Andriette

Kazuya Makita, trainer
“She was traveling nicely in the Rose Stakes but wasn’t able to quicken enough in the finish. She did accelerate but it was tough being on the inside. It may have been better for her if she’d been on the outside. She had no damage from that race and all has gone well since and she’s been able to maintain her condition. Last week, I thought she should have given us a bit more and so I wasn’t happy about her workout. But the ground was slow and the time wasn’t that bad. If she improves from this week’s work I think there’ll be no problem. Since it’s the inner course, the trip she gets will be key. But, there’ll be no problems as far as her running balanced goes or concerning the distance. She improves with a sharpener and despite her results in the spring, I still think she measures up. I’m looking for her to rally.”

Asuka Biren

Hidemasa Nakao, trainer
“She had a very nice start in her last race, got a good position and traveled nicely from there. And, like in other similar races, if she races from a handy position, she doesn’t lose concentration but runs solidly until the end. This last race should stand her well. Since then, all has gone according to plan. The jockey rode her up the hill course last week and said she felt good. The rotation is a bit tight but she looks to be in good shape. The top finishers in the spring trials are strong so we’ll see just how well she can measure up, but looking at her last race, she’ll have more options than just being able to pin all hopes on a late run. The change of venue to the inner Kyoto course shouldn’t be a problem. The only thing is that, even though she is normally calm, she can get overly excited in the parade ring, so I’m hoping she’ll keep her cool.”

Cat Coin

Takashi Satake, exercise rider/groom
“After the Oaks she left the training center to have a rest and refresh. She came back a month before her last race on Sept. 18. She weighed 426 kg for the Oaks and her weight was back up to 450 kg. Now we’re maintaining her weight at around 440 kg. On the 7th, Yoshitomi Shibata rode her on the artificial surface and her movement itself was not bad. She’s relaxed now and has matured mentally. We plan to haul her in the day before the race and if she handles the trip there I think she’ll be able to give it what she has.”

Dear My Darling

Takanori Kikuzawa, trainer
“In the spring she was still soft and maturing, but her good results in the trial races showed she has quality. But, she has a tendency to zone out and she wasn’t able to handle the 2,400 meters of the Oaks. She had some injuries from clipping her heels with her hind hooves and so we had to pass on the Rose Stakes. Luckily, it wasn’t anything serious and we were able to give her regular work since then. Her breathing is good and since she doesn’t have a problem coming off a layoff, I decided to run her. She has grown over the summer, both up and out and is no longer soft. There is the question of how good she can do with the leap up to a G1 but I’m looking forward to it knowing that she is a quality filly.”

Deep Jewelry

Yuki Nakamura, assistant trainer
“Her last race was on a long weekend and traffic problems meant the trip to Hanshin took a long time. Before her layoff on a race day, she would grow calmer with each lap around the parade ring, but last race she was agitated and was keen during parts of the race. So, I think you can throw out the results of her last start. We kept her at Ritto and her eating wasn’t that good in the beginning but now she’s eating heartily and before the Rose Stakes her weight was back up to almost 500 kg. She wasn’t concentrating well in her fast work on the 7th, but I think she’ll have improved with that gallop. Her weight was down last race, but she did mature and gain over the summer. This time there shouldn’t be any worries with the trip from Ritto to Kyoto. I think if she can take on the race in her normal condition we’ll see a change in strength.”

Earthrise

Yasuhiro Shibuta, assistant trainer
“In the Shion Stakes it was the first week of the meeting so we decided to race from a forward position. In the end, it turned out to be a tough race. This year’s Oaks was the kind of race she is best suited to, one where she can keep something in reserve, and if she’d gotten that kind of trip things would have likely been different. There’s been no difference since her last race, her eating has been normal and she has handled all her fast work well. We’ll take on this race as a challenger as usual, but like in the Oaks her time over the final 3 furlongs was on a par with the winner’s. And, like in the Flower Cup, where she did surprisingly well by accelerating nicely after the steep hill at Nakayama, I’m counting on her unpredictability.”

