Almond Eye

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“After her last win, where she showed good ability, as well as clearing the long transportation to the track, we decided to give her the usual break at Northern Farm Tenei, with the aim of bringing her back for this race. She did well at the farm and came back to the Miho Training Center on March 15. Everything’s gone well in training. She seems more adult, and I have no worries with her. The jockey’s also happy with her. With a strong favorite in the race, it takes the pressure off a bit. The Hanshin 1,600 meters on the outer course is easy to handle, and I think she has what it takes to get a result if the race is run to suit her.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“I’d like a draw somewhere in the middle, as an inside gate could be a problem if the pace is slow. She has won going right-handed, and I think the outer Hanshin course suits her big stride. She’s been good in training since last week, and even though it just takes a little time for her to pick up, when she hits top gear, she runs well.”

Amalfi Coast

Atsutaro Nakagawa, groom
“It was a pity last time when she made contact with another horse just after the start, lost her balance and stumbled. There’s been no problem with her after that, and she’s moved well in training. There’s no doubt she has ability. She has won over a mile, and although she was tense before the Fantasy Stakes, last time she was relaxed in the preliminaries. Even though this time it’s a Grade 1, I want her to get a smooth run and show what she’s capable of.”

Suguru Hamanaka, jockey
“She has felt good in training. There’s no doubt about her strength. I hope she’s relaxed on the day of the race.”

Aonbharr

Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“She raced from towards the rear last time, and if things had worked out a little better, she would have gone close to winning. She kept on at the end, and as a trial race I thought it was good enough. She’s been relaxed since that run. She’s growing and filling out more. I don’t think there’s a problem with the 1,600 meters if she gets to run from a good position.”

Cordierite

Shozo Sasaki, trainer
“She’s worked well with the training load we’ve given her. She’s been relaxed too, and one key to her will be to keep her that way on the day of the race.”

Kazuya Takagi, assistant trainer
“She stumbled last time soon after the start, and never really recovered from that. In training she’s been working uphill and moving well. I think the mile is OK for her, and despite the strong opposition, if she gets a good start and races from a more forward position, she can do a lot better this time.”

Dernier Or

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“It looked as if she could have won last time, but she just couldn’t go the extra up the rise and that was the reason she lost. After that, we gave her a two week break at Northern Farm Shigaraki to refresh, and she’s come back fine. Even though she’s a little tense, she’s better than before regarding this, and she looks well. It’s a top class field of fillies the same age, and despite 1,400 meters looking to be her best distance, the jockey (Kenichi Ikezoe) thinks she can respond well to the extra furlong.”

Encore Plus (horse #9)

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She was slightly unlucky last time by missing the start and not getting a clear run early on, but she still showed her customary turn of foot at the end of the race. There was no damage after that race and she has been calm. Early in her career, she was a bit unruly, but has calmed down as she develops. Her appetite’s good which I’m pleased about, and things have gone to plan with her training. The 1,600 meter distance is good for her, and the long home straight on the outer course looks as if it will suit her.”

Finift

Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer
“She’s still young and developing, but there’s no doubt about the ability she looks to have. Her last race was a good experience for her. During the interval since that race, she’s adjusted well to the training we’ve given her.”

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“She pleased us last time when transporting to Tokyo and running left-handed, both first time experiences for her, and what’s more finishing second in that race. She seems to take it all in her stride, and so things work with her. The jockey has been working her in training and she shows improvement for this. She’s easy to ride, and doing so well in what was just her second race last time, it’s clear she has ability. Of course it’s a Grade 1, but she’s developing in a way where she can run well here too.”

Harlem Line

Kiyotaka Tanaka, trainer
“At the beginning of her career, she didn’t want to run, but just recently she’s gotten the hang of things and now knows what’s expected of her, and she’ll naturally go off at her own speed. With the long transportation before the race, we haven’t overdone things in her training. She’s certainly improved race by race, and has been winning doing things her own way. She’s not so fast, so getting to the front early is best for her. I’m a little anxious about her going for her fourth win in a row, but we’ll have to see what she can do.”

