Admire Miyabi

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“In the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), she stumbled a few steps out of the gate and during the race she couldn’t get traction in a number of places. She needed more distance than the race gave her and the going worked against her as well. We gave her time off after that and brought her back to the training center with this race as our aim. All has gone well. On May 19, she worked in a trio on the woodchip course on the flat and we gave her a pretty hard workout. Her movement was good and the jockey felt good about her. She’ll find it easier to race with more distance and the jockey said so himself after last race. She can settle well and she brings out her best once she has the engine going for a while. The long, Tokyo stretch will suit her. She will require a fast track and I think the race over the Tokyo 2,400 meters will be an honest one.”

Black Onyx

Kazuhiro Kato, trainer
“She did well in Hokkaido last summer, but after that she was stiff and not able to do her best. She had some races late in the year and after that I didn’t want to overdo it, so we gave her time off and she came back looking refreshed. Two races ago, she was just off the layoff and I had my doubts but she finished fifth not so far off the winner. Her finishing order was much poorer last race but the race itself wasn’t that bad. She has good racing sense and can keep up with the pace well. She settles well so I’m not worried about the distance. She’s a small horse so I wouldn’t worry too much about the numbers. She’s in good shape. But I don’t know how well she can do up against much stiffer competition.”

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“Her maiden win before she ran in the Sweetpea Stakes was a strong one, especially to have done it over soft ground. And she won it in a very powerful way, which worked to her advantage with the late speed she was up against. She clinched it nicely and I think she gained something from that race. It has allowed me to look forward to the Oaks. The weight she’d lost from last race is back on. She’s full of energy now and last week we pushed her hard over the course on the flat. It’ll be her second race following a layoff and she’s ready. This week an easy workout should be enough. The jockey said after last race that he thought she could handle more distance. He said she feels good too and she’s not particular about the going, so my expectations are high.”

Futoshi Kojima, trainer
“Her weight was down for the Sweetpea Stakes, but she didn’t look too thin and in the saddling enclosure she was calmer this time and I think that helped and the fact that she was able to hold back and keep something in reserve. She did have to cover a bit of extra ground by being brought out in the stretch, but she showed some nice late speed. She recovered more quickly after that race than I’d expected, so she’s gotten a lot of work. She worked up the hill at a 15-15 pace last week and went up in nice form. She’s ready and this week will just be fine-tuning. The 2,400 meter distance is an unknown factor but most importantly is that she’s improving now.”

Deirdre

Mitsuru Hashida, trainer
“Her last race, the Yaguruma Sho, had a very fast final 3-furlong time and a small field. There was almost no damage to recover from after that race. The rotation is a tight one but she has always had the mental maturity of an older horse. She’s eating well too. With only one full week of training between races, though, I felt we didn’t need to push her too hard in morning work. We just breezed her this week and she looked good. The left-handed track won’t be a problem and she’s handled the trip to the track before. She doesn’t waste unnecessary energy getting overly excited. From her bloodline and her build, I have always trained her with an eye to the longer distances. She handled the extra distance last race as I expected she would and I’m looking forward to this one.”

Dipavamsa

Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“She was nicely in hand in the Flora Stakes and running well-balanced, but she wasn’t as smooth in the stretch and wasn’t able to quicken enough. She came out of that race well enough and has been able to train as usual since. She got a good time easily working up the hill on May 7. Then the following week, she worked on the flat over the woodchip course. She worked alone and when she’s alone she tends to shy at things, so it was a lesson in concentration as well. I wanted her to have a good hard workout a week out, so we put a horse before her and had her catch and pass that horse. She could have gotten a better time in the final stage, but the going was a factor as well as her having gone wide. She can handle 2,400 meters. Being able to settle well is her forte.”

Flawless Magic

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“She’d been improving every week up to the Flora Stakes, but right before the race, she looked a little lacking. With that in mind, I’d say she did a good job. But she also had a good break and got a good position despite the outside draw. After that, she left the training center but was still getting work. She came back on May 10 and worked on the flat on May 12 with fraction time of 59.8-44.0-14.5. Looking at her last race, I think she’ll be able to handle the extra distance. From last race, I’ve had the feeling that she would be improving and we have done all we could to support that.”

