| Apollo Dolce (4yo, colt) |
Apollo Dolce |
| |
Masahiro Horii (trainer)
"He never looks bad in workouts, but he was sharp on his finish and is raring to go. I like the vibe he's giving off, and he's very good on the off track so the more rain the better for him. His acceleration past the winning post was outstanding. He can get a little emotional during races, but right now, I think he's in the right physical and mental state. But the competition is strong, and we'll have to see how he measures up."
|
|
|
| B B Guldan (5yo, horse) |
B B Guldan |
| |
Koshiro Take
"He's such an easy horse to ride. Not in the world did I expect to get an opportunity like the one before me. I've been told by the trainer and (jockey Katsumi) Ando who rode him until the last race that he won't be a problem during the race. The important thing in the 1,200 meters at Chukyo is to make the trip without obstruction, and I think he's a horse capable of doing just that. I can't make any promises, but he should be fine running left-handed."
|
|
|
| Cosmo Bell (5yo, mare) |
Cosmo Bell |
| |
Tetsuzo Sato
"If we pushed her, she'd easily break 50 seconds so we just took it easy today. She's learned to race much more efficiently recently, and it'll be better for her if the course became wet. She's been working well, and she's come along just fine."
|
|
|
| Dragon Fang (4yo, colt) |
Dragon Fang
|
| |
Yoshito Yahagi (trainer)
"Everything went according to plan. He broke 13 seconds over the last furlong which is ideal. There's no comparison between his form now and his last race. He's learned to race either way, but there's no question he runs much smoother when he's running to his left. I don't think the course will be a problem at all because he breaks really well and accelerates with the best of them. His best race is still ahead of him, so I can't go overboard here. But I do know that he won't embarrass himself out there."
|
|
|
| Faridat (4yo, colt) |
Faridat
|
| |
Hirofumi Shii
"He wasn't all that last week, but today he worked really well. It was a great workout ahead of a big race. First and foremost, I want to ride an aggressive race. It would be pretty dramatic if he won the race, and I wouldn't be surprised if he dominated this race and became the best sprinter in the country some day. The trainer wanted to turn him loose from 1,000 meters and push him during his finish. And I think we did exactly that. "
|
|
|
| Fine Grain (6yo, horse) |
Fine Grain
|
| |
Hideaki Miyuki
"The horse lost his concentration at the end, but he's moving just as well as last year. He's much sharper after the last race. Last year, we had someone else at the stable work him for both the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and Mile Championship, because he wouldn't settle with me on. But this year, we're trying to get the fight out of him so I worked him. After all, he seems to race better when he's a bit worked up."
|
|
|
| Halo Fuji (6yo, mare) |
Halo Fuji |
| |
Yuji Iida
"The Chukyo course suits her a lot more than Hanshin, that's for sure. Like her brother Kyowa Roaring last year, she runs much better left-handed. We know we're going up against a very tough field, but hopefully, she'll come alive on the straight like she did in the Owari Stakes late last year (Chukyo, 1,200 meters, 1st place)."
|
|
|
| I'll Love Again (7yo, horse) |
I'll Love Again |
| |
Akihide Tsumura
"He doesn't work very hard any more, but he seems to be in pretty good shape. I don't think he's heavy but it might be better for him when it gets a little bit warmer. We pushed him longer than we usually do, but he has a habit of letting up whenever he moves out in front."
|
|
|
| Joyful Heart (8yo, horse) |
Joyful Heart |
| |
Yukiharu Ono (trainer)
"His movement was so-so. It's his first race on turf in a while, but he has the speed for it. He's up for it now he's had a race under his belt. He doesn't work like he used to because of his age, but he's not in bad shape. If he only worked better, you'd actually have a little more hope going into the race."
|
|
|
| Kinshasa no Kiseki (6yo, horse) |
Kinshasa no Kiseki
|
| |
Noriyuki Hori (trainer)
"I don't know if it's the age or what, but he doesn't work like he used to. From the way he's taking the bit and everything, he's obviously on the up, but I don't know if I can say he's at his best. He's wearing his blinker and I even threw in the whip to get him motivated. He's responding better than last time, but me personally, I'm not completely sold. But he did get his ears down when his partner came up next to him, which is a good sign. Hopefully, this workout will have switched him on."
