Adam's Bridge

Ryuji Wada
"He's not that great of a horse in training but he's come along nicely. He switches on much faster than he used to."

Bell Lap

Naosuke Sugai (trainer)
"He's looking good. He's got to make the trip out to the racetrack so it was only the last 200 meters for today. We made our move a little too early (in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas)) and it just wasn't a great race for him all around. He's got the bloodlines for the distance so I'm not worried there. I want to see what he's made of once again."

Cosmo Nine Ball

Yuji Wada (trainer)
"He put in some pretty fast work on Sunday. The horse is good to go so I just made sure he wasn't overworked and building up any fatigue."

Danon Major

Kojiro Hashiguchi (trainer)
"I have absolutely no complaints. It felt great just watching him work. I don't have an ounce of concern regarding his form. The biggest question for us is figuring out how we can get him to settle. I'll come up with a plan after the draw and talking to jockey (Futoshi) Komaki about it."

Duramente

Mirco Demuro
“Duramente is a great horse. I’ve never been on a racehorse that accelerates like he does. He’s got a great engine on him and he’s the best I’ve ever ridden. But he’s really intense and is difficult to control emotionally. On the last turn in his last race (Satsuki Sho), he drifted out wide which may have had something to do with him running clockwise for the first time as well as the noise from the fans. This horse is a lot like Neo Universe, the way he’s excitable and even the shape of his head. The difference between the two is that Neo Universe was slow to switch gears whereas Duramente hits top speed quickly. He can compete at any racetrack and is truly a strong racehorse. Like I said, the only issue with him is his temperament. I don’t think the distance will be a problem.”

Atsunori Hashimoto (assistant trainer)
“Going around the last two turns in the Satsuki Sho, he was so far inside that I thought there was no way we could win, especially with the time over the first 1,000 meters. But he showed great acceleration down the stretch and because he was so fast, I was worried about him. We took our time making sure he was OK and there wasn’t a thing wrong with him.”

Guanciale

Masami Matsuoka
"He's a very talented racehorse. I think if he had gone all out he would have touched 51 seconds (in the workout). He was in control of himself and doesn't seem to be difficult to ride."

Kitasan Black

Hisashi Shimizu (trainer)
“We went into the last race after three straight wins so we expected to be marked or have the other horses come at us. It’s natural. The Satsuki Sho flowed like we wanted to, with just one horse in front of us to follow. We just have to tip our hat to the champion and the runnerup because they outclassed us, but our horse gave it everything he had and I thought he turned in a good performance. He doesn’t give in easily and with the course and the distance changing, we’re hoping we can turn the tide somehow. I think we’ve got a huge chance here.”

Komet

Takayuki Kato
"He was breathing well and responding well. I've got no worries about his condition. I hope he can get into the flow smoothly and have a good race."

Musee Alien

Yoichi Kuroiwa (trainer)
"We managed to do everything that needed to be done. He's very steady. His action is a lot better than it used to be and he's got the pedigree to cover the distance."

Musee Sultan

Yoshitomi Shibata
"I don't see anything wrong with him. Looks the same as he did in his last start (the NHK Mile Cup) to me."

Satoshi Oehara (trainer)
"I'm very happy with the workout. He didn't need to work on his speed for this race. Jockey Yoshitomi (Shibata) taught him how to run a 2,400-meter race. The longest he's run is 1,800 meters but he should be fine with the distance."

Porte d'Auteuil

Yutaka Take
"He felt good. He worked faster than I expected a week ago and he's worked hard this week as well. He really like to train, it seems. It probably says a lot about the shape he's in. I certainly don't think we have no chance here."

Real Steel

Yuichi Fukunaga
"I rode the way I rode him (in the Satsuki Sho) because I thought it gave us the best chance of winning. His time was fast enough for him to become Satsuki Sho champion, I think. But Duramente was stronger than I expected; he was pretty awesome. (Real Steel) came back from the farm looking really good. There’s no dramatic change, but he’s not overweight and looks like he’s ready to get back to work. You need different qualities to win the Derby compared to the Satsuki Sho. Real Steel’s raced at Tokyo, and he can race from any position. All I can do is ride the best race that I possibly can and see if it’s good enough for us to win.”

Yoshito Yahagi (trainer)
"He's exactly where we want him to be, so exact that if he trained the slightest bit more he'd be overworked. He's at 99.9 percent. One more drop and it spills over the edge, if you understand what I'm saying. When he goes to the Northern Farm Shigaraki he comes back in much better shape. It's a definite plus for him. He was sharp, and I'm really pleased with the workout he had. Compared to the Satsuki Sho, he is much leaner physically."

Reve Mistral

Hiroyoshi Matsuda (trainer)
“The (TV Tokyo Hai) Aoba Sho turned out the way I thought it would because I expected him to qualify for the Derby all long. He won convincingly, accelerating really well down the stretch. He still didn’t have his legs underneath him when he made his debut, but he’s gotten stronger with each race. There’s no questioning his potential. He’s filled out somewhat but he’ll be a lot better next year. I think he has incredible upside and I just hope he stays fit.”

Satono Crown

Christophe Lemaire
“He got knocked around so badly on the final turn it was impossible for us to win it. But he still finished the race strong. The way (Duramente) accelerated on the straight was amazing and he ran an incredible race. The long homestretch will be good for him (Satono Crown). He’s an easy ride so the distance shouldn’t be a problem for him. I think we’ve got a chance. I’m riding in my first Derby in Japan. Needless to say, I want to win. We probably won’t be the favorite this time but I’m really excited. Winning the Derby is the dream of the owner and trainer.”

Atsunori Hashimoto (assistant trainer)
“He got off to a bad start in the Satsuki Sho and took the long way around on the outside. Everyone talks about how tough the winner was, but he was cut off on the next to last turn and then was bounced wide going into the stretch. You can be the most talented horse in the world but if you can’t travel properly, it gets to be difficult. He’s not as edgy as he used to be and is really loose. It’s all good so far.”

Satono Rasen

Yasutoshi Ikee (trainer)
"This will be his sixth race of the year with just two weeks in between starts. He breezed for half a mile today which is what we had planned. He's been able to have the kind of buildup we were hoping for, and his condition is picking up. We're happy with the condition he'll be in for the race. It's relatively easy to get a horse into shape with two weeks in between races. If it's three, you have to work him properly from the week before but with two, there's no need for that."

Spirits Minoru

Manabu Sakai
"He's not as uptight as he was last time (Kyoto Shimbun Hai). He's learned to keep his concentration even with another horse in front of him; he's growing up. I don't want an inside barrier because he showed in the Satsuki Sho that he can't lead. I'm not losing any sleep over tactics with him; he's got one style and we just have to stick to it."

Tagano Espresso

Yuji Hishida
"He's a gentle horse. He was easing into the session and a hard surface will be good for him. He has a sharp closing rush so we'd like the turf to stay firm."

Tadao Igarashi (trainer)
"Both his time and the way he worked today was impressive. He's got a monster appetite which is why he can work as hard as he does. His condition is good for sure."

Tanta Alegria

Masayoshi Ebina
"Obviously I want to win but I'm grateful to have had so many opportunities. I want to enjoy it and hopefully the result will be positive in the end. I could tell he had potential even before he made his debut. He's still finding his feet but he stays loose in races and I really don't have much to complain about him."

Sakae Kunieda (trainer)
"He worked well and I think things have gone well to this point. He's got a big, long stride so a racetrack with room like Tokyo or Chukyo suits him. He likes being able to run out in the wide open."