In 2015 however, he showed marked improvement to become one of the best horses in Japan, winning six races including the Takarazuka Kinen and the autumn edition of the Tenno Sho.

Lovely Day is a dark bay or brown horse with a white star[2] bred in Japan at Northern Farm by his owner Makoto Kaneko.

[6] In November he was dropped in distance but moved up in class for the Grade II Keio Hai Nisai Stakes over 1400 metres at Tokyo Racecourse and finished second of the sixteen runners behind A Shin Top.

On his final appearance of the season the colt contested Japan's most prestigious race for juveniles, the Grade I Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes over 1600 metres at Nakayama Racecourse in December and finished seventh, four and a half lengths behind Logotype.

On 6 June Lovely Day was partnered by Yasunari Iwata when he contested the Naruo Kinen over 2000 metres at Hanshin and started 3/1 second favourite behind the six-year-old Air Saumur who had won the race in the previous year.

Lachesis, One And Only and Curren Mirotic were again in opposition, but his most serious rival in the betting was Sounds of Earth who had finished runner-up to Toho Jackal in the Kikuka Sho.

[15] On 1 November Lovely Day, ridden by Suguru Hamanaka started 2.4/1 favourite for the autumn edition of the Tenno Sho over 2000 metres at Tokyo Racecourse.

Old rivals in the field were Shonan Pandora, Last Impact, One And Only and Curren Mirotic whilst the other contenders included A Shin Hikari (Mainichi Okan), Decipher (Sapporo Kinen), Isla Bonita (2014 Japanese champion three-year-old colt), Spielberg (winner of the race in 2014) and the three-year-olds Ambitious and Satono Crown (third to Duramente in the Tokyo Yushun).

He defeated the fast-finishing outsider Staphanos by half a length, with Isla Bonita taking third ahead of Shonan Pandora and Ambitious.

In the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on 29 November he started favourite in an eighteen-runner field which included challengers from France, Britain and Germany.

In another close finish he came home in fifth place behind Gold Actor, Sounds of Earth, Kitasan Black and Marialite, beaten less than two lengths by the winner.

He was sent into the lead from the start by the locally based jockey João Moreira but was overtaken in the straight and finished fourth behind Werther, Military Attack and Blazing Speed.

After the summer break, Lovely Day returned in the Kyoto Daishoten on 10 October and finished a close third behind Kitasan Black and Admire Deus.