All for Love

Teruhiko Saruhashi, assistant trainer
“She broke well in the Rose Stakes, but the slow pace had her pulling at the bit some. She quickened nicely in the final turn, but she was, after all, coming off a layoff. Her schedule after that has been irregular but we have been able to get her ready without giving her time off. Jockey Hideaki Miyuki rode her last week on the woodchip course and she has improved since her last race. Over the summer she finally filled out and her body now suits her frame. She has really matured. She gained 22kg, so there’ll be no problem if her weight drops some. The race will be a furlong longer than her last start but she won over 2,000 meters in the spring. She’s a big-striding horse and this distance won’t be a worry. It’s the inner course though, so I do hope she’ll be able to negotiate things well.”

Almond Eye

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“On Tuesday she worked on the woodchip flat, so on Wednesday I had the jockey ride her on the hill course. She has improved a lot and she’s tracking very well. Her hind hooves are hitting her front hooves a bit but much less than they were last week. I think she had a wonderful workout on Wednesday. The 49.7 seconds may have been because the ground was fast but I also think it reflects what a good horse she is. The jockey barely urged her on. Her performances this year have been far beyond my expectations. She went all out in the Oaks and she was a bit tired after that. Over the summer, she matured physically and mentally and has returned to work looking good. I think she is more than ready to do well. She gained more than 10kg over the summer but you can see that she has added muscle. I think she’ll show about a 10kg gain on raceday. I think the inner course favors the frontrunners a little more than the outer course does, but if she runs as she normally does, she shouldn’t have a problem.”

Cantabile

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“She had an outside gate, so she wasn’t up against any walls in the Rose Stakes and was able to have a smooth trip. She won very nicely. As expected, this distance was better for her than the 2,400 meters of the Oaks. She’s able to really get moving. After the Rose Stakes we let her rest until the weekend and then worked on getting her totally recovered. Things have all gone well. She hasn’t gotten tense or excited. Last week she worked in tandem on the flat and had a good hard workout. Her weight hasn’t changed but she is looking more mature than she did in the spring. And I think that her running style will suit the inner 2,000 course at Kyoto. Naturally, difficulties under way won’t be good but if she has a smooth trip, I think she’ll turn in a good race.”

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“This week we only breezed her as the time between races is short. She has good muscles and is very powerful. I think she’ll make quite a good longshot choice.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“Her movement was good in work when I rode this week and her time was fast. She turned in a good performance last out and I think the Kyoto 2,000m will suit her. Key will be whether she can break well.”

Gorgeous Lunch

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“In the Rose Stakes, the jockey foresaw that the pace would be slow and he rode accordingly, but the winner was strong and got past this one early. It was a tough trip, but still she managed to cover the last 3 furlongs in 33.9 seconds and wasn’t that far off the winner. She worked on the hill course last week and has improved with the sharpener. Her appetite is good and I think she’ll go to the gate in good shape. It’ll be two races in a row that she has to travel to Kansai but last time she was calm and her weight was even up so that shouldn’t be a problem. She’s the kind of horse that can handle any kind of race and the extra distance will be a plus. She’s in good shape and I think we have something to look forward to even with the top-level competition.”

Harlem Line

Kiyotaka Tanaka, trainer
“She started well in the Shion Stakes, got a forward position and traveled well. She was actually too forward. I think she would have done better if she’d been raced from a bit farther back. Last week, she worked under jockey Takuya Ono on the hill course and he said that her responses felt better than they had before the previous race. Like then, she has gotten a lot of work. I think she’ll have improved with her last start. Her weight was up 26kg then, so I think with the trip to the track, she should be down about 10kg. The distance may be a bit long for her, but I’m hoping she’ll have a good trip.”

Lathyros

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“In the race before the Rose Stakes, she took the lead and the jockey said that he had the impression that she took the bit differently. So, last time I decided to have her hold back a bit. The jockey took advantage of the inside draw and gave her a good ride. And she responded by showing us just what she’s capable of. She got a ticket to the Shuka Sho, so we’re able to go there with pride. If she loses weight like she did for her last race then that’s a problem, but she didn’t lose any more after that race so I think we’re OK. Last week we finished on her accelerating in the final stage and we pushed her hard. She’s very good out of the gate, which is one of her strong points. I think the 2,000-meter inner course will suit her and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Lucky Lilac

Mikio Matsunaga, trainer
“She was in good shape for both her Grade 1 starts in the spring but the winner was strong. I thought she’d do a little better in the Oaks but she was bothered by the other horses in some parts. Of course I hope she can avenge the loss. She looked really big when she came back from the farm. I think she had a very nice summer off. But I did notice that there was something amiss with her legs and so I decided to pass on the Rose Stakes. But she has had no problems since returning to the training center. We gave her a good hard workout last week as we always do leading in to a race and her movement was very good. I thought, ‘Wow, she has really changed.’ She has matured a lot. This week, since she had a hard workout last week, my intention was to push her hard but not ask her to go all out. And, as usual, she looked good. The rider said she had a lot left even though she easily passed the horse ahead of her. I think it was an ideal workout. I thought she looked good last week, but she looks even better this week. I think the Kyoto 2,000 is her best course but the frontrunners will be at an advantage, so I need her to break well. And, I’m hoping she won’t draw too wide. The jockey is to ride her on Friday and I think he’ll get a good handle on her.”

