Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“He doesn’t lean to the right now after changing his bit, and with some speed he’s fine. His rhythm has improved, and in his last piece of training his responses were good, by also making sure he didn’t overdo things. I think he’ll be suited by the trip, bearing in mind his long stride. He’s probably best settled in behind another horse, but I’m not insisting on this. I want to see how he gets on here, running with a good rhythm.”

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“The jockey reports the horse to be in good condition and moving well. It’s a Grade 1 this time, so nothing can be taken for granted, but he ran particularly well last time, especially considering the ground. It’s good to get this start in a Grade 1. He’s currently how I would expect him to be. Like all the other horses, the 3,000 meters is an unknown, but he doesn’t pull, and I think he can get into a good flow in the race. With the condition he’s in, he should have a chance.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“As a son of Duramente, he can run well, and I’m pleased about that. After the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Duramente was injured and didn’t run in the Kikuka Sho, so I’d like this horse to prove something here. He’s in good condition and has plenty of stamina.”

Asamano Itazura

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“He seems switched on enough in training, but at the same time relaxed. He worked hard last week, so this week we’ve taken things easy with him, bearing in mind the transportation. He’ll transport over with two other horses to keep him company. The 3,000 meters of the race might be a bit long for him, but he should come on for his last race, and if he can run like he did last time, taking up a position running solo towards the back of the field, I think he can find a good rhythm. He feels like a challenger here, and with the two other Classic winning horses not in the line-up, he must have a better chance.”

Hironobu Tanabe, jockey
“He feels lighter after his last race, and I’m looking forward to his step up in grade this time. I was pleased with his run last time, and something similar to that would be good, coming with a strong late run.”

Deep Monster

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“Obviously he hasn’t run in a while, and he’s a bit eager to get back to things. He’s been moving better this week compared to one week ago. The key is really how he’ll handle coming back from the break, and if the race is run to suit him.”

Yuki Iwasaki, assistant trainer
“Despite it being his first race in a while, his work in training has been good and he’s been very thorough. He’s shown improvement as the race approaches. The key will be how he can adjust to the distance of 3,000 meters, but with the ability of his jockey Yutaka Take, he should get a good run.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“There’s not much change with him and he’s moving well. I’m a little worried about the trip. Also, he can suddenly take off, or sometimes not, and that makes him a bit unpredictable. If I can get him to run smoothly throughout, however, his overall ability gives him a chance.”

Takashi Saito, trainer
“It’s not just a race for colts, so we’ll take on this challenge. She settles well in a race and has plenty of stamina too. I think she has a good enough chance.”

Shigeki Todo, assistant trainer
“She’s trained well up against a couple of other horses. It’ll be the first time at 3,000 meters for all the runners, and she could be better than some of the others at adjusting to the distance. It would be good to draw an inside gate and get a ground saving run.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“She’s an easy horse to ride, and she did well to win at Kokura over 2,600 meters. On her breeding, the distance shouldn’t be a problem, and I think she’ll relish the Hanshin track. The 2kg allowance is also quite a bonus. It’s an interesting challenge, but she deserves to take her chance. She’s in good condition and I want her to use her ability to the best.”

Gratias

Yukihiro Kato, trainer
“He did his hard training last week, and all went well with that. It’s best if he can just take a sit behind another horse in a race and get into a good rhythm, and that’s what I would hope for this time, just as he did in the Keisei Hai. He’s always had a strong heart and lungs, and the further he goes, the better he is, so I have no fear about the distance of 3,000 meters.”

Monte Dio

Hirofumi Shii, trainer
“We haven’t pushed things with him, as he’s a horse to think about from now, and he’s starting to do things as I would want. This next race will be a strong, top-level one, but I think the longer distance will be good. He’ll have a skillful young jockey aboard, who’s already got a feel for the horse, and he should be able to get the best out of the colt.”

Kazuo Yokoyama, jockey
“He’s an easy horse to ride and he’s how I imagined him to be. He has a big stride, and I think he can run well in any kind of race. Of course, the distance is an unknown, but I’m not anxious about anything.”

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“He seems very well, and I think he can run a good race. We don’t know about the distance until we give it a go.”

Orthoclase

Takashi Kubota, trainer
“He went to the farm after his last race and he’s come back refreshed. We’ve had this race in mind for him, and things have gone according to plan. He hasn’t needed strong work going into the race, and his breathing has been better this week than last week. It was good to get that last race into him. I hope he gets a smooth run this time. He wasn’t able to take on the big races this spring, so hopefully this autumn things will be better.”

