fifth of the eighteen runners behind Fenomeno. On 23 June, Gold Ship met Fenomeno again in the Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse where the field, which was decided by public ballot, also included Gentildonna. Orfevre was withdrawn from the race after bleeding after an exercise gallop on 14 June. Uchida positioned the grey just behind the early leaders before moving up on the outside in the straight. He hit the front inside the final furlong and drew clear to win by three and a half lengths from the five-year-old Danon Ballade, with Gentildonna third and Fenomeno fourth.