Aile Voix

Shinsuke Hashiguchi, trainer
“I wanted her to go forward from the gate in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) because she had an inside draw but she slipped coming out of the gate and other horses immediately got ahead of her. With the pace the way it was, it was a tough race, but she did well in the stretch and gained ground to finish seventh. I kept her at the training center after that and aimed her here. On May 2 she worked over the woodchip course and even without going full out clocked 77 seconds. After that workout her appetite was still good and she’s full of energy. The jockey rode her on May 8 and she clocked 84 seconds with a last furlong of 12 seconds. A perfect workout. This time, it’ll be an easier race for her. At 2,400, even a bit late out of the gate, she can still get a good position. She should be able to use her stamina to the utmost.”

Aqua Mirabilis

Keiji Yoshimura, trainer
“On the day of the Oka Sho, it was a difficult track for horses racing from off the pace. Since she started well, I think the jockey made the decision not to hold her back but to race from a more forward position. Things got tight in the backstretch and she clamped down on the bit in places. The results were unfortunate but there’s a lot to learn from that and we can see it as a plus for the future. She left the training center after that and returned on May 1. Her weight had been down 10 kg for her last race but she’s not thin now. The plan is to race from behind and see how well she can do. I’m hoping she’ll do her best.”

Beach Samba

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She always runs really well in the final stages and the Oka Sho was no different. No matter what, she always runs a solid race. She had some time off after that race and then, as planned from the get-go, we got her ready for the Oaks. All has gone as planned. She has filled out and she returned to the training center looking good. On May 9 she worked as usual on the woodchip flat course with another horse. We pushed her hard and her movement was good. She’s had two starts at Tokyo and showed good late speed in both. The long homestretch is a plus. She’s been able to settle well recently and should be able to handle this distance. The field is strong but I’m looking forward to it.”

Chrono Genesis

Takashi Saito, trainer
“The Oka Sho had been the target all along, she was in good shape and we sent her to the gate feeling good. With each race she has gotten more and more excitable and she was pretty wired. Somehow she kept it under control but that is a concern. She got bumped twice and dropped back, but did well in the stretch. You can’t win a Grade 1 on strength alone. You need luck too. Keeping her calm has been our priority. Last week and this week her movement was good and I think she’ll have more leeway both physically and mentally. This week again, she got a bit agitated and I didn’t want her to overdo it in the finish. We put one horse ahead of her and did our best to have her settle in behind. Physically, she’s improved. Tokyo has no bias and for a horse like her with great late speed, I think it’ll suit her. I think the trip from Ritto will have her weight in about the same spot as it was for the Oka Sho. I do think she would be fine if the track were a little slow.”

Contra Check

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“She hadn’t gained much weight since her last run and she got regular work outside the training center. So, for the past month I’ve trained her at a slower pace. Her breathing is good. I had actually wanted to race her the week before the Flower Cup but she didn’t make the final lineup because there were too many horses. So, I didn’t give her any training for the next week and she won that. It wasn’t that fast of a race but she ran well. I’ve trained a number of her siblings, but she is very laidback and easy to work with. Not only her, but a lot of the other runners aren’t particularly good over 2,400 meters. It’s a first for everyone. She has lost when she didn’t lead but I don’t think we have to insist on the lead. She’s not that difficult of a horse and I think she’ll get into position on her own, so I’m not worried about the change in riders. Their sires are different but her half sister Bounce Shasse was third in the Oaks (2014) and that was regrettable. I’m hoping this one can give it her all and then some for her sister as well.”

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“She was back from some time off for the Sweetpea Stakes but she was in good shape and I expected her to do well. She could have started a bit better but the jockey read the pace well moved her up. She got to the front earlier and though they were closing in on her but she outperformed them. Up to now she’s had some weak areas and had to rest a lot between races, but she came out of the last race well and everything has gone smoothly. Because there’s not much time between races, I just breezed her on the weekend and this week. That should be enough. She settles well so I’m not worried about the distance. In the Queen Cup, she ran competitively against the horses that went on to finish in the top spots in the Oka Sho, and I think she’ll be competitive here as well.”

Danon Fantasy

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“In the Oka Sho, I think she was very patient but I did have to get after her a bit in the stretch when the eventual winner made her move. So, she was pretty spent right before the finish line, but she did gave it her all. Her being able to be patient showed she has matured. On Wednesday we just had her blow off some steam, just fine-tune her. She went up the hill nicely and that’s the most important. The stable staff have done a lot to keep her calm and not let her overdo it in track work and I think her calmness this week was proof of that. This distance is not her best but the same goes for a lot of the others and they’re all in it together. She’s in a good place mentally and should reflect that in her racing. I don’t think there will be any problem with the left-handed track either. I do want a fast track.”

Masayuki Nishimura, trainer
“I had her younger sister too and, like her, this one has her weak points but this filly is a bit more serious. I always thought she needed distance and never though of aiming her at the Oka Sho. I’ve had my eye on the Oaks since the beginning. That was my goal. She’s a pretty laidback horse and is easy to ride in track work. She’s talented and has speed and can get a good position. For two weeks in a row now jockey Hideaki Miyuki has ridden her in track work. He checked her responses on Wednesday and she was moving with ease.

Hiroaki Yoden, assistant trainer
“The main thing is that she got in to the race. I’m so relieved. She has an outside gate again, but I don’t think she’ll have the kind of interference she ran into in the Flora Stakes. I think if she can get some cover and keep something in reserve for the final stage, she’ll show us some nice racing.”

