[4] Manfath did come from a successful female line: her great-great-grandmother Aimee was the ancestor of many major winners including Blushing Groom, Shareta and Encke.

[8] King Kamehameha began his second season by sustaining his only defeat when finishing third to Focal Point and Meiner Makros in the Grade 3 Keisei Hei over 2000 metres at Nakayama Racecourse on 17 January.

[8] On 9 May the colt started favourite in an eighteen-runner field for the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup over 1600 metres at Tokyo Racecourse.

His closest rival in the betting was Seeking The Dia, colt who had won his last three races including the Arlington Cup and the New Zealand Trophy.

Ridden by the veteran jockey Katsumi Ando he won by five lengths from Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes winner Cosmo Sunbeam with Meisho Bowler in third and Seeking The Dia seventh.

With Ando again in the saddle, King Kamehameha was restrained in the early stages as Meiner Makros set a very fast pace and went ten lengths clear.

King Kamehameha moved up on the final turn, took the lead 300 metres from the finish and won by one and a half lengths from Heart's Cry in a race record time of 2:23.3.