Buena Vista

Hiroyoshi Matsuda, trainer
"Her weight was down from the previous race in the Tenno Sho but she didn't look well-toned. Till now she had always gotten in top shape herself for the first race after a layoff but this fall she is a 5-year-old and, well, age is a factor. When she came back to the training center she was heavier than usual but that can't be helped. In the Tenno Sho straight the inside was open and then it closed up right before the finish. That's racing. I think to have finished fourth under those conditions was pretty good. She put in a good race. Since then we've given her a lot of work and she's handled it well. She's gotten more powerful and faster. Last time out, even though she'd worked well, she'd unfortunately stayed heavy. This time she is far better. After the Japan Cup there was the loss by a nose in the Arima Kinen and after that we seemed to be jinxed even though she has run well. We've got this race and then the Arima for this year. First of all, I want her to run safely and then I am hoping for some good results."

Eishin Flash

Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer
"He has the same racing style as Orfevre and having Ikezoe ride him is a real confidence boost. The world's top fillies are going to have the advantage of the weight allowance but if he can give us what he is capable of giving us, then he can give us results."

Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey
"His responses were good in work this week and I think this last bit of fast work will have brought him right up to peak. When he gets a sharpener it helps him relax mentally and if can go to the race Sunday in the same kind of mental state he is in now he can turn in a good performance. I think the Japanese horses are on a par and I have a feeling I'm going to have another week like last."

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
"He'd been relaxed going from the saddling enclosure to the preparade ring in the Tenno Sho and circled around looking really good. I suppose what may have led to his loss was that he got caught up in the high pace and may have made his move a bit too early."

Jaguar Mail

Atsunori Hashimoto, assistant trainer
"He wasn't even able to get his breath in the Tenno Sho and was carried off by the pace from the start. It was just too fast and I think that was rough for him. Still, he was able to quicken in the finish. He didn't seem to have suffered from the race as much as it looked like he would. We've been working again from the 13th and things have gone according to plan. He doesn't seem to have lost strength and looks to be in the same condition as he was last year. He likes the more distance he can get. We've been working him pretty hard. He's ready to run and I have expectations for him."

King Top Gun

Ippo Sameshima, trainer
"We thought we'd take a chance in the Sapporo Kinen and take the lead but we'd never had those kind of results before (12th place). So we took it more easily last time out. He was sixth and the going was good on the outside, but it was also good on the inside. Carrying 56 kg, I'd say it wasn't a bad race. There weren't many days until this race so we worked him up the hill. His time was slow but the ground was torn up at the time so I think it was OK. Things are going according to plan. As you could see from his bodyweight last time he was lean but I don't think he had enough muscle. But I think that race will serve as a good sharpener. He has a lot of power so I hope we can get ground that requires a lot of power and that that will work in his favor."

Oken Bruce Lee

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
"The winner in the Copa Republica Argentina was able to save a lot for the finish. Our horse did well but I think the difference in the weight he was carrying made the difference in the end. It's unfortunate. I think he was not at his best in last year's Japan Cup but this year I'd say he's back in form. Maybe age will be a factor but two years ago he was only a nose off Vodka. I think he can still give us that kind of race."

Pelusa

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
"He gave me exactly what I asked for in work this week and he has relaxed after being given the sharpener. Recently, we haven't had to do any gate practice with him and he's broken well in his last couple races. If you compare him to how he was in the spring, he is much calmer and not agitated before work in the mornings. He has muscled up well as he has matured and I think he has come along well. Last year he was applauded just for making the break well. But he won't get the same applause for doing the same this year. I'll try to do my best to see that he gets a round of applause for being out in front in the stretch."

Norihiro Yokoyama, jockey
"His movement in work was good. He wasn't in bad condition for his last race but he was a bit nervous since it was his first time back after a layoff. Since he's had that race he's calmer, just as I expected he might be. He was able to move up from that position in the Tenno Sho despite the high pace. Because he hadn't raced in a while I had had my doubts but he did really well. In the spring, we had had some worries about his hindquarters and his back and I thought he would improve with a race behind him but he didn't. But from the autumn he has really improved. It's him doing the running and I'm just going to try to stay out of his way, but this time I'm really excited. He is in great shape and I'm dying to get out there and race the sooner the better. Recently, the Kansai horses (based at Ritto Training Center) have been really giving us a run for the money but Pelusa is coming along well and I think this is our big chance."

