Al Ain

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“He lost the Kyoto Kinen last out but he was able to pass the horse he had targeted and I think it was a good prep and start to the season. After that, we sent him to Northern Farm Shigaraki for a bit and brought him back to the training center at the end of February. In that last race he was also overly excited at times and I think he has let off some steam and is more relaxed now, in a good way. He worked together with two other horses on March 22 over the woodchip flat course and we focused on the final stages. He moved well and I think he looked much better toned. This week the jockey breezed him. I think he’ll improve with the prep and I think the Hanshin 2,000 isn’t a bad race for him. I definitely want him to have a fast track.”

Cheval Grand

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“In the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix), the jockey said that with the tighter corners of the Nakayama Racecourse, the horse couldn’t take the turns well at speed and so things didn’t go so smoothly. He also encountered interference in the stretch, but did quicken again after that, so it wasn’t a bad race. When we send him to the farm, he puts on weight easily, but we were able to get him lean. His weight is up but he doesn’t seem fat at all. He handled the tough workout we gave him on March 22 well too. His responses were good and the jockey said he was more forward than he had thought he would be. The jockey rode him again this week and pushed him hard. I think the Hanshin 2,000 is a little short for him but he’s gotten better at the break and he can race from a good position. I’m looking forward to a good race.”

Danburite

Kenichi Shono, assistant trainer
“He ran in all the classics and faced strong competition, so if he’s able to run his own race, of course he can win like he did in the American Jockey Club Cup. We gave him a bit of time off at the farm and then aimed him for here. He gets worked up easily but with the time he’s had between races I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that. On March 21, he worked in tandem and he didn’t have as much in the tank as his training partner did, but at that stage I think he was still heavy. His balance and movement were good though. This week he had a good hard workout with the jockey up and that should have him ready. He has good racing sense and I think the inner course will be a plus. Two thousand meters is perfect.”

Gold Actor

Tadashige Nakagawa, trainer
“He always gets worked up before a race but on his last start the way he was sweating was different from usual. He really only raced in the early stages and he didn’t use his entire body. He wasn’t back at his best. We sent him to a farm near Miho and he came back to the training center on Feb. 22. Since, he has handled all the work we’ve given him. On March 21, he worked in tandem and even though his time wasn’t bad he didn’t move up smoothly in the latter stages. I still feel he’s not at his best. We breezed him up the hillcourse on March 25 and he worked again on the flat under the jockey on March 28. I plan to take him to the Takarazuka Kinen after this race, but I would like to see him put up a good fight here.”

Maitres d'Art

Hirofumi Toda, trainer
“The Kinko Sho went from a crawl to a pitted battle over the very last stage. Even though the jockey gave him the signal to go this horse wasn’t paying attention and never got his engine fully revved. He didn’t ever really race at all so he wasn’t tired and has been full of energy since. When he came back into training he looked fine. This time he has stayed at the training center and with only two full weeks between races, it should be easy to get him ready. He should be able to handle the Hanshin 2,000 since he got good results over the Nakayama 2,000, even if it was a allowance race. The field is strong and depending on the ride he gets, I think we may see a change.”

Masahaya Dream

Teiichi Konno, trainer
“Two races ago, he couldn’t get cover and he ran tense from start to finish. Last time out his poor start took its toll. The race didn’t play out in a way that suited him and, on top of that, the homestretch at Kokura (Racecourse) is short. Still, he got close. He is a bit difficult to ride, but even so, I think he has shown he has ability. After that race, we also had the Rokko Stakes last week in our sights. He has had hard workouts right along and last week he really looked good. If things continue as they have, there should be no complaints. If he can run at his own pace and keep something in reserve, he has a good strong kick, so getting cover will be key. The lineup is strong, but I want to take this race on in a spirit of rising to the challenge.”

Mikki Swallow

Takanori Kikuzawa, trainer
“He’s never been a good starter and last race he missed the break and raced from the rear. The pace was slow and the field was strung out making it a difficult race. The only option was for him to make a move from 5 furlongs out. Even he was full out in the end, but he showed his strength and was able to pass the horse that had led and he did finish in second place. I gave him a bit of time off to refresh after that. I decided that he was suited to the Hanshin 2,000 and, with the Osaka Hai as our target, brought him back to the training center at the end of February. Norihiro Yokoyama rode him in work on March 15 and 22 and this week I rode. I think we won’t see this colt at his best until next year, so this time I’m running him here so he can learn something from the G1 veterans. That said, he has matured since turning four, so I am eager to see how well he can do here.”

Persian Knight

Yasutohi Ikee, trainer
“The Nakayama Kinen was his first race in a while but he went to the gate in quite good shape, but even though it’s at the beginning of the meet, the race tends to favor the frontrunners and horses running on the pace even when there’s a good pace. It was a tough race for his racing style, but even so he did show his strength. He came out of the race well and things have gone well since. There are no major changes. The total time for his workout on March 22 was good and his movement was good too. The last race looks to have sharpened him up. I know he can do well over 1,600 meters, but I think it’s important to face a challenge and try things we don’t know. The distance is even longer, but the plan is to get him ready in a way that he’ll be able to show us the same turn of foot he does over a mile.”

