Admire Royal

Mitsuru Hashida, trainer
“He looked powerful in the finish of his fast work this week. There’s no problem with the mile. If he can race like he did last time, it’ll be good.”

Takehiro Kodama, assistant trainer
“In fast work this week, I had him hold back until the last furlong. He’s 8 years old but if you look at his last race, you can see that he has not deteriorated in ability. If he can run in a good frame of mind until the end, it should go well.”

Sho Takenoshita, assistant trainer
“He just slipped into the lineup but he’s ready. And he’s nice and lean, which is a plus.”

Corin Berry

Masami Shibata, trainer
“The distance was perfect for her last race, but the most important thing was that she went to the front and was able to run her own race. Her time was excellent too. It was a good race. Everything has been normal after that. We clocked her on Feb. 11 and she moved pretty well. She had a good attitude too. She ran second in the Unicorn Stakes, so the Tokyo mile is within her range and I’m not worried. In the JCB Ladies Classic, she’d been coming off a layoff and she’d become agitated during the haul to the racetrack. My one concern is whether she’ll be calm on race day or not. That and the draw. She can run from further back, but it’s best for her to take the lead. An inside draw would be ideal.”

Grape Brandy

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“He wasn’t his best for his last race because he’d had a bruised hoof. I had to get him ready in a hurry but at 540 kg he was still a bit heavy. We’d given him practice standing square on all fours in the summer and his starts are good now. Showing that he could lead in a 1,400-meter race is a good thing. We worked him fast on Feb. 12 and his movement was nice and clean. The last race definitely sharpened him up. He is also about 10 kg leaner and has nice muscle tone now. His results last year weren’t the best and this year we’ll be going into the race as a challenger. But, he won the race two years ago and the race conditions suit him. With the sharpener under his belt, I feel he’s back to where he was then.”

Happy Sprint

Jumpei Morishita, trainer
“Ever since I raced him in the classics I had the image that his best distance was the mile. If he looked like he could take on the older horses, I had had the plan to come here and take on the challenge. The first time he raced against older horses the ground was in very bad shape and he couldn’t access his power. The next time out I wanted him to get used to running in with the other horses. He put up a good fight and finished near the top, so what I had aimed for I’d say we pretty much got. It’s a tight rotation and he’s not on the up and up now but he is well recovered from his last race. There is some concern about the start being on turf but thinking that his best trip is the mile and he can run at a good pace at length I’d say he’s suited to Tokyo. He has the kind of potential that makes me think I may not get another chance to have a horse of this caliber. I’m hoping he can run convincingly.”

Kyowa Duffy

Kazuhide Sasada, trainer
“In the Negishi Stakes, he just wasn’t able to get enough space to make his move and it was tight until the end. With the cheekpieces he was wearing, he didn’t lose concentration and even seemed to want to move on his own. It was a plus to see that he was more forward mentally. After that all has gone well, with nothing new. We worked him fast first out on the morning of Feb. 11 and his movement was good. With this amount of time between races, just a bit this week and all should be well. I’m not concerned about the distance as he lost concentration in the stretch in the (Tokyo Chunichi Sports Hai) Musashino Stakes, which is the same distance. We’ll have the cheekpieces on him and if he concentrates on his running, I think he’ll do OK.”

Red Alvis

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“I hadn’t thought that the slow pace in his last race could be good, but going around the bend into the stretch, a horse on his outside moved early and (Red Alvis) picked up speed, which worked out in his favor. He still tends to lose concentration at times, but thanks to the runnerup holding on to the end, it meant this horse went after him, caught and passed him, which was perfect. After the race, his breathing returned to normal quickly and even though he had run a solid race he didn’t show any signs of fatigue. I’m not worried about hauling him in on the day before the race. We raced him twice at Tokyo with only a week in between and he won the Unicorn Stakes, so he can handle it. Still, I get the feeling that his best is still to come. At this stage, I’m just interested in seeing how well he can do.”

Sambista

Kengo Takada, assistant trainer
“In her last race, the weight she had to carry was 57 kg and I was worried about that but up against other females, she was the stronger. It was an easy trip and she won easily as well. After a short layoff, I had the jockey ride her on Feb. 11 for fast work. I had her run in tandem and catch and pass the other horse. It was a solid workout. She’s been recovering quickly after her races recently and this kind of workout is sufficient, which is important. Her responses were good too and she has maintained her condition well. She’ll be up against males this time but she measured up very well in the Champions Cup. And she runs her own race and isn’t influenced by the others. It’s her first 1,600 meters but I think she can handle it. And it’s reassuring to have the same jockey riding. My hopes are up.”

Satono Tiger

Satoshi Kokubo, trainer
“In the Negishi Stakes I felt he stopped running after about 1,200 meters and really wasn’t racing for the rest of it. He’s full of energy now since he didn’t really run much last time out. Most importantly, all is going well. There’s nothing wrong with his condition. I’m just hoping he’ll try harder this time. As for the races I choose for him to run in, I wouldn’t say I have any policy that guides me. I just pick the races that I believe suit him.”

Silk Fortune

Norio Fujisawa, trainer
“Before his last race, he had gotten bumped out of the race he entered for, but even so, he went into his last run in good shape. But, going out of the backstretch into the turn he was too keen and he ended up not really having raced much at all. When you try to push him to more forward position that tends to happen. He was a bit sore after that race and so we gave him some electroacupuncture treatment and that helped. A week ago we had him loosen up in the round ring, then breezed him over the straight on the woodchip course. There hasn’t been much time from his last race so this week we just worked him lightly with a focus on the end. With it being a mile, he doesn’t have to be on the bit right off but can move up more slowly. I’m hoping the pace will be fast in the early stages of the race like it was three years ago, when he ran second.”

Wide Bach

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“His second in the Negishi Stakes was because there hadn’t been a strong pace. And coming off a layoff, it’s always the same, when he’s asked to move out, his responses are just a bit slow. Still, he ran the last 600 meters in 34.7 seconds, so he ran well enough. He also was carrying more weight than the winner. His time on Feb. 11 was taken at a time when the ground was a bit slower, and he also doesn’t move that well in morning work. He has one race behind him and I think that for him, he’s had sufficient work. His last race was the kind of race that will stand him well for his next one. Recently, his racing style has been to save something along the way and then go all-out in the finish. The 1,600 is more suited to this. The main thing is for him to be able to run his own race. If he can access his speed at the finish, I believe in him. If you look at his run in the Champions Cup, I think you can say he is G1 material. The pace will be key but I think he has a chance.”

Wonder Acute

Masao Sato, trainer
“In the Tokyo Daishoten he hung out in the stretch and didn’t quicken enough. This hadn’t been happening recently, so I’m thinking he must be fatigued but not showing it. After that race we kept him at the stable as usual and gave him the attention we normally do. And a week ago we worked him in tandem on the woodchip course. His time was sufficient so I’m not worried. He is showing a bit of stubbornness with age, but even though the trip wasn’t the best for him two races ago in the Champions Cup, he did run well. Only his last race wasn’t good. The past two years in this race he’s gotten into a place where he couldn’t get a clear run, so I’m hoping that he can get as smooth a trip in the stretch as possible and come up through the ranks easily.”