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
"His first race in six months and it was a G1 and so we had given him a lot of training for the Tenno Sho. We had him up to a level that we were very confident about. He had the fastest time over the final 3 furlongs and he showed the kind of stuff he's capable of for the first time in a long time. We all had felt that he had matured bit by bit, but he himself proved that in the race. It's frustrating to have lost but I think it will serve him in his next race. The only thing we were worried about was that there'd be repercussions from the Tenno Sho run, but he's eating well and he recovered quickly from the effort. He gave us a great piece of work. That sums it up. He's developed a mature style now really different from what he was. I really want him to land a big race and I think he has a chance."

Rose Kingdom

Kojiro Hashiguchi, trainer
"Just like in the Kyoto Daishoten, I had no complaints regarding his condition for the Tenno Sho. He didn't quicken as well as he could have but I think that was a result of his getting caught up in the high pace. Luckily, he came out of the race fine and we have been able to work as we always have. Last year in the Japan Cup he was carrying 55 kg and he was able to accelerate to his fullest. That weight may have been ideal for him. This time he'll be carrying 57 kg, 1 kg less than he was carrying in the Tenno Sho so that will be good. At the very least we want a fast track. The field is strong but I hope he can be among the top finishers."

Ioritz Mendizabal, jockey
"(In work up the hill,) he seemed to be leaning out at some point but I got him more onto his right and he ran straight. When I first got on him, he still seemed to be asleep, but once he got out onto the track he woke up and his movement was top-rate."

To the Glory

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
"He was trying to deal with the high pace from an outside draw in the Tenno Sho and when he hit the hill in the stretch it was tough for him and he hung in. But he still pushed on and really showed the kind of ability he has. Since then he has improved dramatically. Of my three horses, he has shown the most improvement. As long as the pace in the race isn't really slow I think he can do well. He has what it takes to win a G1."

Tosen Jordan

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
"I was a little uneasy about the Tenno Sho turning into a speed race and then the pacesetter went off at such a blistering pace that he had to use a lot just to keep up. So the results were that it was a trip that required a lot of stamina and that was tough. Still, he recovered quickly. And he didn't show any aftereffects that I had been worrying about. He's maintained good condition. He's been quickening well in work in tandem with To the Glory and I think he's running even better than before. Last time out it'd been the first time back after a two-month layoff. I think we can expect him to be in even better shape. Mentally, he's more eager to run than he had been and I think the extra distance will be a plus."

Trailblazer

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
"He'd had 1 kg more to carry from the Meguro Kinen and I'd been concerned about that. But last time out, he won more easily than I'd ever imagined he could. Since we just raced him we've only given him light work. He wasn't tired so we've been working him up the hill course. This week we pushed him a bit and it should be enough. He can take the going even if the ground is rough. But, he's not that competitive if it comes down to who has the best kick. So we plan to keep him up front and on the pace and make our move early."

Victoire Pisa

Katsuhiko Sumii, trainer
"For his final workout, he was already in good shape so I just wanted to see his responses in the finish and this is what I told the jockey. He responded very well and Demuro agreed. We've done all there is to be done at this point. The field is strong and it's the kind of race that decides the top horse in the world. I would have liked to race him once before this but he is in good shape. He doesn't mind if the ground is torn up, it'll be OK. And Demuro has a good handle on this horse's quirks and style."

Mirco Demuro, jockey
"It's been eight months and he has had some hard training but his responses are sharp again. But, he's the kind of horse that doesn't give 100 percent in training. So in work this week I don't know really how much he gave me. But he is in good shape. He's in very good condition. The competition is tough and if he doesn't give it his all he's not going to be able to win. Arc champion Danedream, especially is going to have the advantage only carrying 53 kg. In Dubai we went from second position but he broke a bit late. This time too I think it'll be up to the start, but I hope we can be in a good position going into the straight. It won't be easy to win but we're going to give it our best. He has good racing sense and a strong desire to win."

Hiroaki Kiyoyama, assistant trainer
"I think the only concern is the long layoff. The lineup is top-rate but I think we still have a lot we can look forward to."

Win Variation

Yoshikazu Nakayama, assistant trainer
"He kept his eye on Orfevre going around last time out and that's why we wanted to stay to the inside. The field spread out lengthwise and a lot of horses tired. But he moved up to overtake others and the results just couldn't be helped. He quickened well in the straight. It was just the way things panned out that led to his loss. He has gotten stronger from the autumn and recovers quickly from a race. He handles what we give him and has turned in good times. He has been up against one huge standout horse but he does have the power to take a big title himself. He'll be up against older horses this time. We'll just have to see how well he rates against them."

Katsumi Ando, jockey
"I only pushed him over the last furlong in fast work this week and he moved well. I feel he's mentally up and eager to race. He's maintained the same condition he was in for the Kikuka Sho and the wide open track at Tokyo will make racing easy for him."