Albert

Kazutomo Mori, assistant trainer
“He’d had a good rest over the summer and he was completely recovered from the Tenno Sho (Spring), which was a tough race. He’d gone in to the All Comers in good shape but at a crucial point in the race, he suffered interference. He couldn’t give it his all and the results were unfortunate. We had considered racing him overseas, but we were going to have to take a route that would have been too taxing for him, so we decided against it and gave him a bit of time off. We brought him back to the training center with an eye to this race and have been working with this race as our goal. His condition hasn’t changed all that much. He raced under 58kg in the Diamond Stakes and the question will be what weight he can carry and still be relaxed. He’ll have no problem with the course or the going as he can race under any conditions. I’m expecting good results.”

Comfy

Masakazu Ikegami, trainer
“After last race, we gave him time off to refresh. He hasn’t changed in any big way as he’s gotten older. His fast work last week went nicely and he ran solidly. Last race he was up against a wall and it was tough getting him in hand at points. With this distance, getting him to be patient will be key.”

Curren Mirotic

Osamu Hirata, trainer
“He ran solidly to the end in the Kyoto Daishoten and it wasn’t a bad run considering he’d been off for a while. If he had done poorly last start, I had planned to give him more time off and go straight to the Stayers Stakes. But he looked good and we had three full weeks in between races if we came here. Things have gone according to plan since. His results at Tokyo weren’t the best the year before last. So, I hadn’t planned to take him to Tokyo at first, but decided to enter him here with the good trip last race and because his stamina seemed sufficient. I don’t consider him notsuited to Tokyo. He’s getting better results with age. And although he’s 9 years old, he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. I think if he can get a good position and run his own race, he’ll be able to have a good run. And the jockey knows this horse well.”

Denim and Ruby

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“The All Comers had her tensed up running on an inside track and things were getting tight there. She’s better racing on the outside with lots of room to stretch out. I think the Nakayama course itself was tough for her. But she did gain ground in the end, so it wasn’t a bad race. We kept her at the training center afterward and gave her regular work. She’s getting older in a good way and she’s not as finicky with her eating anymore. She works well and I think we’ll see improvement from her last race. I think the Tokyo 2,500m suits her and I’m hoping she’ll be able to take advantage of this and make a comeback.”

Happy Moment

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“Last race he was running to the right for the first time in a while and he hung out just past the third turn until the bottom of the hill. He’s in good shape. He had some surprises for us in the Meguro Kinen and this time it’s a handicap too, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Hit the Target

Keiji Kato, trainer
“In the Kyoto Daishoten, he traveled toward the rear on an inside track. In the stretch, he accelerated on the inside and didn’t lose by all that much. Considering that he was coming off a layoff, I don’t think it was a bad race. In his Oct. 25 workout, he had lap times of 15-14-13.5 and he was full of energy as usual. We did the same on Oct. 29 and this week we pushed him hard throughout. I think that should do it. It’s his first time to run this race but he ran well in the Meguro Kinen under the same conditions and weight. I could say I wanted this and that concerning the ground, the draw, the trip, but if all things come together well, I don’t think it’d be strange if he finished in the top spots.”

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“He was looking good last race but then he hung out around the last turn and ran into interference. If he’d had it a little more together he’d surely have done better. We gave him time off right after that race and brought him back to the training center three weeks ago. He was a bit slow last week but his work will have changed that. It’s a handicap and he won’t be carrying that much, so we’ll see how well he can do here running his own race.”

Prestwick

Yoshinori Muto, trainer
“After the Tancho Stakes, we let him rest. When he came back to the training center he was in just the right condition, so getting him ready was easy this time. He usually improves with a race, so I think he’ll do pretty well this time too. He had the same rotation last year too, going from the Tancho Stakes to the Copa Republica Argentina, but he has had better results this year. I think he’s doing better the older he gets and he has more power now. It’s a pretty strong lineup, but he’s also better in hand these days. I’m aiming to go on to the Stayers Stakes after this. With the shape he’s in now, I think he’ll give us a pretty good run.”

Recondite

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“His coat has been in great condition this fall and if you’d compare his last start, the Kyoto Daishoten, to other races he’s had coming off a layoff, I think he was in far better shape this time. Since then he has gotten regular work and on Oct. 25, he worked in tandem. It was at a time of morning when the track was rough and, considering that, his time wasn’t bad. He’ll chase down the other horse. Looking at his results this far, I’d say a left-handed track with a long straight suits him the best.”

Saratoga Spirit

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“His movement was good this week. Both last week and this week we have gave him good, solid workouts. His carrying weight is light too.”

Seda Brillantes

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“We let him recuperate over the summer so he’d be fresh for the autumn, and we got him ready with the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) in mind. Before that we had planned to race him in the Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen, so we’d nominated him for that and had given him all his fast work. Then just before the race he bruised a hoof and we had to withdraw. We took him to Northern Farm Tenei (training farm) for a bit and we had considered racing him in the Fukushima Kinen. But he was coming along so well that we brought him back to the training center early and decided to start the fall campaign from here. He probably weighs more now but he has always been a big horse. He looks nice and lean though. As for the distance, we had considered running him in the Kikuka Sho so that’s not an issue and he settles nicely. Compared to his brother Mondo Intero, this guy is a lot more solid. He’s well developed, near completely. I am looking forward to his first time competing against older horses and I’m also looking forward to seeing how far he can go as he will be carrying less than the others.”

Kazuhide Sasada, trainer
“With his last race, he has gotten much lighter on his feet. He’s the type that does better the more distance he has. I’m looking forward to seeing improvement.”

Sole Impact

Hirofumi Toda, trainer
“The competition is stiff, but he’s in good condition and his assigned weight is light. He has won over the long Tokyo stretch too. He’s moving up in class but I think he’ll be able to hold his own with the rest of them. He finished third in the Grade 3 Tanabata Sho, so I think he’ll do well here. If the overall pace is high, he’ll be able to handle it, but if it comes down to who has the fastest speed in the final stage, then it’ll be tough for him. The going has been bad the last two weeks at Tokyo and, if the track is fairly slow, that will be a plus for him.”

Suave Richard

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“He’s never been all that strong because he gives each race everything he’s got. After the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) he was pretty beat, so we didn’t set our sights on any race in particular after that but figured we’d see how things were going once we brought him back into work. Then we started upping the workload and just when he was looking good we saw the perfect race for him, here. Just looking at him, you can’t really see him maturing but he has a much more mature air about him now. The jockey rode him on Oct. 26 and said he felt good. Considering the track condition that day, I’d say the time he got was sufficient. He ran solidly to the end with something left in the tank and he has had sufficient workouts. He is suited to Tokyo but it’s been the first time in a while that he’ll be racing over 2,500 meters, so if he can settle or not will be key. It’ll be his first time competing against older horses and I can’t say how well he can do but he has a lot of ability.”

Tomohito Ozeki, trainer
“In fast work this week, the jockey said, ‘He’s totally different from last time.’ He has a good feel to him. His assigned weight is 53kg, which is lighter than last race and that’s a good thing. He likes more distance so 2,500 meters is a plus. That said, it looks like it will be a tough race and it’s a strong lineup, so it’ll be tougher than just the distance alone. I’m hoping he’ll get a ground-saving run.”

Toshin Monstera

Akira Murayama, trainer
“Everything is coming along as planned. He has stamina and can run at a good pace over distance. I’m hoping he’ll be able to use that to his advantage.”