Kokorono Ai

Kokorono Ai

Tomohito Ozeki, trainer
“The Oaks was probably her best race so far but she wasn’t able to quicken in the stretch. Then we discovered after the race that she had suffered a fracture, so that was surely a factor. In fast work on the 8th she was nicely in hand and running smoothly and we were able to push her more than we thought we’d be able to. In any case, she was able to move. She’s in the area of about 450 kg so she hasn’t gained much weight from spring and, with her injury, she went through a lot and has matured a great deal mentally. I think she’ll be excellently suited to the Kyoto 2,000 inner course. She didn’t, by any means, lose the Oaks due to a lack of ability and I think she’ll measure up her as well.”

Let's Go Donki

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer
“Last out, in the Rose Stakes, even though she took the lead she really held her ground well. It was a good pace and the top finishers were all horses who had come from behind. Considering it was the first race after a layoff, I’d say it was a good race. With that race we let off some steam and have let her relax since. On the 8th we gave her a fast workout up the hill course. We try our best to not get her too worked up but, of course, have to push her to some extent, and I think her work has been good. Her movement has changed dramatically and she has put on muscle, but I think she’ll be about the same weight as she was for last race. I don’t know about the distance, but since the race has four bends I think she’ll be able to get a breather in there somewhere. If she travels well, I think she has a chance.”

Maximum de Paris

Shinya Tashiro, assistant trainer
“The most important thing is that we got a berth in a G1. Even though her last race was at the allowance race earning 5 million yen or less level, she can run a strong race as long as she maintains her condition right up to the race. She has good racing sense so she should surely be able to handle the pace over the Kyoto 2,000. I’m looking forward to seeing how well she can do up once again against fillies of her own age.”

Hideaki Miyuki, jockey
“I didn’t push her in fast work but her responses were good. She’s an easy ride and she has good ability. Having had the luck of the draw, I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Mikki Queen

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“In the Rose Stakes, she got ahead of the eventual winner for a bit and her not quickening from there was most likely due to her having been coming off a layoff. And she was always bad at the break. Late out the gate and second place, good break and she wins. That’s been the pattern from spring. With that race as a sharpener, she has toned up nicely. She’s coming along as planned and I think she’ll show improvement. The jockey rode fast work this week. Thing is, she ran well in work before her last race too. I’d say her condition has stabilized. It’s the inner course over 2,000 meters so the start will be even more important. She’s calm in work, but when she races she gets all excited. She likes a very fast track and the Kyoto track should be good for her now, but, again, I really hope she can ace the break.”

Not Formal

Eiji Nakano, trainer
“We had to race her last time a bit earlier than planned and she was still heavy. She wasn’t able to display her usual tenacity. Since then she has gotten regular work and last week we gave her a strong gallop, but she still felt heavy. Still, I think she has improved. I think the switch to a course that will help her bring out her ability to run in a forward position is very welcome. Still, she’s not all that fast from the break so we’re not bent on taking the lead. She handles the transport well and the stalls at the Kyoto track are nice and quiet, which helps the horses. So, we’ll just hope she can run her own race.”

Queen's Milagro

Masamichi Wada, trainer
“Yutaka Yoshida rode her very well in the Shion Stakes. Three races ago, he made his move too early and she came up empty. He thought that over well and has done well bringing out her best these past two races. He’s gotten a good handle on her and how to bring out her late speed, which suits her. I am a bit concerned about this being her first time at the distance but I don’t think it’ll be a problem. On the 7th, her time and movement over the artificial surface were good. I felt she has gotten stronger. We kept her at the training center after her last race and all has gone according to plan. Though she’s been racing through the summer she has shown improvement. It’s her first time to Kyoto but she’s used to traveling and gives us no trouble so I’m not worried. It’s a G1 and the competition will be stronger but she’s in good shape. I’m looking forward to it.”

Queens Ring

Keiji Yoshimura, trainer
“For the Rose Stakes and thinking of how she’d done in the Oaks, I didn’t want her to race from too far back. But, in hindsight, the pace was pretty strong and horses that came from the rear dominated the top spots, but this is the Shuka Sho over the inner Kyoto 2,000. Still, as a prep, I think she learned from it. All has gone as planned and she hasn’t grown slack at all. We gave her a strong gallop in tandem on the 8th. She’s the type that loses weight on raceday. So, with the track nearby, we’ll be able to leave the training center late, which will be a plus for her. I think 2,000 meters is within her repertoire. She has a chance.”

