Shota Nishizono, assistant trainer
“It was a strong performance from him last time even though he jumped up in class. He’s come on nicely since the summer and he’s a horse that’s easy to ride as he’s become more mature. He’s a half-brother to Dubai World Cup winner African Story, so he has a good pedigree. He runs straight and I would say he’ll adjust to the distance. It’s a quality Grade 1 field, and while he hasn’t run against such strong horses before, I am interested in seeing what he’s capable of doing here.”

Tadao Igarashi, trainer
“It was a good last piece of work and everything’s been as usual with him. He wasn’t quite able to run his race last time, so I’d hope he’d get to the front, or close to it, this time and try his best from a forward position.”

Yukiyasu Goto, assistant trainer
“If you think of the distance, it probably won’t be a hectic early pace. It’s best if he gets to the front and makes his own pace, and there’s a high possibility this is what will happen. He’s in good condition now. He’s won twice at Kyoto, so the course is all right for him, and hopefully he’ll find a rhythm where he can produce his best.”

Blast Onepiece

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“He’s responded well in training, and his cornering has improved. He’ll travel over the day before the race. Compared to how he was for the Derby, he’s more relaxed now. Last time he ran, he was coming off a break, so it’s been easier with him in the meantime. He’s developed since the spring, and I don’t foresee any problems with him racing right-handed or staying the trip.”

Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey
“He’s done his gate practice well, and according to his rider in training, he’s sharp, but at the same time relaxed. He’s been training right-handed, and I have no concerns about him getting into the flow of the race. He did well in his last run against the older horses, and I would really like to win this Triple Crown race with him.”

Chardonnay Gold

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“He’s trained over a distance on the woodchip course and has moved well. On breeding, the distance might seem a bit far. However, the key will be to get him to adjust to how the race is run, and in many ways it’ll be the same for the field of 3-year-olds running over this trip.”

Kota Fujioka, jockey
“His reactions in training have been better this week compared to the week before. I hope to be able to save him for a run at the finish, thinking that it won’t be such a hard run race.”

Cosmic Force

Toshio Fujii, assistant trainer
“He’s been moving well since a week ago and his condition has improved. This last week, we’ve had the race jockey ride him and the horse has been working with stablemate Oken Moon, who’s had his race jockey on board too. He’s a horse that can do well, and there should be no worries with the distance. He will go into the race in good condition.”

Suguru Hamanaka, jockey
“He’s a horse that’s easy to ride and can adapt well. I think if we can get a good early position, that will be the best thing for him in the run.”

Epoca d'Oro

Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer
“He’s pleased me with his training, and in his work he’s done just what I had in mind. He’s relaxed too. The jockey knows the horse well and we’ll have to see how things develop from the start. I’m not worried about the last result, even though it would have been good to win. It’s apparent that he needs to race from a forward position. He has a strong heart and lungs. While we don’t know about the 3,000 meters until we try, I can only believe in his potential as a son of Orfevre.”

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“He’s mentally strong and good at running at a pace. Obviously it’s best for him to break well and then get into the flow of things in the way that he does best. If things go his way, he’ll obviously have a chance.”

Etario

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“This has been his target race, and he wasn’t fully wound up last time and has appreciated that run. He did his hard work in training one week ago. He’s bigger now and about the right weight going into the race. His stride seems bigger now, his legs are stronger, and the extra distance should suit him. He’ll have the blinkers on again, and all being well he’ll get a good run throughout the race.”

Fierement

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“He came back to the stable at the end of September and has been working well since. He’s done well with the gate practice, and I think any gate will be all right in the race. He’s not a fast starter and will be racing from towards the back of the field. He’s one of the slightly less fancied runners, so I think the whole team feels a bit relaxed about that. Of course, we don’t know about the distance, but he’s a horse with potential, and I hope he can give a good showing here. Hopefully he handles the transportation over to the track as well.”

Generale Uno

Eiichi Yano, trainer
“He’s become calmer, while at the same time looking bigger and stronger. In his final work this week, we didn’t push him too hard in the final two furlongs. He’s developing nicely. He had the experience of running in the Derby, and in his last run things went right for him and it was a strong win. We don’t want him pulling too hard, and it’s important for him to run relaxed so that he can show his full potential.”