Figlia Pura

Takanori Kikuzawa, trainer

Hirofumi Toda, trainer
“She’s able to hold her ground much better when racing to the left. That’s something I was reminded of in the Flora Stakes. She showed she can handle distance and I was very satisfied with that race. I think she established herself as a frontrunner, definitely a horse that runs on the pace. Contra Check has great late speed and key on Sunday will be what she does from the gate. But if Jodie can run her own race, she is very good at holding her ground. There hasn’t been that much time between races, so with this week’s breeze I just wanted to focus on the final stage and check her breathing. She was relaxed and I think she’s in good shape. She’s a Daiwa Major filly and some people think I should be worried about the distance, but her dam’s sire is Monsun and she can settle well. From her last start, I’d planned on racing her next at 2,400.”

Miyabi Muto, jockey
On Wednesday, I just breezed her, but there don’t seem to be any problems. The No. 1 gate is the best for her and she’ll be able to run her race. Even if taking the lead is a bit tough for her, it’s the best. She’s good at the break.”

Loves Only You

Mirco Demuro, jockey

Meisho Shobu (black cap, horse # 3)

Kaneo Ikezoe, trainer
“She was fast out of the gate in the New Zealand Trophy and traveled in second position. Things might have been different if it had opened up for her in the stretch a bit sooner. But it was a good race for her and it should stand her well in days to come. She got her earnings up to where she needed them to come here and I figured racing with other fillies was better than doing a mile with colts. Things have gone as usual and the jockey rode her on the flat last week working with another horse. He gave her a good hard workout and I think she has improved. She’s a good eater and powerfully built so I think she can handle the distance. She has good results in a mixed-company graded-stakes race and if she can get a good position like she did in that race, things will go well.”

No One (white cap)

Kazuhide Sasada, trainer
“Ryusei Sakai did a fine job riding her in the Oka Sho, which was his first classic race, but being a mile it all came down to the final speed. And that was tough for her. I gave time off after that and all has gone well. A bit more distance this time and her training has focused on getting her in shape to handle that. She hasn’t gotten times like she had before the Oka Sho, but I’m more concerned with building her stamina, not her speed. Looking at her bloodline, I think she’ll be able to handle the distance and I’ve gotten her in the shape she needs to handle it. The left-handed track shouldn’t be a problem either. I’m hoping the pace will be fairly strong.”

Schon Glanz

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“The last 3 furlongs of the Oka Sho were extremely fast and the winner set a race record. There was no way this horse could make it to the top running from behind like she was. She had put on the muscle she needed for the Oka Sho and had matured mentally as well and was able to concentrate. Since then there haven’t been any big changes. She maintained the condition she had. She hasn’t won since the Artemis Stakes, but except for the Oka Sho, she wasn’t far off the top. She’s shown some nice racing in the final stage. The jockey has had his sights on this race and has ridden with it in mind. With the long Tokyo stretch and the distance extended to 2,400 meters, I think we can expect different results this time.”

Shadow Diva

Makoto Saito, trainer
“She got the position I’d imagined she would in the Flora Stakes. She had a tough time in the stretch but got her ticket to the Oaks. I don’t think the way she ran the Flower Cup was good for her, but the jockey now has a good handle on her. We kept her at the training center and her preparation has gone well. We clocked her for the first time up the hill course on May 2. And last week in track work, she worked in tandem and the jockey urged her on strongly from the half mile mark. Her time over the last stage was good, her responses were good and she moved well. She’s had regular races but her weight stays the same so we’ve been able to give her solid workouts. Her back and hindquarters have gotten stronger with the work and she came out of all the races well. I’ve had my eye on the Oaks since her debut and I’m expecting a good race.”

Shigeru Pink Dia

Kunihiko Watanabe, trainer
“In the Oka Sho, she stumbled just after the break so she wound up racing from the back. But thanks to that, she didn’t get forced further and further out. She covered the last 3 furlongs in 32.7 seconds. She couldn’t have gone any faster. I gave her about two weeks off after that and she returned on April 25. Last week she was 462 kg. She’s big but luckily she has no problems with her legs. We gave her a good blowout May 8 with another horse. She moved well and left something in the tank. All looks good. She can settle well so the distance should be fine. The one issue is her mental state. She has always been high-strung and she doesn’t load into the gate well. She was pretty agitated in the Oka Sho. We’re thinking of what to do in the preliminaries and how to keep her calm. I’m planning to put two hoods on her.”

Victoria

Kazunari Suzuki, assistant trainer
“In the Flora Stakes, we’d really planned to send her forward from the gate but she broke poorly and raced from behind. She was able to win from there because she has matured mentally a lot. And as a result, she has more racing options. She returned to the training center on May 8. She’d been at 478 kg at the farm but her weight was down to 464 kg when she got back. The numbers are down but she is well filled out so all’s well. There’s not much time between races so I’m just keeping her tuned up. She can race from any position, so she can handle 2,400 meters. Where she makes her move and the start in front of the grandstand are going to be two key points. After that I’ll just leave it up to Keita Tosaki.”

Takafumi Aoki, trainer
“She’d been improving physically going in to the Flora Stakes and she got a good position in the race. But, she wasn’t able to accelerate enough in the end. She had time off after the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and we took our time bringing her back up to peak, so perhaps she wasn’t quite there yet. After that race, she didn’t seem to have any pain and nothing else wrong so I trained her as usual. Masami Matsuoka rode her in track work on May 8 and said ‘She’s gotten better.’ I think 2,400 is a bit long for her but it will be the same for a lot of the others. If the track and the trip suit her I think things can go in her favor. If she can make the most of her condition and her racing sense, we can hope for a better finishing order.”