Bell Lap

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“He was in good shape for the (Hochi Hai) Yayoi Sho but I guess because it was his first race in a long time, his heart wasn’t in it and he lacked concentration. He didn’t lose for lack of ability. He came out of that race well and didn’t show any signs of fatigue. Taking that race’s results into consideration, however, we’ve been training him with blinkers on. Last week, the jockey worked him up the hill course and pushed him hard. His movement was good and there’s nothing about him that we’re worried about. He has filled out. He’s not fat, I just feel he has matured more. The competition will be strong and though it’ll be partly just seeing how well he can do, I think his last race will stand him well since it was run under the same conditions as this one. He seems to be able to race from any position, so we’ll see how things unfold and hope he can keep his concentration steady.”

Kohei Kitamura, assistant trainer
(on the draw of gate No. 12) “It’s good, it’s not on the outside. And the even number is lucky too. I think it’s good because he should be able to have a smooth run until the first turn without being too crowded by others. He has improved.”

Clarity Sky

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“In the Yayoi Sho, the winner was strong. But this colt still had room for improvement, so considering that the ground wasn’t fast, he didn’t lose by all that much. As a prep, I don’t think it was a bad race at all. We gave him a long workout over the woodchip course on Apr. 1, then worked him on the hill course on the 9th. He worked well both times and moved strongly. I feel he’s improved even more than he normally would with a sharpener. Like last time, he went easily to the fore and he should have no problem with a small course like Nakayama. This will be his second time at Nakayama and his second time at this distance, so I think that that should stand him well. The lineup is a strong one, but I think if he gets a fast track, he should do well.”

Yusuke Oe, assistant trainer
(on the draw of gate No. 14)
“It’s a bit wide, but I don’t think he has any problem racing from either a forward position or a rearward one. He has improved and he has good racing sense, so I think he’ll be able to go with the flow. He listens to his rider well, so the break and the pace will be key.”

Danon Platina

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“He was coming off a layoff in the Spring Stakes and it was his first time at the distance so we focused on having him run balanced. He ran from a good position, but in the end he wasn’t able to catch the frontrunners and he was even overtaken by some from the rear so it wasn’t the best race in that he did seem to be a bit lacking. His weight hadn’t been up but he did seem a little soft so we’ve been working him up the hill course to strengthen his heart and lungs. In his workout on Apr. 8, he finished together with a lower-class horse but you have to consider that the ground was quite bad and slow and that he started from much further back. After last race, however, he didn’t get high-strung as we had worried about and physically he does look to have improved. I can’t make any claims since the competition will be much stronger and the distance longer, but he is the 2-year-old champion and I want him to rally.”

Hideo Shiimoto, assistant trainer
(on the draw of gate No. 15)
“I think it’s a lucky draw because he won’t have anyone closing in on his outside. And he’ll probably be loaded into the gate last so he won’t be kept waiting. Even if he goes to get a position to some extent, he’s the kind of horse that can still quicken in the finish, so with this draw he can move at his own pace and not get stressed out.”

Danon Liberty

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“This colt’s strength is his excellent acceleration and, last race, I asked the rider to bring that out. So, even amid the slow pace, he really quickened well and made it to within a nose of the win. It’ll be good if he can remember that race on Sunday. Right after his last race, he had a bit of swelling but that’s gone and all is going according to plan. He’s a serious horse and if you send him forward he’ll run very well in the early stages. But, with the extra distance this time, we want to see how well he can hold back. I want him to do his best so he can run in the (Japanese) Derby.”

Komet

Minoru Tsuchida, trainer
“In the Yayoi Sho, he got bumped by others on the inside and upset and in the end he wasn’t running seriously. With that got of interference, he’s not going to hold out until the end. He came out of the race well though and I kept him at the Miho Training Center. Last week we gave him a smart workout and he looked good in the stretch. He’s not good in the kind of race that calls for a sudden spurt in the final stages, so I think he’ll make his move early on. I think he can do well over a softer track so what will work against other horses will work for him. A strongpoint of him is that he is consistent. I’d like to see him run from a forward position and show his sticking power.”

