A Shin Bullseye

Kenji Nonaka, trainer
“The jockey gave him a great ride in the (Yukan Fuji Sho) Ocean Stakes. Everything came together for the results. The hill in the stretch wasn’t a struggle and he was able to move decisively, which leading up to the main event were both important experiences to have gained. He came out of the race very well and he’s come along in training according to plan. I think he’ll be able to head into the race in good shape. It’s a G1 but he totally measures up. He’s only experienced racing to the left once, in the NHK Mile Cup, but he’s from the Training Sale and his movement to the left was good. The change in venue shouldn’t be a problem and he’ll have the same jockey. I think we’ll get results if he gets a trip like he had last race.”

Active Minoru

Yoshihito Kitade, trainer
“I think he hadn’t had enough fast gallops for his return from layoff in 1,400 two races ago and in his last race he felt like he hadn’t really switched on. After that race, we gave him a bit of time off with this race as our target. Until now, we’d been quite careful not to get him too worked up, but recently we’ve been pushing him a lot harder and giving him pool training as well. His movement is good. It’s better if he leads but there are a lot of others like him, so the strategy may change depending on the draw. The main question is whether he’ll be able to maintain his focus until the end.”

Albiano

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“The Ocean Stakes was her first time with an outside draw and because she wasn’t kept waiting after being loaded, it affected her getting into position. That, and when things got difficult in the straight. Still, she responded well in the finish and I think this opens up our options. She had some muscle strains and pain in her left hip, so she left the training center for treatment. A fast gallop on Mar. 15 showed no problems and she came back to the training center on Mar. 17. I think the long stretch of Chukyo will suit her.”

Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“He wasn’t able to run his kind of race in the Silk Road Stakes. The ground and the wide draw surely were factors and I think he had some fatigue from having had a pretty hard schedule. We’d also thought of running him in the Ocean Stakes, but decided instead to give him time off. He’s come back well and has regained the tone he had. He turned in a personal best time up the hill course with 49.5 seconds. It was our intention to clock him but we hadn’t expected to get that kind of time when the ground wasn’t good. He’s in good shape. Last year he won a listed race over the Chukyo 1,200 on the same day as the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and looking at his performance until now, he looks to be able to handle a Grade 1. There are a lot of horses with early speed in the lineup, which should make it easy for him.”

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“If he didn’t make the cut for this race, I had plans to take him to the Rokko Stakes (at Hanshin). The mile is a bit long for this horse though. With this race, he’s suddenly running against a lot of strong horses. But six furlongs is a good distance for him and I think it’ll be able to bring out his best. His finish is looking good and we’ll be heading in to the race in good shape. Let’s see just how well he can do running in with the top-level horses.”

Earth Sonic

Koichi Shirakura, assistant trainer
“He was in good shape last time out but he lost his balance at the break and raced from the back. Looking at his past results, I’d say the surface had nothing to do with it, but the slow pace didn’t help. His work has been good, with his movement like in his best times. He doesn’t feel fat at all. He’s ready. We just need to keep him relaxed and I think he’ll be good to go this time. He’s gotten better at racing the older he gets and he doesn’t get keen. Except for his last start, he has raced very sensibly. He’s full of energy and I’m hoping he’ll show us something good.”

Hakusan Moon

Masato Nishizono, trainer
“Compared to the Sprinters Stakes (in last October), in the Ocean Stakes he had a different look in his eye from the saddling enclosure and he ran solidly. He kept up with the fast pace and turned in a nice time in the 1 minute 7 second range. His movement in work has been nice and light and he’s showed no signs of fatigue from his last race. I see no deterioration from age in him. I think it’s best for him to lead. He has a real kick from his second stride so the break is key. As for the going, if the others are struggling with a slow track, it’ll work in his favor.”

Mitsugu Kon, trainer
“His last two starts were nothing tragic. He’s had two graded races over turf now and is used to them. He has good late speed so if he can travel well, things should go well.”

Yuzo Iida, trainer
“In his last outing he was passed early in the stretch and I was afraid he would stop, but he held on until the end. He lost but it was a good race. I’d even been thinking of racing him in the Ocean Stakes as well because he didn’t have enough earnings. He came out of the race well and he has added muscle. We’ve been working him lightly so as not to get him too high-strung and I think he’ll be in good shape again for this race. If you hold him back too much he loses focus and is easily overtaken, so ideally, we’ll lead.”

Let’s Go Donki

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer
“She won last year’s Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) and did her best as a Grade 1 winner in the Hankyu Hai and I thought she’d take well to the short grass. Her finish wasn’t good enough but she did make a good effort right down to the finish line over 1,400 meters and showed she can handle it. I think coming off a layoff had its effect. She was good in the pre-parade ring and the preliminaries and she traveled well, all good points. She’s better toned now with that sharpener and her work has been good. Looking at her last run, I think she’ll be able to handle 1,200 meters. She’s going into the race in good shape, with a race under her belt. The competition is tough but I’m looking forward to seeing how she’ll do.”

