Air Spinel

Kazuhide Sasada, trainer
“He was coming off a layoff for the Yomiuri Milers Cup last out and the winner had a great trip up the inside. I think the track he took made a difference but he did clock 32-some seconds over the final 3 furlongs, so it wasn’t a bad race at all. He came out of that race well. I’d wanted to give him a good hard workout last week, so I had the jockey ride him. He got a good time and his movement was good. It’s a Grade 1 race this time, so I’ve gotten him ready in a way that he’ll be able to handle the tough competition. He should show some improvement from last race and I expect him to go into the race in good shape. The change in venue won’t be a problem. He’s calmer now that he’s older and I think he’s going to improve in leaps and bounds. This race has been our target for the spring campaign and I’m expecting him to do well.”

Ambitious

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“The key point with this horse is being able to keep him running nicely balanced until the final turn. So, I was hoping for a good pace in the Osaka Hai. Even though he made a good drive in the end, the overall trip hadn’t been the best for him. After some time off, he returned to the training center and we aimed him here. He doesn’t get overweight too easily and he’s about the same as he was for his last race. He worked in tandem with Black Spinel a week ago and he was a bit keen and clocked 13.5 seconds over the final furlong. We gave him a different training partner this week and had him catch and pass that horse. When you signal this horse to pick up the speed, he often grabs the bit in his teeth, but at this distance, it shouldn’t be a problem. But, I would like the pace to be brisk.”

Black Spinel

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“In the Yomiuri Milers Cup, he dropped back a bit and raced from there. But, he had the fastest final 3-furlong time and if he had raced a bit more to the front, I think things would have been different. He had a bit of time off and then we’ve aimed him here. He’s in the same condition as he was for the last race. I’ve given him hard workouts during this period so he wouldn’t gain weight and two weeks ago he beat Ambitious in training. His time over the last furlong was 13 seconds but that was fine. When he won the Tokyo Shimbun Hai, he’d broken very well and no other horse wanted to go to the front. So he took the lead, but I think the reason he held his ground was thanks to his excellent acceleration. His usual style is to race a bit further back. If he can get a good position, I think he’ll be able to give us his best.”

Clarente

Shinsuke Hashiguchi, trainer
“After racing him at the middle distances, he started holding back some, so after the layoff, taking the lead in the Lord Derby Trophy Challenge worked out well and I thought he could handle 1,400 meters as well. He’s not particularly good over heavy ground, but he was able to choose a path where the going was a bit better, so that helped. There are only two full weeks between races, so we clocked him on Sunday as we usually do and gave him a fast gallop up the hill on Wednesday and an easier gallop on Friday. He was nice and lean for his last start and it looks like he still will be for this race. Tokyo is his best course and I think the distance suits him too. And he’s had the sharpener and is on the up and up. This will be his third start since his last layoff and I think he’ll be in his best form. Considering his age, I think this year is his last chance and I’m looking forward to it.”

Decipher

Futoshi Kojima, trainer
“He was in good shape for the Osaka Hai, but he’s had a string of poor results recently and I think that has affected him mentally. We gave him a bit of time off and brought him back to the training center at the end of April. He wasn’t as high-strung as he had been. It’s been a long time since he was as he is now. Work has gone well. He’s given us some good work these past couple weeks and I think he’s ready. This week we pushed him pretty hard on Wednesday. He has got his confidence back and if he gives it his all, I think he’ll be able to be competitive even amid this field. He’ll have more of a chance if the ground has some spring to it.”

Greater London

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“He had him reshod after training on May 10 and his bad hoof, the left fore, wasn’t looking good. We weren’t able to train him that weekend and the following week. So, his work up the hill on May 21 and on the woodchips on May 25 were harder than usual. So, we were looking at his hooves and his 10-kg weight gain. He seems to be in the clear now. He’s never raced in a graded-race and now he’s jumping to the Grade 1 level. He has talent and I think he can do well if he runs his usual race. With a horse who has hoof problems, you have to race when the hooves are in good condition and that is what we’re doing this time. He has won an open-class race in a small field after traveling toward the rear, but I don’t know how well that kind of win can translate at the top level. There are a lot of concerns.”

Isla Bonita

Ryuji Sato, assistant trainer
“He had come back to the training center on Feb. 10, so he’d had two and a half months until the Yomiuri Milers Cup. During that time, we gave him regular and solid training. Both the Mile Championship and the Hanshin Cup had been frustrating races, so we’d really wanted him to win. And then, after 2 years and 7 months, he finally did win. That made me happier than anything. We kept him at the training center and continued to work on getting him ready for this race. His last race has put him on his toes. There is no big change, but he is looking good. His strong point is his racing sense and it’s best if he has a target to focus on. Christophe Lemiare knows this horse’s personality well and we’re leaving the race totally up to his judgment.”

Logi Chalice

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“He had the sharpener and had improved for the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy. Even though the break wasn’t the best, it really helped that the jockey was able to get him into a good position and go with the flow. When the eventual runner-up quickened, this one did too and I think his win was far stronger than the margin would indicate. I gave him some time off, then brought him back into training with this race as our target. His overall constitution had been a bit weak and we weren’t able to give him all the work we wanted to, but things have gone as planned. He should be at about the same weight as last race. He ran solidly until the end in his work on May 24 and his movement was good. He doesn’t need much more than this. Last year around this time, he finished fourth in the Epsom Cup. He didn’t have quite enough in the final drive but he is a lot stronger now than he was then. We did have the option of the Epsom Cup this year as well, but there is no one standout in the mile this year and this guy can race from a forward position and clock 33-some seconds over the final 3 furlongs, so I think he is capable of winning.”