Satono Diamond

Yasutohi Ikee, trainer
“His breathing immediately after the Kinko Sho was good, much better than it had been in France. The jockey too said, ‘The real Diamond is back,’ that’s how good it was. The psychological concerns I had about him seem OK too and things are suddenly looking much brighter. It was a good race on the road to a full comeback. There wasn’t that much time between races this time, so I think a fast workout last weekend and this week will be enough. Tosaki is to ride this week’s work. He looks like he’ll be improving with that one race behind him and the Hanshin 2,000 should be good for him. I think for him to have lost as badly as he did (in France), he had to have had some illness. I’m hoping some unforeseen physical problem doesn’t cause problems.”

Satono Noblesse

Yasutohi Ikee, trainer
“He’s not as good at the break as he used to be and he couldn’t pick up speed last out, in the Kinko Sho. He had to keep being urged on to take the lead. His momentum was lacking in the beginning but he was able to slow the race pace. To have lost by half a length probably shows that the competition was tough, but on the other hand, to have come as close as he did shows that all his graded stakes wins weren’t just fluff. He came out of the race fine and there hasn’t been any change in particular. He is eight years old, after all, and I think no change is a good thing. If he had been in the kind of shape last time that he was when he set the Hanshin course record, then he would have won it. But he is eight and compared to two or three years ago, he has lost some athletic ability. Let’s see how far he can go with what he has now.”

Smart Layer

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“Her heavy coat in her third race of the fall last year, unlike the year before when she only had two starts, was quite conspicuous. Still, she managed to finish fifth in that race, the (LONGINES) Hong Kong Cup. And perhaps because of her coat, she took more time recovering from Hong Kong than she did the year before. I thought I wouldn’t make any plans but just see how she was doing and decide where to race her, but when she came back to the training center she was running about the same as she’d been last year, so I decided to bring her here. Normally, at her age, you’d be expecting her to not perform so well and just want to see how well she could do, but she really doesn’t seem any different than usual. She has had good results at Hanshin so I’m hoping she’ll give us a strong showing.”

Suave Richard

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“He couldn’t get cover in the Kinko Sho and, with the pace slow, he was keen in places, but he did have enough leeway to be able to wait until the hill before he moved out. He did get a bit worked up when he passed other horses but he was still able to cover the final three furlongs in 33 seconds something. It was a good prep. On March 22, it was still only about 10 days from that race, so I wanted him to work at his training partner’s pace. He’s the type of horse that still switches on with that even. But, normally, he’s relaxed, so all’s good. He was a bit heavy for his last start but has now toned up and looks to have improved. The distance is the same this time, but the field is bigger and the pace should be stronger, so it should be easier for him to settle. There will also be more Grade 1-level horses than there were last race and he still has things to learn from them. But, I do think he is capable of winning. I hope he’ll show how he’s matured now that he’s four years old.”

Triomphe

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“He ran a strong race last out and he won with ease with no repercussions from it afterward. I didn’t turn him out after that but kept him at the training center. He worked in tandem a week ago and the track was bad due to rain, but he still ran solidly. He has maintained his condition and he’ll go to the gate in good shape. The competition will be stronger than he’s had but his three wins in a row weren’t just for show. He has really improved as a 4-year-old. If he can race at his own pace he’ll be able to use his speed to his best advantage. If he gets a good trip, I’m eager to see how well he can do. There’s a lot riding on this race.”

Win Bright

Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, trainer
“In the Nakayama Kinen, the field was strung out ahead and behind and he had to be the one to make a move and catch the others. I think it was a difficult role to play and the jockey’s judgment was dead on. The colt did lose concentration in places, so it was a good thing that he had someone ahead to keep his mind on right to the finish. After that race we kept him at the training center and got him ready for here. Last start, his fast work the week previous to race week was hard on him, but this time things have all gone well. He’s moving well working in tandem and his responses have sharpened up. His constitution all around has gotten stronger. This, being his first trip to western Japan, will be his first time over the Hanshin 2,000. The distance is within his ability and he is able to move well on his own. I also think it’s an easy course to maneuver. The field is strong but I think there’s more than enough to look forward to.”

Yamakatsu Ace

Taiki Chaki, assistant trainer
“As the plus 12 kg would indicate last out, he was heavy, with room for improvement. Also, the way the race unfolded with its slow pace, didn’t suit him. But, since it was a prep, there were other things that simply couldn’t be helped. He came out of the race well and has come along according to plan. We clocked him soon after, he’s eating well and he’s looking nicely muscled. The rotation, with two full weeks in between races, isn’t a worry. With that last race, he’ll be sure to get leaner and improvement can be expected. Last year, we’d aimed him for this race and he ran third but I think he wasn’t up to the Grade 1 competition. The change to a right-handed track isn’t a problem. I’m hoping he can rally.”

Yamakatsu Raiden

Kaneo Ikezoe, trainer
“Last out, he was a bit heavy and his responses heading into the stretch weren’t good. He’s looking sharper now and he worked well up the hillcourse on March 28 under the jockey. In this race, like his last one, the main thing is for him to go to the front and run his own race. And, depending on how much those behind him are held in check… Last race, the attack from behind was relentless. It was tough but he did his best. Our main objective is the Tenno Sho (Spring). I’d wanted to race him in an open-class race before that, so being able to get a berth here was important.”