Mikki Isle

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“He was in especially good shape last time out and covered the first three furlongs in 33.8 seconds. I was thinking that any faster than that over 1,400 meters was iffy but he held his ground even with those kind of lap times. His movement is really good now with that sharpener. It’s 1,200 meters this time and the draw and where the others like him are will be important, but he’s well-toned now and he has had a good prep. Last year we had a lot of rain and this year I’m really hoping for a fast track.”

Sakura Gospel

Tomohito Ozeki, trainer
“I would have liked him to race more forward in Hong Kong. He didn’t run well there and maybe he wasn’t suited to the surface. We got him refreshed with some time off, but decided not to race him in the Ocean Stakes but come directly here. It’s his fifth Takamatsunomiya Kinen but physically he’s still young. His mental maturity is a plus. If he handles the haul to Chukyo well then it’ll be ideal. He’s able to run any kind of race and, like we saw with last year’s Sprinters Stakes, he can do quite well coming directly off a layoff.”

Satono Lupin

Akira Murayama, trainer
He was nicely settled and traveling well in the Silk Road Stakes but when he was brought wide in the stretch he started holding back and didn’t quicken. The surface was not really good and it looked like he wasn’t able to get a good grip. He was tight in his back so we passed on the Hankyu Hai, kept him at the training center and gave him a lot of care. He’s good now and all is coming along well. He ran second in the (Chunichi Sports Sho) Falcon Stakes as a 3-year-old, so he has experience at Chukyo. The conditions aren’t bad for him. The lineup is strong but if he can get a good start, I think he’ll run well. I’m hoping for a fast track.”

Snow Dragon

Noboru Takagi, trainer
“We’ve been clocking him from mid-January and he’s gotten ample work, but I was still concerned about how he’d fare in the Ocean Stakes since he’d had a long layoff. But he quickened nicely in the finish and showed strength, which I think will stand him well in this race. He’s bettered his own time at the age of eight. He’s more limber now with that one race behind him and he’s looking good. The track for the Takamatsunomiya two years ago was soft but he had a nice run and made second while racing on the outside. He won the Sprinters Stakes at Niigata and so I think the left-handed course will suit him. Ideally, the ground would be a bit slow. If so, he has a chance.”

Sugino Endeavour

Keiichi Asami, assistant trainer
“He felt good in the Ocean Stakes but didn’t get a smooth run in the stretch and wasn’t able to use what he had. It was a real shame, a pity for this horse. We kept him at the training center and with that race behind him, he only needs fine-tuning. Since he didn’t go all-out last start, he’s not tired. He didn’t lose by that much in last year’s Grade 1 (the Sprinters Stakes) race and he has gotten good results at Chukyo before. If the race unfolds in such a way that the final stage is key, then he has a chance.”

Teehaff

Katsuichi Nishiura, trainer
“His last race, the Hankyu Hai, and the race before that, the (Mainichi Broadcast.) Swan Stakes, were the same. He’s looking good and you think he’s going to shift in high gear and he doesn’t. I’m thinking 1,400 meters is a bit too long for him. My aim was always to give him one race and then head here. So, things have gone according to plan. His work on the hill course was good last week and his condition is definitely better. He’ll be just right on race day. He has run second once before in a race at Chukyo, so that’s a plus. The competition is strong but 1,200 meters is his best distance.”

Ukiyono Kaze

Takanori Kikuzawa, trainer
“For the Kyoto Himba Stakes, she had gained the condition she’d lost but she may have been a bit heavy. She’d gotten decent times but her movement was a bit slow. Still, she traveled well over the 1,400 meters, but the ground was slippery and she didn’t go all-out. Her movement since that race is better and she’s leaner and I think she’ll be just right for the race. She’s won a graded race at Tokyo and so I think the long stretch is suited to her. And, since the track is looking to be a bit slow, the grass at Chukyo should be a plus for her. I’ll be happy to see a fast pace.”

Uliuli

Nobuyuki Tashito, assistant trainer
“She had a slow track last time out and was carrying 57 kg. And, even though she ran on the torn-up inside part of the track, she held her ground well. I think she deserves higher marks than her fifth-place finish would indicate. We gave her a bit of time off and brought her back refreshed. She’s better in the warmer weather and her movement is nice now. Her coat has a nice sheen to it. She’ll be carrying 55 kg, which she’s used to, and she’s had good results at this venue, so I’m hoping she’ll give it her best.”

Sources: Keiba Book, Sports Nippon, Daily Sports, Yukan Fuji