Logotype

Naoki Hayashi, assistant trainer
“After his run in the Nakayama Kinen, we had planned to race him in the Lord Derby Trophy Challenge, but a week before the race he had a slight case of phlegmone. We took him to Yamamoto Training Center but we were able to ride him soon after and on May 5 he came back to the training center. He had fast gallops on May 10 and May 17. Then on May 24, after gate practice, we trained on the flat over the woodchip course. So, we had the heavy work out of the way last week and this week we just have him a breeze with the jockey up. He wasn’t keyed up at all, but nice and relaxed. He has good racing sense and he handled the Nakayama track well. Still, he has always been better suited to the wide-open, left-handed Tokyo course. If he can run at his own pace, at his own rhythm, he doesn’t have to lead. He is not showing his age at all and I think he can give us a good race this year as well.”

Longing Dancer

Yasuhito Tamura, trainer
“He’s been raced and he’s in good shape so I didn’t want to push him too hard in this week’s fast work. He’s in good shape and his result last out wasn’t bad, but the final 3-furlong time was fast. He was also a bit too far off the front. He ran solidly in the final stages, but if you push him too much in the first half, he gets difficult later on. He has somewhat of a hot temper. If you lay off him in the early stages, he’ll respond nicely to the jockey later on. If he can have the top picks out in front of him and the late speed isn’t all that fast it’ll be good for him.”

Red Falx

Tomohito Ozeki, trainer
“The going was bad for the Keio Hai Spring Cup, but he stood up under 58kg and won it. He ran a strong race. The ground was wet but he’d had the experience of a slow track in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and I think that stood him well. We started riding him again from Thursday of the week following the race. He felt a bit fatigued in his hindquarters but we’ve taken good care of him and he’s over that. Since there’s not much time between races, we’re careful with the work we give him and I’ve been giving him light work over distance. He’s 6 years old now, but better than that age may indicate and he’s looking like he’s still getting better. He settled well over 1,400 meters last time amid a slow pace and quickened well in the finish. I think he’ll be able to handle 1,600 meters.”

Satono Aladdin

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“The jockey was of the opinion that a heavy track would be too much for him and it did take a lot out of him last start. He’ll be slowed down even by a track that is officially fast but still takes more power, like the turf at Sha Tin. He really does need a very light, fast track. His muscle tone improved after the Keio Hai Spring Cup, as did his overall muscling. He’ll show improvement this time out. Because of the tight rotation, we worked him at a 13-13 pace over 2 furlongs on the weekend and this week gave him a fast workout under the jockey on May 31, then a light breeze on June 2. He hasn’t been lucky with his Grade 1 races thus far, but he does have late speed, enough to get times of 32-some seconds over the final 3 furlongs. We’re heading into the rainy season and the weather is a worry. If the track would be like it was for the Grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), then he has the power to beat them.

Staphanos

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“Once he made his move in the Osaka Hai, he was going for the win, but Kitasan Black was simply too strong. But this horse didn’t give up. He tried to beat him until the end. On May 24, he had a fast gallop on the woodchip course, and as his final furlong in 11-some seconds would indicate, he is still in very good shape. After this week’s gallop he’ll be perfect. He ran a good race last out. He raced from a forward position and didn’t fade. He has won a graded-stakes race at Tokyo over the mile and I think a return to the venue is good. He has shown consistency in the 1,600-2,000 meter range. We’ve kept him at the training center and he is in tiptop shape. He’s on his toes. He’s had some frustrating races where he needed just a little bit more. I really want him to win a big race.”

Sunrise Major

Tamio Hamada, trainer
“His recent races over 1,600 meters have been a bit lacking over the last furlong, but in the Yomiuri Milers Cup, the field was very strong and he really held his ground well. He’s been doing well and handling all his work. Looking at his movement, I’d say he has maintained his condition. He has won the Capital Stakes at Tokyo over 1,600 meters and he ran second last year in the Keio Hai Spring Cup. The course won’t be a problem. Looking at his last start, I can see that he can lead and do well. But the draw will also be a factor, so I’m not going to try to insist on it. It’s a Grade 1 race and the lineup, naturally, is a strong one. If he can run his own race it’ll be good, and the jockey knows the horse well.”

Talking Drum

Makoto Saito, trainer
“He didn’t have a problem with the heavy ground in the Keio Hai Spring Cup but broke too well for what turned out to be a slow pace and he raced from a forward position. Ideally, he’d have had a bit different trip. He wasn’t able to get cover and so I have the feeling he wasn’t able to keep anything in reserve. There are only two full weeks between races but he came out of the last one well and he’s in form. He’s calm and he’s running in good spirits, which is proof that he’s in good shape. With the step up in class, the pace of the mile should be stronger and that should make for an easier race for him. I do want him to have a fast track.”

Young Man Power

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“The pace in the Yomiuri Milers Cup was slow and it came down to who had the best late speed. That’s where he came up short. Even so, though his results weren’t the best, he did gain the experience of having run at Kyoto. In the race before that, the Tokyo Shimbun Hai, the pace hadn’t worked in his favor and he isn’t at his best in the colder weather. He has improved now that it’s warmed up. He has never gotten great times in morning work, but he is handling his hard workouts and he has improved from last race. I think you could say he’s in very good shape. In last year’s Fuji Stakes, he beat Isla Bonita, who beat him in his last race. But last year at this time of year, he was racing in allowance races and had a strong win under 58kg. Now, in Grade 1 competition, I’m looking forward to seeing how he’ll do.”