Hello Unicorn

Ippo Sameshima, trainer
“Two races ago, she raced from a rear position and had an excellent late drive, and so last out, in the Wasurenagusa Sho, I had that image in mind. The jockey eased off in the early stages and focused totally on the finish and things went winningly. From her pedigree, she’s a high-strung horse and we gave her some time off after that race. When she came back she was very relaxed, almost too relaxed. And her weight was back up to 440kg. A week ago, she was still a bit slow but with two more workouts she’ll have improved. She handled 2,000 meters last out and, though she’s never experienced 2,400 meters, she’s had two good races where she drew on her late speed, so if the race unfolds like that things should go well. I’d like her to be in the 430kg range on raceday.”

Ho O Perfume

Takeshi Okumura, trainer
“Her disappointing results in the Flora Stakes were due simply to a lack of strength. Her lack of experience showed. She ran like the favorite should but she just wasn’t up to the level where it would be easy for her. Still, after the race, she got her breath back quickly and even though the jockey got after her quite a bit for the first time, I felt she hadn’t put that much in to it. When I learned that she would make the cut for the Oaks, I aimed her here. Looking at the competition, I can’t expect much but if you don’t try you’ll never know. But that last race has sharpened her up and she’s moving better behind. She’s reaching further in the front too. She’s going to go to the gate in very good shape.”

Lys Gracieux

Yutaka Take, jockey
“She really gave it her all in the Oka Sho and it was a frustrating loss. Her acceleration in the finish was astounding. I rode her in work last week and she was moving nicely. I think she’s in good shape. I wouldn’t say she’s better than she was for the Oka Sho. She was good then and I think she’s about the same now. She has run and won over the Tokyo course and I think it suits her. As with most of the other runners, the distance is an unknown and we won’t know until we try it. But, I don’t think it’ll be bad. The Oaks is a race that is run by many horses who are not particularly suited to the distance. With her, though, having gotten extra distance in the past has not worked against her. She’s not a difficult horse to ride but she isn’t that good at the break. She can settle, but the only concern is how calm she will be on raceday. We’ve had a lot of rain lately and I think that the track will still be affected by that. The inside track will likely be a bit rough. I haven’t won the Oaks in a long time and it’s the first time in a while that I’ve had a horse with a good chance of winning. She has run second in two Grade 1 races and I very much want to get her a Grade 1 victory.”

Ippo Sameshima, trainer
“In her last race, the Daisy Sho, it was looking like the frontrunners would hold their ground, but just before the finish line she got past them. She has gotten stronger bit by bitm, but she’s had two wins now over soft ground, so maybe it suits her. We kept her at the training center after that and have been giving her regular work. She had lost weight over time but is now back up to the 450kg range and she’s looking nicely muscled. A week ago, she clocked 55-something with a slow start, but her movement was good. She’s in good shape. The results of her one start over 2,400 meters weren’t great. She does settle though and she has done better with more distance than she had at first, so I think she’ll be able to handle it. I’d like the track to have some spring to it.”

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“She doesn’t have a sharp kick, but can run well at length, so I was concerned about running her at Kokura last race, but she handled it well and it was a strong race. I had planned to aim her at the Wasurengusa Sho, but she was kicked by another horse on Tuesday of that week. I then changed my sights to the Oaks. Last week, she worked as usual and I think she’ll be able to give it her best. With her running style, the extra distance should be a plus, as is the Tokyo course.”

Miss Panthere

Mitsugu Kon, trainer
“She’s only had three career starts and it’s hard to say what the reason was for her poor showing in the Oka Sho. But she definitely didn’t give it what she has. I’m thinking it may be psychological and, although I don’t like to send the horses away for only short times, we did do that with her to help her get refreshed. And she’s come back looking better. She had a fast workout on May 7 and looks to be on her game. We gave her a long workout on May 10 and she ran solidly to the end. Her times are not what you would get from a sprinter, so I don’t think there will be any problems with more distance. She is high strung so having her calm and relaxed while racing is important. This week we just breezed her. If she can give it what she is capable of, I think she’ll do well enough.”

