Admire Lead

Nozomi Kojima, assistant trainer
“Last out in the Tulip Sho (Grade 3), she showed her temperamental side. She’s in good shape. I’m looking forward to it, if she can bring out her natural competitiveness and tenacity.”

Daiki Yajima, assistant trainer
“She was disadvantaged in the Anemone Stakes with the far outside gate over the Nakayama 1,600 meter course, but because none of the other horses wanted to take the lead, the jockey made a good decision and she went quickly to the fore. It was a perfect race for her to show off her tenacity and she handled the distance fine. She hasn’t changed much since then. She’s had regular races and she’s built solidly. She’s very versatile for a Daiwa Major filly and she can race from any position. The lineup is strong so I can’t make any claims but I’m hoping she can improve on her last race by one.”

At the Seaside

Keiichi Asami, assistant trainer
“She’d had a hard schedule and then the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1), so she was tired, but last race she was back on her feet and gave a strong performance. Since her debut, we’ve always given her time off between races and then brought her back to the training center shortly before her next race. She came back on March 29 this time and things have gone according to plan. She’s not one to lose her head and she settles well, so the distance isn’t a problem. She’s had good results at 1,400 meters but the mile doesn’t worry me. She hasn’t had any particular problems from her debut and she has run solidly to the end. The competition is strong, but I think she’ll do well if the trip suits her.”

B B Barrel

Eiji Nakadate, trainer
“She chased the winner in the Daily Hai Queen Cup (Grade 3) and couldn’t keep up in the end. Still, I’d wanted her to experience that kind of race. She was in good shape and she really gave it her all and did well until about 1 furlong out. The loss is not a tragedy. We gave her some time off but she’s gotten ample work. I’ve taken her to new places, so she won’t be bothered by a new track and have given her a variety of work. She hauls well, so the journey to the track should be OK. I’m hoping she’ll get a trip that allows her to run at her own pace. If she can get good results here, things will open up for her, so I’m hoping she’ll do her best.”

Blanc Bonheur

Koichi Shirakura, assistant trainer
“I really can’t say what happened in the Tulip Sho (G3). She was in good shape. After that race, she went off her feed a bit. We tried our best to get her back into shape and she is finally back and I think she has improved. She’s on her toes. Her dam was a sprinter and this filly may be best at 1,200-1,400 meters. There are a lot of strong horses but she’ll likely be better than last time. I want her to hold back until the decisive moment and go for it.”

Candy Barows

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“I’d wanted her to be carrying a bit more condition for the Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue (Grade 2) but her training was quite hard before that race. I was surprised that she led but she didn’t tire up the hill in the stretch. Since then she’s been eating well and I have no worries there. I’d gone too easy on her in her training just before the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1) and blew that, so I’ve been working her in tandem. It’s 1,600 meters this time and I’ve worked on her balance, so she should be able to handle the distance and the hill.”

Denko Ange

Jun Sato, assistant trainer
“The Tulip Sho (G3) was decided with some very fast final 3-furlong times, so her fifth place was the best you could expect. Still, the jockey said that up to that point she was running very nicely. He rode her strongly but at the end she leaned in, which made things difficult. I think that was due to her coming off a layoff. She has sharpened up with that race and I think she’s looking much better. She has the power of a graded stakes winner now. Even though she’s more powerful now, her real strength is how light is on her feet. I think Tokyo or Kyoto may be better for her than Hanshin, but all has gone well in training with this race as our aim. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of race she’ll run.”

Katsumi Minai, trainer
“There’s no doubt she has talent. On top of that, she has a whole lot more than what she has shown us up to now. In her five starts thus far, she’s only missed the board once. That was the Artemis Stakes at Tokyo. In a dirt sprint, she’ll take the lead but on turf, I think it’s best if she held back and kept something in reserve for the finish. She has speed and a great kick and, of course, is not bad on turf. She’s in good shape and the draw is right in the middle, which is good. I’d like to have a track that was a bit slow.”

Jeweler (blue cap)

Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“For the Tulip Sho (G3), her weight was down and she was coming off a layoff but she still did quite well. And, I think she was also targeted the whole way. But running the kind of race she did, I’d say it’s obvious she has talent. She ran balanced the whole way and she was always nicely in hand, which was a big thing to take from that race. She has come along fine since and we’ve had her working in tandem up the hill course. She’s calm and eating well and she’s on the up and up heading in to the race as we had expected. She hasn’t won a graded-stakes race but I think she has the ability to win a Grade 1 race. I think it’ll be an easier race for her. I hope she can avenge her loss from last time.”