Glory Vase

Tomohito Ozeki, trainer
“He put in his hard training last week and ran well, while keeping a good rhythm. Most importantly, it’s his responses that are good. He has a good bloodline going back to Mejiro Ramonu. He got good results at Kyoto in the Kyoto Shimbun Hai, where he handled the four corners in the race well. I think he’ll be fine with the 3,000 meters this time.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“His times in training were faster than I expected, and even though we took it a bit easy towards the end, it was a good workload for him. He moves well and has flexibility.”

Grail

Kenji Nonaka, trainer
“After his last race, he seems to have improved a lot, and it was good to give him that run. He’s developing fast. It’ll be his first time to race on the outer course at Kyoto, and there is the downhill section soon after the start to deal with, but I think he can handle the trip all right. His ultimate goal this year will be the Arima Kinen (Grand Prix), as I think he’s well suited to the 2,500 meters at Nakayama, but I want him to run well here too.”

Grandiose

Yasuhito Tamura, trainer
“He’s posted good times in training and there’s no doubt that he’s in good shape. His heart and body are strong, and he’s able to run smoother now. As a challenger here, I’m not worried about him getting into the race, and I think he can see out the distance, even though it’s his first time at the trip.”

Daisuke Takagi, assistant trainer
“Even though he lost a race at Nakayama, I don’t think it was because of lack of ability. I’m not worried about him being able to adjust to the longer distance.”

Kafuji Vanguard

Tomonori Kanaori, assistant trainer
“He’s been training well and has adjusted to things. He’s had gate practice, and with the start of the race shortly before an uphill run, it’s to be hoped he’ll still manage to get into a good early position. He doesn’t tire easily, so hopefully he’ll be able to put in a good performance over the long trip.”

Hideaki Miyuki, jockey
“He moves well and is easy to ride. What’s more, he’s an honest horse. All being well, he’ll get a good start and take up a prominent position early in the race.”

Meisho Tekkon

Yoshitada Takahashi, trainer
“He’s a little tense, so we don’t work him extra hard, and we’ve just nursed him along to get him into good shape for the race. He’s able to react quickly, and while the 3,000 meters is an unknown, he’s proved that he’s mentally strong and has stamina.”

Kenichi Nakatsuka, assistant trainer
“He gets into the flow of things, and with his stamina I don’t see the 3,000 meters being a problem. He responds well and his breathing should be fine throughout the race.”

Oken Moon

Toshio Fujii, assistant trainer
“He’s worked well on the woodchip course this week with his training partner. His breathing has been fine. He has quite a high head carriage, which I think will help him settle into the race, and he should be able to cope with the distance.”

Hiroshi Kitamura, jockey
“He’s achieved good times in training without overdoing things, and he seems fine. I want him to settle well in the race and give him a ground saving run.”

Stay Foolish

Shigeki Miyauchi, assistant trainer
“The jockey has been working him in training as the race approaches. More than the distance of the race, it’s important for the horse to just find his stride. Something similar to how he ran in the Kyoto Shimbun Hai, where he handled the course undulations well, would be good for him.”

Yusuke Fujioka, jockey
“He’s had a good workload in training and has run just right, not too fast or slow. He’s by Stay Gold, and I think by taking after the sire, he looks to be able to run well.”

Time Flyer

Kunihide Matsuda, trainer
“He didn’t run quite so well last time, but in training everything’s fine with him, and I think he’ll improve for that last run. I believe a long distance race on turf will suit him. Two key points will be how he handles the rise and descent soon after the start, and how he reacts as the runners pass the stands first time around.”

You Can Smile

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“His hindquarters are stronger and he’s running more balanced now, not hanging to the right. He’s fine running with other horses around him. Everything’s gone well leading into the race, and with such a good pedigree, it will be interesting to see how he performs over the long trip.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“He moved well in training, and seems better than in the spring. He runs straight now and is a horse with potential.”