Mozu Katchan

Ippo Sameshima, trainer
“In the Flora Stakes she ran into some interference just before the second turn when a horse on her outside moved in on her. And in the stretch things got tight but she made a brilliant drive for home in the last 50 meters. Excellent turn of foot. To be able to show that kind of acceleration in the tough final stage is really something. Last week, she worked up the hill in a time of 55 seconds something, with a final furlong in 12.4 seconds. Considering the going, I think it was good enough. She’s not tired and she has kept her condition. Around the time of her debut, she was always late out of the gate but her starts have improved gradually. And being able to follow the pace smoothly is a big improvement. Looking at her last race, I think she’ll be able to settle well this time as she was able to handle the extra distance much better than I thought she would. She got experience at Tokyo with her last start as well, and I think an extra 2 furlongs will be OK.”

Hidemasa Nakao, assistant trainer
“I am so surprised she got in and the draw isn’t too wide and should make it easy to run with the pace. She’s full of energy with a beautiful sheen to her coat now. Looking at her conformation, I think the distance will suit her. She was improving for her last race, and even though she took an outside track, she ran well. Earlier, there were times when we couldn’t count her being sound to work but recently she has been. And she has been eating well. The most important thing is that everything has been going according to plan these days.”

Reine Minoru

Hitoshi Nakai, assistant trainer
“The ground in the Oka Sho was pretty shifty and she couldn’t get traction in a number of places. It was a tough race but she ran solidly until the end. The jockey gave her a perfect ride too, and waited patiently before making his move. She had horses around her and was able to concentrate the whole way. She was in tiptop shape and was the most tense she’s ever been. She was tired after that but the rotation has been the best for getting her back and ready for this race. Last week, the jockey pushed her hard in work the whole way. She started from behind another horse and passed him easily. She moved well and her muscle tone is even better. I am surprised to be able to say that she is in even better shape now than she was for her last race. We’ve been very careful with getting her used to distances, even from before her debut, so she shouldn’t have any trouble this time. There’ll be a lot of strong horses around her so we mustn’t be complacent.”

Soul Stirring

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“The going was a bit soft for the Oka Sho, which made things a little difficult, as did the outside draw. She did switch leads a lot, which wasn’t good and her response in the stretch was a bit slow. Still, she got third, so she has the ability. I was given free rein in the fast work on Wednesday this week and I didn’t push her hard. She ran on her own and I got a real nice feel from her. In the Oka Sho, she didn’t stop right after the finish but kept on running. She has the experience and she’s easy to ride so think she’ll do OK over 2,400ms. There are similarities between her and her dam, who won the Oaks in France. She has the same build and the same air about her, long legs, a big stride and is high-strung. They’re very similar actually. I’m hoping for a gate right in the middle. The far outside would be a bit difficult since the first turn comes right away. And if it’s a slow pace her big stride might make her keen. A center gate would be good. I think she’ll be able to handle the distance but we don’t know that yet so I think a position right behind the frontrunner would be best. Too far back wouldn’t be good, I think.”

Yamakatsu Grace

Kaneo Ikezoe, trainer
“She really tried hard in the Flora Stakes last out. The winner had waited patiently on the inside, so when she passed this one, it couldn’t be helped. But the horse that came up on the outside, the eventual third-place finisher, she wouldn’t let her get past, so I’d say it was a pretty good race. After she got back home from Tokyo, all went well and she has maintained her condition. Her work a week ago was good, with good movement and a good time. We have the trip to the track so this week we’ll just work her lightly and that should be sufficient. There’s not much time between races but she’s in good shape. She has weathered the trip to the track well before but it is the first race over this distance. I think she’ll be OK going around but the rest is up to the jockey and he rode her last time so I think he understands her. The Oka Sho group will be strong, but if things go well, she has a chance.”