Kazutaka Ikeuchi, assistant trainer
“The jockey has been riding him and says that the horse feels fine. The distance this time shouldn’t be a problem on his breeding. He should improve for his last run, and he’s been able to keep his condition. He does have to transport over to Hanshin, but all being well, things will be good on the day.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“He was a bit big for his last race after nine months off. He’s in good spirits now though and his condition is good. He responded well in his last piece of work, finishing off strongly. I think on his pedigree, 3,000 meters should be fine.”

Red Genesis

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He’s come on a lot since the summer, and he’s as I expect him to be. I think he’ll really improve for his last run, and in training I’ve been pleased with the way he’s moving and his times. He stretched out well in his work this week, running solo on the woodchip course. With his stamina, the distance of the race should be alright. He’s shown his liking for Hanshin, and a horse with his power can put his footwork to good use if things go right for him.”

Road to Fame

Kazuyuki Ogata, trainer
“His appetite’s been good and he’s in good condition. He’s not so good racing left-handed, and he shows his best racing to the right. I think he’ll be fine over the extended distance, and he shouldn’t have a problem getting into the flow of the race. The opposition’s strong, but with the condition he’s currently in, I want him to run a big race.”

Sefer Rasiel

Juntaro Taira, assistant trainer
“He’s easier to ride now, and there’s a good feel about him. The race is at Hanshin this year, so we need to think about that, but I think he’ll be suited by it. It’ll be the third time for the jockey to ride the horse in a race, so he’s accustomed to things. The horse has enough stamina, and even with some cut in the ground, he should be able to get into things and run a good race.”

Katsuma Sameshima, jockey
“The horse has ability, and he’s responded well at the finish in training. He should be able to handle the distance of the race and how it’s run.”

Stella Veloce

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“He soon came back to himself after his last race and there was no damage. There hasn’t been so long between races, so we haven’t pushed him too hard in training, and haven’t worried about fast times. The 3,000 meters at Hanshin, having to take the rise in the straight twice, will be something he’ll have to manage, but if he can relax throughout the race and give it his best, I’m hoping he can run a strong race here.”

Hayato Yoshida, jockey
“He’s still a young horse, but it feels like he’s getting stronger already. It’ll be important for things to go smoothly early on in the race. An inside draw would be good to save ground in the run. The horse has a good chance, so I want to do my best.”

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Toru Kurita, trainer
“In his last race, things appeared to be going fine, regarding his rhythm and the flow of the race, but it just didn’t work out for him at the finish. Since being back at the stable, he’s still showing what a strong heart and lungs he has, and there’s no problem with him. We haven’t overdone it with him in training, bearing in mind the transportation to the track. The jockey feels the horse is in good condition. We don’t know how he’ll handle the race distance this time, but it’s the same for all the other horses. I just want him to show his best this time.”

Takeshi Yokoyama, jockey
“In his last piece of work, his responses were good, and it feels like he’s in good condition. He’s still developing, while showing signs of being immature. Finding a good rhythm in the race will be important, but I want him to do well.”

Veloce Oro

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“He’s come on well for his last race, and physically he’s a very strong horse. I haven’t worried about his times in training, but he’s worked about the same as Stella Veloce. He has a good stride, and I don’t think he has to necessarily be one of the leaders in a race. Being by Gold Ship, a race like this should suit him, and I think he can do well among this field. Taking these things into account, I want him to put in a good run this time too.”

Victipharus

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“He’s relaxed after two weeks off, and his last race has got him up to a better level considering his condition. He’s developing the right way. The distance of the race this time is longer than the Derby, but it’s the same for all the horses, although I’m a little worried it’s a bit too long for him. The jockey knows the horse well, and it’ll depend on how he gets the horse settled in the run and manages to save enough for the finish.”

Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey
“I’m not worried about him finding his rhythm in the race, but the key will be the distance and the tough Hanshin course. Also he’ll need enough left for a run at the finish.”

Weiss Meteor

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“There’s no change with him, and he should be fine with the transporting to the track. We don’t know how he’ll go over 3,000 meters this time, but the horse and jockey combine well, and it’s the third time for the jockey to ride him out in work.”

Genki Maruyama, jockey
“He’s shown his ability early in his career, and when I rode him in his last race, I thought he’d improved. He knows when to switch on and off in a race, runs straight, and I was pleased with his win last time. I’d prefer an inside draw. It’s good to have a chance to ride a horse like this, so I want to get a good result.”

Kazuya Makita, trainer
“He’s moving well, and in training it’s best to get him going right from the start. He ran well two starts ago, and getting towards the front in a race is what he needs. It’ll be his first time at 3,000 meters, but the distance looks to suit him. In this field, it’ll depend on the other horses and how they race, but hopefully he’ll get a good early position, run with a good rhythm, and we’ll have to see how he performs.”