Alfredo

Yutaka Take
"Come to think about it, I've never ridden in the Derby aboard a horse from Kanto. Strange how that's worked out. But it's an honor to be able to ride a horse of his caliber. I'm really excited about it. He's got that aura of a horse who can really run. And he looks just like his dad Symboli Kris S from the saddle. I'll have to really pay attention to him during the trip because he's mostly been racing at the mile. The horses from the Satsuki Sho are tough, but I like it how there's an element of mystique to our horse. I'm not the most superstitious of jockeys but I'm starting to get a little nervous. At the end of the day, I'm one of the chosen 18."

Brightline

Tetsuzo Sato
"His action was good, and he was relaxed. Judging by the way he felt today, he shouldn't have a problem with a longer race."

Clarente

Futoshi Komaki
"He's not the best of workout horses, that's for sure. We were also out on the course at a time when it was in bad shape so this is about as good as it gets. He's in good physical condition, though."

Cosmo Ozora

Daichi Shibata
"He went all out in the workout last week so we held him back this morning. But he practically breezed to his fast time which says everything about the kind of shape he's in at the moment. He's in excellent shape. He'll be fine even at 2,400 meters; the worse the track gets, the better for him but all he needs is a clean race to give himself a chance."

Deep Brillante

Yasunari Iwata
"I've been working him myself the last three weeks, and we've come to understand each other really well. It's been an extremely rewarding three weeks. To be perfectly honest, I can't say I've been completely satisfied with any of his performances since his second start. But to finish second or third every time, even though he's struggled to settle, you can certainly say he's no ordinary horse. There's nothing left for us to do if we lose this time; that's the kind of shape he's in at the moment. I think he's the strongest of the lot whether we're racing at 2,000 meters or 2,400 meters. I want him to win a Grade 1 title."

Yoshito Yahagi (trainer)
"We left everything in Iwata's hands. I think even the horse was won by his passion to win. I thought he was outstanding a week ago, but he was just as brilliant today -- if not better. Incredible is the word I would use to describe him. I've got no worries whatsoever here."

Etendard

Masami Matsuoka
"He's in pretty good condition -- really good. He started out fast so I thought he'd run out of gas in the end, but he actually turned it up. He's come on really strong in such a short period of time. In the Aoba Sho, he gave away with a furlong to go and I didn't think he was physically ready for the punishment back then. But he's got a completely build now and I'm looking forward to the race; I'm glad I was here. He's been trained to sit back so in all likelihood, we're going to come from behind in the race itself. I think the distance is right for him and he's got the explosiveness to do the job here. I'm going for it, there's no question about that."

Hideaki Fujiwara (trainer)
"We've got to do something different if we want to stand a chance against the favorites. I took a lot of things into consideration in working him on a Tuesday -- like his psychological state, and that we would have all of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday to finetune him for the race. It's a gamble this time, and we're all in. It might be a little tough on the horse, but we need him to suck it up for us to have a shot here."

Fenomeno

Masayoshi Ebina
"I've got a feeling there's more to him than I realize. He may not even be serious yet. It's difficult to say how he'll match up against the horses from the Satsuki Sho, but he's an easy ride and he won't have a problem covering the distance. The Satsuki Sho was a tough race, it being on an off track and everything, so I hope his not racing in it will give him some edge over the others. I'm looking forward to the race."

Gold Ship

Hiroyuki Uchida
"His time was more than fast enough. I didn't think he'd catch the horse in front, but he just kept gaining on him before he caught up. He used to be clumsy at times before but there are no signs of that now. He was very sharp today. He can adjust to any kind of pace. He's got the stamina to always finish strong, and the longer the distance the better. He starts well now, too."

Naosuke Sugai (trainer)
"We squeezed the last drop out of him last week so he just went through the motions today. It all went just as I had hoped. I'm developing an ulcer from all the pressure. I always felt a long race would suit him. His cardiovascular is amazing and he shouldn't have any problems lasting the race. Racing is kind of like tag for him. He's the 'it' who always gets everyone out."

Grandezza

Kenichi Ikezoe
"I think I've got a chance to win it again this year. There's just no comparing his form now to what it was the first time I rode him. I've been spending as much time with him as I can, and I've been thinking long and hard about how to ride him during the race. I've got a lot of faith in this horse."

Osamu Hirata (trainer)
"The workout was just about right for him, not too hard, not too soft. We're sending him out there with a lot of confidence. When Curren Black Hill won (the NHK Mile Cup) it was kind out of the blue, but we've always had Grade 1 expectations for Grandezza. He's taken a bit of a detour but I hope he has an opportunity to show his worth in the Derby, the biggest race in Japan. We're out for revenge here."

Historical

Hidetaka Otonashi (trainer)
"He's had some time since his last start and he'll need to be fit to last 2,400 meters. He needed the work today. He needs plenty of space in between races so this has been the plan all long. We're happy with the workout, and I'm personally looking forward to the race."

Just a Way

Naosuke Sugai (trainer)
"He's come along fine. I wasn't too concerned with his time. I wanted to see how he would respond and I'm pleased with what I saw. He doesn't have trouble settling and he's got the right bloodline for long races."

Monstre

Tomohito Ozeki (trainer)
"He responded well at the end. He's on the slow side at the start of a race, and his style is to turn it up after he breaks to get himself into a good position near the front. The distance is longer this time, which I think is good for him."

Spielberg

Norihiro Yokoyama
"He's more intense than he was last week. It'll only have been two weeks since his last race, but he's shaping up well which is all you can ask out of a horse."

Kazuo Fujisawa (trainer)
"His time was slow, but he's always like this. He's been getting his fair share of starts so he's fine. It takes a while for him to hit top speed, but he never gives up and you can count on him to run hard. The tougher the race, the better his chances are."

Tosen Homareboshi

Craig Williams
"I was a little worried how he would come out of the Kyoto Shimbun Hai, but he was much better than I imagined. I think he's improved a lot. Along with the Arima Kinen and the Japan Cup, the Derby is one of the races I really want to win. There's not a jockey in the world who wouldn't want to win the Derby."

Yasutoshi Ikee (trainer)
"He's got a lot of endurance so I think the 2,400 meters at Tokyo will suit him. He's got more than enough potential to win this race."

Trip

Hiroyoshi Matsuda (trainer)
"Seeing how he was responding, he could have finished a lot further in front. Maybe he's starting to get lazy but at the very least he's got his lungs."

Veiled Impact

Ryuji Okubo (trainer)
"I just wanted to see how sharp he was, but I was impressed. The added distance should be good for him."

World Ace

Yuichi Fukunaga
"He felt good today from the first step he took out on the course. He was relaxed throughout the workout and I think anyone who saw him today had to be impressed with the way he's shaped up. Needless to say, I've got a great opportunity here. He's a horse with a tremendous amount of quality. I'm not the jockey I was when I rode King Halo. I've experienced a lot since then, and I know how to approach the race mentally. You don't get too many opportunities to ride in the Derby aboard the favorites. I'm determined to produce a good result here. I used to become nervous more than 10 years ago but now I'm just enjoying the atmosphere. I couldn't wait for the Derby to arrive. I've wanted to ride a Derby favorite all this time and I've been working my tail off to land that opportunity. All I'm thinking about is helping World Ace run the best race he possibly can right now. I pray that I can be the first on to pass the post."

Yasutoshi Ikee (trainer)
"His coat looks nice and he's got a better build than he had for the Satsuki Sho. He's definitely improved since that race."

Zelos

Masazo Ryoke (trainer)
"He's stable. He hasn't had a lot of space in between races but he's in good shape. We need to focus on getting the most out of him."