Takuya Ono, jockey
“I’ve ridden her the last couple of weeks, and she feels good with the condition she’s in. I think she’ll be OK travelling over and with the Hanshin course as well. I’ll be thinking about how to ride her once the draw is made, and which gates the others have got, and just see how to handle things as the race unfolds.”

Liberty Heights (horse #10)

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“She came back to the training center on the March 22. She still had her winter coat, but seemed more powerful than when she won her last race, and since then her training has gone well. I think she can adjust to any pace and is capable of producing in a Grade 1. She’s been moving well this past week, and we’re trying not to overdo things with her.”

Yuichi Kitamura, jockey
“She’s an easy horse to control and her responses are good. She’s powerful and really moves well.”

Lily Noble

Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“She’s a filly that starts well and takes up a good early position. She’s worked well in training with good responses, and we’ve tried to just get her to conserve a bit for the end of a race, and she seems to be able to adjust to this. Her appetite’s good, and right now she’s how I hope she would be, and all being well she’ll get to run a good race.”

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“She has good racing sense, and good footwork to go with it. Of course, there’s a strong horse in the race, but my horse has plenty of ability. She’s more relaxed than last time. The stable staff have done a great job and the horse will be going into the race in best condition.”

Lucky Lilac

Mikio Matsunaga, trainer
“She looks better for losing her winter coat, and her extra weight is her growing. She’ll probably be about 500kg going into the race. Her footwork’s good and I feel she’s getting stronger as she develops. She’s relaxed and has a good appetite. This time it’s a full field of strong horses, and being a horserace, we don’t know what might happen. Of course I feel some pressure, but I’m really looking forward to her doing her best with the condition she’s in.”

Shu Ishibashi, jockey
“She’s been winning her races in good style. She has great racing sense and I think any kind of race is OK for her. Everything went well in the Tulip Sho, and in that race alone she showed what ability she has.”

Mau Lea

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“She ran a good race last time, and we all know the winner of that race is a strong horse. Nevertheless she wasn’t beaten by much, and it was a good race to lead her into this one. She’s been eating well and looks to be filling out. She’s strong mentally, and runs powerfully, so I want her to give a good account of herself among the strong field here.”

Primo Scene

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“She always runs well, and while she was at Northern Farm in Fukushima prefecture, and on her return to the stable, there has been no problem with her. She was as usual in her last piece of work, and I want her to do her best over the 1,600 meters at Hanshin. Hopefully she’ll handle the trip to the track alright.”

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“Her coat looks better as the weather warms up, and she’s looked good in training. I think in the Oka Sho, she’s better trying to be more forward to make things a bit easier, and come the last corner, hopefully she’ll have something to give on the run for home.”

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“She was coming back from injury last time, her breathing wasn’t so good, and I was a little anxious about her. However, she started well and as there was no pace, she made the running and almost pulled off a win. She has to transport over to Hanshin this time, and if she loses a little weight it shouldn’t be a problem, as we’ve factored this into her work. I don’t think she has to lead this time, it’s more about getting her into the flow of the race.”

Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer
“She’s in good condition and shows ability. She might just be a little ahead of stablemate Finift in her development and what she’s shown us so far.”

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“I think she can run well in a Grade 1, and she should be able to handle any ground. She needs to run with a good rhythm, and she’ll be fine with the rise at Hanshin.”

Scarlet Color

Ryo Takahashi, trainer
“She seems to be moving better than before, and as the weather has warmed up she’s looked better too. Since her debut, she’s had to tackle strong opponents, so that experience will be good for her here. It’s all about timing in her run, more than sudden responses, and I’d like to see her run in the way she did two starts ago.”

Tosen Bless

Yukihiro Kato, trainer
“She’s done as expected in training, has moved well, and there’s a good feel about her. She’s more relaxed than before, and this is helping maintain her weight. It’s best for her to run her own race when possible, starting well, and just having a few horses for company throughout the run.”

Tsuzumimon

Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“In her last race, the race itself and the long transportation took its toll, so she’s taken some time to come back to herself. Since last week though, she’s gotten better. You have to remember she finished second in a big race on just her second start. I think she can handle the ground if it’s a bit off, and on her return here, we’ll see what she’s capable of doing.”