America's Cup

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“In his previous race, he drew the outside gate and couldn’t travel behind a horse during the trip. He seemed a bit too eager to go, but even under those conditions, he still won it and he’s got guts. He doesn’t move too smoothly in training; he’s the kind of horse that does better in the actual race than what he shows in training. He doesn’t have any particularly bad habits and has good racing sense. The field will be very strong, but my horse looks to be getting better with each race. I’m looking forward to how well he can run at this level.”

Hiroyuki Oneda, trainer
“He has maintained his good form leading up to this race. His first two races have been on dirt, but I had always wanted to test him on turf. It would be interesting to see how he fares in this field.”

Masayuki Nishimura, trainer
“The pace was too slow in her last race (Grade 2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes, 7th). The results would have been different had the pace picked up just a bit more. She seems to be in good form after that run, and for a filly, she’s never lost her appetite, so we’ve been able to train her pretty hard throughout. It’ll probably come down to the pace of the race, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she runs well here if the pace quickens.”

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“We didn’t train him too hard since his last outing, so we put some pressure on him in last week’s fastwork, and hopefully, that’ll get him into racing mode. He can settle well with a horse in front and can adjust accordingly to the pace of the race, so I will leave the rest up to the jockey (Kohei Matsuyama).”

Norio Fujisawa, trainer
“In last week’s training, he just didn’t have anything left in the end (over six furlongs on woodchip course, 81.0 seconds, with last furlong time of 14.6 seconds). We had him train with another horse this week (over six furlongs on the woodchip, 82.4 seconds), and his actions weren’t too bad, considering he doesn’t move well in training. We wanted to run him in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (NAR dirt principal race), but we finished on the reserve list and couldn’t make the field. We would’ve had some hope if it was a dirt race, but we’re talking about a turf race at the top level here, so it’s hard to be too optimistic.”

Clear the Track

Kazuya Maekawa, assistant trainer
“First and foremost, his speed is absolutely remarkable and, when he hits his top speed, he is in a class of his own. He has difficulty when the pace is slow, but he shows wonderful change of speed when the pace picks up. He’s only got one win and will be going up a class, but even so, I think he’s got a good chance.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“His training has gone well and I have confidence in him heading into this race. The mile distance is just about right. He’s a strong horse.”

Danburite

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“Last week’s fastwork was ridden by the jockey (Christophe Lemaire), but even considering that it was a light rider, his actions were terrific. He normally doesn’t move too well on the uphill course, but he was very sharp in his movements and it was reaffirmation that he is a good horse. He would’ve been near the top placings in his last run (Saudi Arabia Royal Cup) had he been able to run a bit more straightforward.”

Keiji Takaichi, trainer
“After the last race, we took him out to the training farm for a short break. He’s coming along well since returning, and he’s never been a difficult horse to prepare for a race. I think we can send him off in good condition and, if the jockey can give him a breather somewhere in the race, he’ll be able to cover the mile distance. The opposition will be tough, but I’m hoping he can keep up with the flow of the race and give it his best.”

Levante Lion

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“I can’t exactly figure out why he lost so badly in his last race (Grade 2 Keio Hai Nisai Stakes, 11th), but he was not in a good mood and he was hesitant when entering the track before the race. We worked him pretty hard last week, so he should be OK with a light breeze for race week. The distance will be extended to a mile, but I’m not worried about that one bit.”

Taishi Hidaka, assistant trainer
“In the last race, he drew the inner-most barrier and missed the jump after reacting to the movements of the horse next to him. With a race under him after a break, he seems to be in better shape and we’ll just have to see how he does going back to the turf surface.”