Mikki Charm

Teruhiko Saruhashi, assistant trainer
“She likes to run on or very close to the pace and last out in the Moiwayama Tokubetsu, she was even more raring to go. She wasn’t keen though, just very energetic. There are still some things that need to be worked on, but I think her performance improves each time she races. After her last start, we gave her a bit of time off at the farm and she was very energetic when she came back to the training center. She can be pretty wired up and hard to control and she’ll run hard to the very end. She’s a very tough horse. She’s nearly doubled in size since the spring and adding an extra furlong to the distance is nothing to worry about. We haven’t hauled her to the track on raceday recently though, so we’ll have to be careful that she maintains her weight.”

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“She’s had a lot of difficulties with her legs but they’ve been good recently. She won nicely going wire to wire last race and we plan to do the same this time.”

Haruhiko Kawasu, jockey
“She felt good in work this week and felt easier to ride as well. I don’t think Kyoto will give her any problems.”

Pioneer Bio

Koji Maki, trainer
“For such a small horse she’s surprisingly lacking in agility. In the Shion Stakes, I didn’t think she’d like the inside draw. She did actually get in a tight spot where she couldn’t move but she ran well in the final stage so I don’t think it was such a bad race. Her movement was good in her workout on the woodchip course on Oct. 3. She caught and passed her partner and, though she usually loses her breath easily, this time she was back to normal soon after finishing. So her breathing has improved. She always runs with her head held high, and she is persistent and always gives it her all to the end. Last race I got her ready with just a bit of extra left over for the main event, so with that prep she should be ready. I’m hoping she’ll be able to show her strength even at the Grade 1 level.”

Primo Scene

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“Her breaking well was everything in the Sekiya Kinen. She was able to keep up with the good pace without too much exertion and race from a good position. At last, this filly is showing her strength. We sent her to the farm right after that race and everything has gone well since she returned to the training center in mid-September. Two weeks ago in work, we were concerned about how she was taking the bit and about asymmetry we saw in her body, so we’ve been working on that. She’s looking good now. The biggest issue is still the gate. If she can remain calm in the gate and come out well, things will look good. The distance is longer but the pace in the Kyoto 2,000m over the inner course tends to be good, so I think she should be able to handle it.”

Randonnee

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“In the Shion Stakes, she was sent to the front from the gate but under way she did relax. Up until and during the spring, she tried too hard and would be tense. She has a rather delicate temperament, so this was quite a gain. She came out of that race well and has retained the fullness in her muscles. And because of that we worked her on the flat last week and pushed her hard. There are no concerns about her condition. It’s better if she can go easily to the front but she can travel in second position and win as she did in the Sweetpea Stakes. So, she doesn’t absolutely have to lead. I think the inner 2,000-meter course will suit her. She has matured from the spring and I think she’ll be able to travel at her own pace and bring her tenacity into play.”

Salacia

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“She was in good shape for the Rose Stakes and I think the difference between her and the winner was only due to the path that horse took. This horse had perhaps her best start ever and she settled well, which are two big things gained from that race. Unlike in the spring, she has been able to maintain her weight after a race. Her movement was good last week in work, but then, she always moves well in work. It’s better to look at her muscling and tone to determine how she’s doing. The sheen on her coat is good now and her muscle tone too. This week in work she was very much on her game. She worked alone on the flat but looked to be enjoying herself. She was a bit keen in spots but she was under control and picked it up nicely in the final stage. I think it was a good workout. She still has problems at the start with her hindquarters not responding as well as they should. But with the inner course this time, I do need for her to break well and get a good position. If she can, then she’ll have a lot better chance.”

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“We just breezed her this week and she got a great time. She is only just now coming into her own but is very talented.”

Suguru Hamanaka, jockey
“She felt especially good during the final stage of work this week and she works very well in hand, with great maneuverability.”

Sayakachan

Hidetaka Tadokoro, trainer
“In her last race, the Yuzuki Tokubetsu, I decided it wasn’t worth pushing her to take the lead, so if another horse wanted to, I decided there was no use insisting on leading. As it turned out, the frontrunner went wire to wire, but this horse held back patiently in second position. Just before the stretch things got tight but she really gave it her best. Even with a fifth-place finish, it was a very good race. As for her weight, she had always been difficult to get lean, so being a bit underweight last start was just right. Everything has gone well after that race and I believe she’ll go in to this race in good shape. The competition is strong but I’m hoping she can use what she learned in her last start to her advantage here and do her best.”

Scarlet Color

Ryo Takahashi, trainer
“In the Rose Stakes, she was still slow from her time off and I think that race will have sharpened her up. Last week on the woodchip course, I put two horses in front of her and she had a good strong workout from behind. And it does look like she has improved, so this week I just gave her light work and some fine tuning. We couldn’t race her in the Oaks due to phlegmon, but I’d always thought she needed more distance. She lost in the Rose Stakes, but she did run nicely to the right. She was looking kind of thin in the spring but last race she was up 18kg. I think she still has a lot more potential. She has kept the condition she gains after a race and I feel she’s maturing. The competition will be that much stronger this time but she’s on the up and up and if the distance works in her favor, I think things will go well.”

Tosen Bless

Yukihiro Kato, trainer
“In the Rose Stakes, the jockey said she didn’t have power from behind. She was also in heat and the day of the race the temperature soared, which all affected her. The reasons for her poor showing are clear. Since she didn’t really race at all last out, there were no repercussions from it. She worked on the woodchip course on Oct. 4, and because there’s not much time in between races, I think that should be enough. This week jockey Kota Fujioka rode work and she looked to have improved. You can say she was slow last race, but she kept up with those in front and traveled faster than normal for her. She naturally is a type that likes to hold back and save it all for the finish. If she takes it easy in the first half, I think she’ll do well in the final stages here.”