Sing with Joy

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“The Rose Stakes was a difficult trip for the frontrunners. She wasn’t able to get a breather anywhere. She’s grown a lot, gotten taller and her 16-kg weight gain was due to her maturing. She came out of that race well and worked on the 30th at a 15-15 pace. Then on the 7th she worked in tandem and with it being a week out, we pushed her pretty hard. She moved well and she looked full of energy. This week we worked her up the hill course and did her fast work over the woodchips. The Kyoto inner course is advantageous for horses who run on the pace. And she has good early speed so I think the change in venue will be a plus. I’d like to see her experience in the Rose Stakes stand her well.”

Tenderly Voice

Shinjiro Kaneko, assistant trainer
“Last out, she was coming off a long layoff and wasn’t able to quicken enough. She had interference in the early stages and became unbalanced and she also wasn’t in top shape yet, so those were all factors in the loss. Despite the finishing order, she wasn’t that far off the winner so I don’t think it was anything too tragic. We kept her at Miho and got her ready, but taking into consideration how she had lost weight for the Oka Sho, we took her down to Ritto on Oct. 1. She was pretty agitated at first and would shy at a lot of things but after about a week she got used to her new surroundings and her eating became better. We gave her a nice gallop on the woodchips last week and her movement was good. The jockey too said she was ‘easy to ride and her responses are good.’ With the sharpener, she has toned up nicely and her wind is better. She was coming off a layoff last time, so I don’t think the distance will be a problem. She’s agile and has good racing sense so I think the Kyoto inner course will be OK too. The lineup is a strong one but if she gets a smooth trip we’ll see just how well she can do. That and how well she’ll be able to maintain her condition.”

Tosen Victory

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“She was third in the Rose Stakes but even so, the jockey had a really good impression of her and said, ‘With this kind of result, the Shuka Sho will be all the more interesting.’ She was still on the right lead in the final stages and didn’t do as well as she could have, but if she can concentrate a bit better, I think she’ll be able to extend more. After that we had her use the swimming pool a bit to help her regain her condition and on the 7th worked her in tandem with Lachesis. Since we didn’t urge her on at all she still had a lot in reserve. And it looked like she could have given us a lot more. We raced her over the summer but she’s not tired and has maintained good condition. She won at Kokura two races ago and I think she’ll be able to handle the 2,000 to the right at Kyoto. She wasn’t able to make the classics in the spring due to her fracture and when she came back into racing she was still fragile, but now she has really matured. My feelings right now are that I’d really like her to get some good results.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“She’s been racing right along so there’s no big change in her. She was light-footed in her fast work even though running alone. Her movement was good and she accelerated nicely right before the finish. She gave us a nice third-place finish last out in her first graded-stakes race. She’s agile and I think the inner 2,000-meter course will be good for her.”

Touching Speech

Sei Ishizaka, trainer
“In the Rose Stakes, the Oaks champion was gaining on her from the outside in the stretch, but she responded really well and the only way she could have won was by a final strong drive. She was in good shape, but I feel that for her to have jumped to the graded level after just winning an allowance race earning 5 million yen or less just shows how much ability she has. Before her Sapporo race, I saw her at the farm and I thought that she really looked good, and she has really shown some great late speed in these past two races. Good growth is something that she definitely gets from her good breeding. On the 30th she got a decent time with no urging and on the 7th we pushed her pretty hard. She moved powerfully and is in good shape as usual. She wasn’t able to get any good results in an open class in the spring, but she won her prep nicely, so I’m looking forward to the race.”

White Elegance

Ryohei Tamura, assistant trainer
“From the autumn of her 2-year-old year she began to lose concentration and stop racing, but putting the cheekpieces on her and having the jockey teach her how to race have really given results. The weight she shouldered two races ago was a big help, but with her last race we were to see that she could hold her own up against fillies of her own age. After returning to Miho from Sapporo, we took her down to Ritto. And she did lose a lot of weight. But, now that we have the routine down pat, we’ve been able to put the weight back on. She doesn’t have great acceleration, but she has learned to respond well when it’s most needed. She’s had good results at both Hakodate and Sapporo so I think the inner 2,000-meter course will suit her. I’m looking forward to her being able to get the timing just right.”