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“The Tulip Sho (G3) was her first race in a while and her first time racing right-handed. Even so, she covered the last 3 furlongs in the 33-second range and won a berth in the Oka Sho. It was only the third race of her career but she showed racing sense and improvement. She came out of that race well and we’ve been able to give her the usual training. She’s eating well and I think we’ll see even more improvement. She had the long haul to the track for two races in a row before her last start and she may have had some fatigue. Her weight last race was only 4 kg more than her debut weight but she’s solid and she has matured. I think she’ll do better than last race, seeing as it’s her second time running to the right and she should be used to it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Major Emblem

Yasuhito Tamura, trainer
“She won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) and was named the top 2-year-old Filly last year but losing the Artemis Stakes means there was still the issue with the Tokyo course. There was no problem with earnings but I did want to clear that issue up, and winning the Daily Hai Queen Cup (G3) has done that. After that race, she left the training center for some time off. On March 24, she got a nice time in fast work, but having to work solo meant she probably could have done more. On March 31, even though she was working alone, I had the rider push her even well past the finish goal. She’s relaxed and mentally stable and her appetite is good. She broke well last start so she led but she can also run in second position like she did in the race before that. I think the runners from the Tulip Sho (G3) are quite strong, but I’m sending her to the gate with confidence.”

Hiroshi Furukawa, assistant trainer
“She has good late speed, so it’ll be good if she can keep her eye on the inside and have a smooth trip.”

Meisho Suizuki

Hiroshi Furukawa, assistant trainer
“For the Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue (G2) the preliminaries went really well. Things were perfect heading into the race as she was calm and relaxed. The jockey got her in behind another horse but when he put pressure on the reins she raised her head. It would probably have been good if she’d been running in with the pack. Having had the far outside gate hurt. That let off some steam and she’s relaxed now. She’s had a few bad losses in a row so I can’t say anything but if she settles I think she can manage 1,600 meters.”

Yoichiro Asano, trainer
“She looks and feels good. She was back eating heartily right after her last start. She’s a tough filly.”

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“She was drawn widest for her last two starts, which means she was loaded into the gate last. The gate opens right away and I have the feeling that she’s not ready. In gate practice, the horses are kept waiting. In the Tulip Sho (G3), the final 3 furlongs and the overall time were very fast. And having broken late hurt. Her weight was down too, so after the last race, we gave her some time off. Last week I didn’t want to push her too much and had wanted a time of about 54 seconds. I think she had a perfect fast gallop (on March 30) and this week the jockey rode her. Her two wins in a row were both at a slow pace. The Tulip Sho (G3) was a very different kind of race and it’s no wonder she couldn’t measure up. If she can break well and show her late kick, it’ll be good.”

Sinhalite

Sei Ishizaka, trainer
“She didn’t have that fast a start in the Tulip Sho (G3), but she traveled well and was well in hand. She really showed some great speed in the stretch and her time overall was good too, so I think it was quite a good race. I didn’t want to race her much before the Oka Sho, but if she had lost the Kobai Stakes, then things may have been different. Getting the earnings for that made a big difference. She has gotten regular work and is moving well. She’s small-framed but her appetite has stabilized and she’s maintained the condition she had for her last start. It’ll be a full gate this time and so luck or the lack of it always plays a part. If she races to the best of her ability, I think she has a chance.”

Solveig

Ippo Sameshima, trainer
“She’d had two slower tracks in a row but last time in the Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue (G2) she had a fast track, an inside draw, and she got a nice position on the inside where she could keep something in reserve. Everything went well. That was a relatively easy race and she came out of it well and was back in shape right away. On March 30, jockey Masayoshi Ebina rode her on the uphill course. Her time was in the 56-second range, but since I just wanted him to check how she was feeling, it’s not a problem. This week we just focused on the finish. She’s never run over 1,600 meters but I don’t think it’s a distance she can’t handle. If she can get cover and keep something for the finish, it should be OK.”

Win Fabulous

Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, trainer
“Last out in the Tulip Sho (G3), she took hold of the bit for a while, the same as she’d done in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1). The Tulip Sho was a trial race and her being an honest horse, I’d thought she’d do well but I guess coming off a layoff took its toll. She has put on muscle with each workout we’ve given her and her weight is back up to around 450 kg. The venue and the trip to the track are the same as they were for her past two starts, so I’m not worried. She’ll have improved quite a bit from her last start and will be in quite different shape from then too. I’m expecting her to rally.”

Sources: Keiba Book, Sports Nippon, Netkeiba, Sankei Sports