Mi Suerte

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“She ran a solid race in the debut race and it was a good win. She missed the start in her second race (Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes win) and she was still rough around the edges, but after hitting the final home stretch, her closing speed was a sight to see and showed the potential that she has. She’s got great speed and explosiveness, and with that character comes a strong attitude, which is all part of her selling points. After her last race, she was a bit worn out, so we decided to take her out for a break to get her freshened up. It took a while to get her back to regular trackwork, which is why we decided to aim her here, giving her one more extra week, rather than the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies last week. This week she did her fastwork with another horse on the woodchip course. In the first half, we had her run behind the other horse and had her concentrate on settling well, and in the final furlong, she snuck inside of her partner and stretched out a bit. Her actions in that final furlong were terrific, and I think we can send her off in good form. I think the mile distance is the limit for her, but the fact that it’s run over the outer course with a long home straight will suit her style. I want her to become a top mile horse in Japan, so I’m hoping that she’ll be able to handle that extra furlong in this race.”

Monde Can Know

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“He missed the jump and was forced to race from the rear in his last race. He didn’t settle too well during the trip, but the jockey (Christophe Lemaire) said he showed great change of speed heading into the home straight. He caught the front-runners with 200 meters left and, from there, I was convinced he would win. After that race, we kept him at our stable and, because he stood up a bit at the start last out, we had him practice standing still inside the gate. In his fastwork this week, I wanted the jockey (Mickael Barzalona) to get a better feel for the horse. I asked him to allow the horse to calm down by letting his training partner run a bit in front – and he did exactly so, which I think was the ideal preparation for this race. I’m a bit worried about the mile distance, but as long as he travels smoothly, he does have the explosive speed in the end, so I’m hoping for an average pace up front.”

Red en Ciel

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“We took him out to the training farm for a break after his last run, and he looks much more built and his croup, thigh are much thicker now – he is physically in his growth period. We wanted to bring him into racing mode last week, so we galloped him pretty hard with another horse. He’s got good racing sense and settles well in the race, so the mile distance should not be a concern.”

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“There were only two weeks in between his previous race and here, so we didn’t clock him too fast this week, but his actions were satisfactory. His previous run was a very sound performance. The speed he exhibited when making his move was of a different class, a whole different scale. Distance-wise, I think he has some flexibility. He hasn’t shown any difficulties with his temperament and will not fight with the rider – I think he can race from any position and adjust to however the race unfolds. We’ve taken him to different racecourses from his debut, so the transportation to his first track (Hanshin) is not a concern. Compared to when he made his debut, he’s physically getting stronger. But, unlike the previous race, the competition is very strong here and that worries me, but I have high hopes for him.”

Tagano Asura

Yutaka Take, jockey
“I think his last run (Kigiku Sho) was a good race – he was strong. The race before that (the Sapporo Nisai Stakes, in which he finished 8th), he was too worked up before the race, missed the start and didn’t settle well at all. In the last race, I think he was able to prove that if he can run at his pace, he won’t stop that easily, and showed the potential that he has. If he can settle down in the race, I think he can run from any position. The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes is a hard race to go wire-to-wire, but his two wins have been that style, so that will most likely be the race plan on Sunday. (On this race being the only JRA Grade 1 flat race that Take has not won yet) Somebody reminds me of that every year, so yes, that is in the back of my head. But I think I’ve got a chance this year, and knowing that I’ve only got one more to go, it makes me want to win it even more. My partner has that potential, so I’ll give it all my best.”

Kiyoshi Tani, trainer
“His win last out was extremely impressive – I didn’t think he would be able to catch the leaders and I actually drifted my eyes away from the race for a second, only to see my horse cruise past the entire field in the end. He’s gotten much stronger than we had imagined, and it would be an interesting race if the ground gets a bit soft.”

Futoshi Kojima, trainer
“He’s getting better with each race. In this week’s fastwork, his actions were very good, but he still looks like he can physically get a bit sharper. He has only had two runs, so it’s really hard to say, but potential-wise, I think he’s up there. The distance shouldn’t be an issue, so this will be a key test to determine his future. ”

Trust

Hitoshi Nakamura, trainer
“In last week’s training, we didn’t put emphasis on his training time, but more on the content of the training itself. We put a horse in front of him and had him practice to settle nicely, and he was able to control himself. Of course, the pace of the actual race will be much quicker, so it should be easier for him to settle. Ideally, we’d like to have a couple of horses in front of him, have him sit in a pack with other horses and save it for the end.”