Takayuki Kato, jockey
(on the draw of gate No. 13) “It’s a bit far out, isn’t it? And because it’s 2,000 meters, there’s quite a stretch until the first bend. And since it’s not a poor starter I think it’s a good draw. It’ll be good if he doesn’t get bumped by others like he did last time out. There’ll be horses looking to move inside, so I’ll be watching out for that.”

Musee Alien

Yoichi Kuroiwa, trainer
“In the Kyodo News Service Hai, he was up against very strong competition. He just went with the flow and finished fourth. But for the Mainichi Hai, I felt he had improved and he was calm during the haul to the track and didn’t lose weight, so I was confident. And the jockey gave him a good ride. After that race, I didn’t want to overdo it, so I was very careful in watching to see how he had recovered and waited to decide to race him or not. We clocked our first time on Apr. 9 and were looking mainly at his movement and how controllable he was. I’d give him high marks for maintaining his concentration and for running relaxed. There’s not much time between races so there’s no need to work him too hard. He still is not fully mature, either physically or mentally, but he is growing fast and he has gotten good at racing. I’m looking forward to seeing how well he can do against this kind of lineup.”

(on the draw of No. 9) “He’s good enough at racing to not have to care about the draw. He’s really gotten good. This gate is good because we’ll be able to see everyone around him.”

Satono Crown

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
(on the draw of gate No. 8) “He had to redo his gate test and he looks fine, so I have no concerns about the gate and no preferences as to where he’s drawn.”

Atsunori Hashimoto, assistant trainer
“He’d had a long time before races last start, and it was his first time over the distances and the first time over that course. The hurdle was high but he had no problem with any of it. And even though he wasn’t in tiptop shape he had an excellent race. I think it was utterly fantastic. After the Yayoi Sho, we put him out at Northern Farm Shigaraki. He got a good rest and came back in excellent shape. After that all went as planned. He weighed 483 kg on April 7. Last race, he was about 80 percent ready and he did that well. We’ve been careful to not overwork him this time and have given him somewhat easy workouts. This time out it’s the same venue as the Yayoi Sho but there will be a bigger field. Still, I can’t find anything that would give us much concern, that’s how good I think he is.”

Spirits Minoru

Hirokazu Hashimoto, assistant trainer
“He’s a timid horse and he wasn’t able to concentrate, so we got him ready with the goal to have him able to respond to his rider’s instructions and we decided that taking the lead would be his best strategy. And after doing that, his performances changed dramatically. Last week’s fast work went very well. The instructions were to have him go his fastest over the last furlong, but he worked over 6 furlongs with a time of 80.5 seconds. I was surprised. When a horse moves up on him he only moves up as much as the other horse has, which I think is also tied in with him being rather heavy on his feet. All has gone well up to now. And I think he will improve more still. The competition this time will be quite different from what he’s had. It’ll be good if he can run his own race. It’ll be interesting to see just how well he can do. He’s the kind of horse that often gives you more than you expect.”

Tagano Espresso

Tadao Igarashi, trainer
“In the Yayoi Sho, he did have an inside draw and was able to have a ground-saving smooth run. He just needed a bit more in the end but I think it showed the difference between him and the winner. Still, it wasn’t a big difference. The race itself was not a bad one. After that, all has gone well and he’s done all he’s been asked to. His workout on Apr. 8 went as expected. His movement was good and he had a good attitude. Last race, he took on the course and the distance for the first time. So, it being the same venue will be a plus.”

Wonder Atleta

Hiroshi Kawachi, trainer
“He showed his strong point last time out in the Wakaba Stakes, it was the same as in the race before that, the Sumire Stakes. He broke well and easily went to the fore, where he traveled well. He lost but he’s a colt with only one win this far. It’s good he was able to get a ticket to the classic. We pushed him hard a week out working in tandem with another. We weren’t able to get a time but I’d say it was in the low 53-second range. He moved well. Since he’s put on muscle, he doesn’t raise his head when you push him like he used to. And compared to his first race, he’s gotten rid of the fat and has only lean muscle on him. Race week, we only breezed him since he has the trip ahead of him. He improves with each race. The competition is what it is, but if he gets an inside draw and can travel on an inside course it’ll be good.”