Arinna

Shigeki Matsumoto, trainer
“She has run with 2-week intervals for the last two races, so we took it lightly on her training last week, going 15 seconds per furlong. Everything is going well after the last race and her condition seems to be fine. She showed really nice speed to win last out, but this time, the opposition will be much stronger and the added distance will be a concern. It will come down to whether she can settle nicely during the trip.”

Black Onyx

Yoshimasa Kido, jockey
“We wanted to give her just a light breeze on race week, so we went pretty hard last week, concentrating on her finish. I think she is in better form than her previous race. She has been staying here at Ritto Training Center for two weeks now (she is based in Miho Training Center) and is very calm. I hope she stays this way and maintains her temperament until the race.”

Dipavamsa

Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“It was her first race back from a layoff last out in the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes (Grade 2), which is probably the reason why she was slow in her reactions. She is coming along well since then and her movement in last week’s fastwork was impressive. She is improving with a race under her belt. The Hanshin outer course is an ideal setting for horses with late speed, so I think that would work to her advantage.”

Atsushi Sato, assistant trainer
“She is a compact horse and we haven’t been really able to push her too hard in training. Her race time in the previous race was sub-par considering what she showed in her debut race, but if she is able to travel well, she does have nice speed in the last stretch. We’ll see if that would be good enough in this field.”

Atsushi Sato, assistant trainer
“She used to be a very hard to horse to handle and train, but the workrider has done a nice job in training to make her easier to handle in trackwork. And she is maturing with each race. She was able to win easily last out, so even though there’s only a week in between races, fatigue won’t be an issue going into this race.”

Jeune Ecole

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“The first two of her races were won on soft and heavy ground, so going into last race, we weren’t sure if she’d be able to handle the fast surface and time at Kyoto. Also, her hip and hind are still developing, so we weren’t sure if she would be able to maintain her balance coming down the hill at Kyoto. But she overcame those challenges and proved our worries wrong. Up until the last race, we had taken her out to the training after a race, but we kept her here (at Ritto Training Center) after the previous race. When we were taking her out for a break after a race, our main focus when she returned was to get her mentally geared up for the race. But this time, we won’t let her take a breather. She is mentally in racing mode, and heading into a Grade 1 race, I think they should be a bit on their toes. I believe the trip will be smoother at the Hanshin track than at Kyoto. The last thing we want is for her to get too worked up come race time, so we’ll loosen up on her training a little bit this week – but applying just enough to get her physically ready.”

Mitsunori Makiura, trainer
“She is a big filly and has good racing sense. I think she has a big upside. The 2nd to 4th-place horses she beat in her newcomer race have all graduated the maiden class, so I think the race level of her newcomer race was relatively high. The competition will be much higher, but I am looking forward to what she can do here.”

Lys Gracieux

Yoshito Yahagi
“She lost a considerable amount of weight in the transportation to Tokyo last out, but in the race, she travelled perfectly and was extremely quick when she jumped out of pack. It was a perfect race. On Nov. 30, she did her fastwork on the uphill course, clocking 51.8 seconds. The jockey (Keita Tosaki) rode her in training that day, and her actions were very nice. Because we did have her go quite fast last week, we’ll just check her reactions in her fastwork this week. The mile distance may be a bit short for her – I think her ideal is around 2,000 meters. But she is extremely mature at this point and she probably won’t lose her weight if we are only travelling to Hanshin (she was -4 kgs from the previous race in the Artemis Stakes at Tokyo). I am looking forward to a good race.”

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“Her temperament just gets her fired up very easily. But even then, she was running hard until the end in her last race. She’s got good speed, so 1,600 meters won’t be a problem if she can relax during the trip. The opposition is strong – we’ll see how well she can perform at the top level.”

Kiyotaka Tanaka, trainer
“In her previous race, she could not hang on in the end, but it was not a bad performance considering the mile distance. For a 2-year-old filly at this time of the year, she is a tough girl and it is an advantage that we can continue to race her in good shape.”

Masayuki Nishimura, trainer
“In her last race, she stretched out well from behind, which was not the racing style we had seen from her in the previous races. So knowing that she can race from anywhere is a big plus. She seems to have filled out and ready to go. I can feel that she is maturing these days, so if she can race like she did last out, she’ll surely be able to cover the mile distance.”

Reine Minoru

Masaru Honda, trainer
“She was overtaken quickly in the last race, so there was really nothing we could do. After the last race, she seems to be in good form and has been training well. She won’t have an issue with the distance or the course layout. We want her to run a bit further behind this time and stretch out in the end.”

Osamu Hirata, trainer
“Her fastwork last week was near the end of the training time, when the ground was soft, but her time and actions were quite good. Last out, she took hold of the bit and was keen in the first half of the race. But she still held on for 5th and that’s proof of her high potential. Again, the important thing in this race would be how relaxed she can make the trip.”

Takashi Saito, trainer
“She is coming well. She is the type that can get overexcited easily, so we have gradually put the pressure on her in training and plan to give her the hardest work on race week. She did her best to hang on for 2nd last out, and at this point, making the pace in front seems to be the best tactic for her. The point will be if the other horses in the field will allow her to run her style.”

Toru Miya, trainer
“In the last race (Grade 3 Artemis Stakes), the difference between her and the winner was the instant closing speed. But it was her first long distance travel to Tokyo and she looked slim from the trip. Even then, she held her own by running 3rd in her style. She has the racing sense to go forward, which will be an advantage, and depending on the pace of the race, she’ll have a chance to run well here.”

Soul Stirring

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“The pace of the previous race (Ivy Stakes, open class) was a bit irregular, with horses changing leads at one point, but she wasn’t confused by it and managed to keep her rhythm. We knew a change to the wide track at Tokyo would benefit her and she ran a race just as we had imagined. Even then, she was still wandering around in the end, so she still probably had a lot more left in the tank. This will be her first mile race, but she has the speed and racing sense to adjust to it. She will bring herself up to par even in this strong field.”

Masanori Ito, trainer
“When she made her debut, she still was not physically and mentally strong enough, but lately, we have been able to give her the ideal training menu. She is a gutsy filly and showed us that in the previous race.”

Vous Etes Jolie

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“After watching her win the debut race in convincing style, I decided it was best to send her here straight from her previous race. She has been training well and everything has gone as planned up until now. Jockey for the race, Ryuji Wada, rode her fast work last week and I’m sure he’s got a good feel for the horse.”