Angel Face

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“Everything’s gone well with her up to now. It can be a fast pace that’s set on the inner turf course at Kyoto and hopefully she can cope with that. I think she can also run with some cover when being further back in the field. The main thing is for her to recover her previous form, especially heading into a Grade 1 race.”

Biche

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“She was third in the Japanese Oaks, and the first and second in that race are not running here, so I feel that’s a big plus. She seems to have filled out more since the spring, and everything’s been as usual with her since winning the Shion Stakes. She’s travelled between the farm and the training center, so I don’t see any problem with the transportation to the track. As for the 2,000 meters at Kyoto, it’s similar to Nakayama, so I feel she can handle it well.”

Keita Tosaki, jockey
“She’s a small horse, but has good racing sense, and with her footwork, I don’t get the feeling she’s small at all. It was a good performance to win her last race, so I’m able to take confidence from that for when I ride her here.”

Crocosmia

Katsuichi Nishiura, trainer
“In her last race, it was the first time she’d gone off in front, but she kept it up right to the finish. She’s developed well, and for a small horse she has a lot of spirit. I also believe she can run from any position in the race and still produce results.”

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“She was eighth in the Japanese Oaks, but only 0.4 seconds behind. She’s also taken on the colts and done well. She knows how to race. An inside draw would be good to enable her to take up a good early position and get into the flow of the race. She always gives her best.”

Haruhiko Kawasu, jockey
“It’s important to take up a good position before the first corner, which is what I’ll be hoping to do. She’s pretty good in the gate, and usually adjusts well to the pace of things during the race.”

Jun Sato, assistant trainer
“She was plus 8kgs for her last race, but ran well and came out of that fine. She seems more relaxed and much better for that. This time the race is at Kyoto, but if you look back at her last race, you can easily see how she would be very capable of putting in another big run judging by that performance.”

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“Things didn’t go perfectly last time when she was affected by a horse dropping back through the field, and you could see the difference with how the first two came home in that race. But no damage was done and her progress has been good since. I think if things go smoothly this time at Kyoto, she would have a chance.”

Gekkako

Yoshihiro Takahashi, trainer
“She’s been doing fine in training. The main concern is that it’s her first time to race in the Kansai area, and being rather a highly strung horse, it’s important that she transports well and handles the new environment. So she’s been prepared with these things in mind.”

Jeweler

Kenichi Fujioka,trainer
“In her last race she started well and got a good position early. It was just at the end, on a heavy track, when she found no more. She’d had a long layoff prior to that race, and was a bit slow coming back during training. She’s probably in better condition now.  She’s eating well and her movement is good. I have no worries about transporting her, nor the inner course at Kyoto. She just needs to produce her best run on the day.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“It was important she got a good start last time. She didn’t run as I imagined, probably because of the track condition. She was 10kgs heavier, but didn’t feel bulky. This time, I’d like an inside gate and a smooth run. It was a pity about last time, but I’m looking for revenge now.”

Kaiserball

Norihiko Kishimoto, assistant trainer
“She seems to have come on a lot since the spring and is good in her work. Her weight dropped 14 kgs at the time of her last race, but that put her where she needed to be, and she ran a smooth race to finish third. Looking at the 2,000 meters at Kyoto, I think she can run a solid race, and with the condition she’s now in, we’re looking forward to her run.”

Hitoshi Nakamura, trainer
“Given that her prize money is on the low side, we’re more than happy that she’s been chosen to take part here and hope she’ll do her best. The jockey has been pleased with her responses in training.”

Mieno Succeed

Ryo Takahashi, trainer
“With her recent wins, she seems to be a different filly from earlier in the year. Having said that, she starts slowly, is not particularly dexterous, and will need to negotiate the four corners in the race this time around. However, I’m interested to see just how she can perform on the big stage here.”

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“It’s been as usual with her. As well as training on the level, she recently moved well on the heavy uphill track, which pleased me. She has good racing sense, but among the strong field, we’ll find out just how much she can do.”

Pearl Code

Saruhashi, assistant trainer,
“Her weight’s around 520kgs and she has come out of her last race well. Everything’s been satisfactory in training. I don’t think there’ll be a problem transporting her. The 2,000 meters at Kyoto would seem to suit, especially the flat home straight where she can be expected to get in her long strides. She’s in good condition and our hopes are up.”

Sei Ishizaka, trainer
“She came back to Ritto Training Center pretty much unchanged. I’ve been looking forward to the autumn races with her. She’s developed well. It’s a question of how she can measure up to the strong horses in this Grade 1.”

Red Avancer

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“She’s a filly that doesn’t need too much work, and that’s been the case this week. She’s well suited to the Kyoto course, where she has won, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do here.”

Vivlos

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She was hindered by another horse last time, but still managed to finish second.  Mentally she’s very strong. She has worked well recently. The Kyoto course will be fine, and the key point will be to just hold back and conserve her until the final run for the line.”

Yoshihiro Hatakeyama
“She used to be rather nervous, but has settled down quite a bit recently and has matured.  Her appetite is good. She raced well last time over 2,000 meters, and if things go smoothly for her, she has a chance.”

Masami Matsuoka, jockey
“She got hampered badly last time, and it was difficult to recover from that during the race. She finished well at the end, however, and I think she could be evaluated the same as the second placed horse. This time, I’d like an inside draw and a steady pace is fine for her.”

Ken Kozaki, trainer
“Her recent races have been good experience for her. There hasn’t been a lot of time between races, so things have been tight. However, she’s shown a big improvement since the summer.”