|
|
|
| Laurel Guerreiro (5yo, horse) |
Laurel Guerreiro (Left)
|
| |
Mitsugu Kon (trainer)
"We're not worried about his time because we just wanted him to finish well. But he still clocked a decent time so I think it says a lot about his condition. Overseas, they don't work hard on the week of the race; I've come to realize hard workouts aren't necessary in the days leading up to the race. I wasn't planning on pushing him to the limit today. I want him to save himself for the race; he can't let it all out there. I think we've had the ideal workout. We had won consecutive graded races before last year's Takamatsunomiya Kinen, and that's what led us to enter him in the race to begin with. But this year, we've been eyeing this race all along and that makes a huge difference. He was far from 100 percent in his last race, and I think we can expect a lot of improvement this time around. I just hope that we can race on a firm track."
|
|
|
| Sleepless Night (5yo, mare) |
Sleepless Night |
| |
Hiroyuki Uemura
"I'm very pleased with the work. Last week, she started out too fast and I watched out for that today. The orders were to ease her in at about 14 seconds and then push her over the last furlong, and that's exactly the way it went today. Every week I ride her, she seems to get better and better. I worked hard to come back (from a broken leg) just for Sleepless, and I didn't want to come back at anything less than 100 percent. She's almost like a girlfriend because I can tell what state of mind she's in by the subtlest of gestures. She looks just as good as she did for the Sprinters Stakes. It's obvious that she has tremendous potential, and I have the utmost confidence for the race. The horse won it for me last time, so this time, it's my turn to win one for her. We can overpower the others."
|
|
|
| Soldier's Song (7yo, horse) |
Soldier's Song |
| |
Yuichi Kitamura
"He's very easy to ride. He has no habits and he worked well today. The course is tight, so it'll be important for him to get in the flow of the race. If he can just run a smooth race, he has every chance in the world. I definitely think we have a shot."
|
|
|
| Spring Song (4yo, colt) |
Spring Song |
| |
Akio Tsurudome (trainer)
"The focus was on his finishing, but he's worked well all week. We didn't have to worry about not qualifying, so we've had the luxury of planning for this race. We've regrouped from the last race and I expect him to bounce back."
|
|
|
| Tosho Courage (7yo, horse) |
Tosho Courage |
| |
Kaneo Ikezoe (trainer)
"His movement was good. He went at it hard from the start and still broke 12 seconds so he's unreal. He's a big horse, but he's clever enough to run well on a tight track. We'll probably come from behind this time, and I don't think a whole lot separates us from the favorites."
|
|
|
| Urbanity (5yo, colt) |
Urban Street |
| |
Masaaki Koga
"I thought he was a good looking horse from the moment I laid eyes on him in quarantine. He's definitely quality. Even before I saw him run, I felt pressed to make him a winner. (Stinger) also won a Grade 1 race on back-to-back weekends. I know it's tough for him, but the horse keeps responding. He's been in such good form that he makes us want to race him. He was an allowance horse not that long ago, and we want to ride this momentum into the big one. He's been racing constantly so we're just looking to maintain his condition. He was perfect in his last two starts so we're hoping he can dig deep one more time."
|
|
|
| Urban Street (5yo, horse) |
Urbanity |
| |
Akihiko Nomura (trainer)
"The workout was the same as always. He's had a lot of preparation so I think he's in the best condition that he can possibly be in. His strength is his closing rush and hopefully, the race unfolds so he can make use of it. We have an opportunity here, and we want to capitalize on it no matter what. His overall time was fast, and he's maintained his good form."
|
|
|
| Western Dancer (5yo, mare) |
Western Dancer |
| |
Hiroki Sakiyama (trainer)
"She's not in bad shape for who she is, but I really don't know how she'll handle the hard surface. And the field is pretty tough so we'll have to see."
|
|