Chestnut Coat

Takahide Ando, assistant trainer
“He did his hard work last week, so this week it’s just been light training for him. He’s moved well to match his breathing, and this has had a good effect on him.”

Shigeki Miyauchi, assistant trainer
“He’s worked with stablemate Kafuji Prince and has worked well, posting good times also. He finished fifth in last year’s race, so there’s no reason why he can’t run well again, providing that mentally he’s up for it again.”

Clincher

Hiroshi Miyamoto, trainer
“If you think of his third place finish in the race last year, with Cheval Grand second, it’s obvious that he has ability. His results at Nakayama and Tokyo haven’t been so good, but at Kyoto and Hanshin, he’s done well. Thinking about things with him in training, we’ve been working him uphill. The jockey feels that the horse is in good condition. I’d like to think he can change things to what he did two years ago, going from the St. Lite Kinen to running a strong race in the Kikuka Sho.”

Etario

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“The horse has trained well and has good energy. In his last piece of work, he ran solo without blinkers on and the assistant said he moved well. He will wear the same kind of blinkers as last time in the race. He was coming off a break last time, but I thought he seemed stronger. I don’t think there are any problems with the course and the distance. The key is to get him to run in a relaxed way throughout the race, rather than worry about his opponents. He’s finished second seven times, so if he can give it his best here and make his second win a Grade 1 win, that would be ideal.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“His character is a little difficult, but he generally does his best and he’ll be better having had his last run. He has stamina and is a horse with plenty of ability. He has run at Kyoto and can handle the downhill section, as well as the distance of the race. I really want him to win because he has so many second place finishes. He can lose concentration a little if he gets to the front early, so that’s another thing to consider.”

Fierement

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“He’s probably in better condition than he was for his last race, having done training when he was at Northern Farm Tenei, and has since looked good on his return to the stable. Even though the 58kg he has to carry in the race is a bit of a worry, I think he’ll get into the flow of things fine on the outer course at Kyoto. Thinking of the transportation over, Friday is best, so that he can have some schooling on the Saturday. He’s one of the fancied runners this time, so that adds a bit of pressure, but I’m looking forward to hopefully overcoming that and to him running a strong race.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“He ran second last time, and as a 3-year-old he won the Kikuka Sho over 3,000 meters, so there’s no problem with the distance. His mother is a European horse, so I think he’ll be able to handle any ground. The pace of the race will be important and I’ll need to get him relaxed early in the race. I’ve had such a good run with victories in Dubai, the Oka Sho and the Satsuki Sho, and I’d like to win the last Tenno Sho of the Heisei era.”

Glory Vase

Tomohito Ozeki, trainer
“In last year’s Kikuka Sho, he drew the widest gate, and running the outer turf course was never easy, but he managed to finish fifth. He’s a horse that’s easy to control and I think the extra furlong won’t be any problem. He’s been well taken care of, both at the farm and stable, and making sure there’s no tiredness about him, his training times haven’t been too fast or slow. He’s just how I think he should be going into the race. His weight is around 460kg, and if he loses a bit with the transportation things should still be fine. It’ll be good to see the Mejiro bloodline do well in this last race of the era.”

Keita Tosaki, jockey
“I got to ride the horse this week in training, and his responses were good in his work with two training partners, and I felt he’s in good condition. Over the long trip of the race, I don’t want to be too far on the outside, so an inside draw would be good. I think he can run from any position and I want to get the best out of him.”

Kafuji Prince

Shigeki Miyauchi, assistant trainer
“We’ve just monitored his condition and done things with this in mind. Even though he’s not a horse that can change gears quickly, I certainly think that he’s a real stayer. And he should be able to handle the undulations throughout the race.”

Takahide Ando, assistant trainer
“Most importantly he’s been finishing off well in his training, particularly in the final two furlongs. For sure, he’s in good condition.”

Kento O

Toyoji Nishihashi, trainer
“His times might not be so quick, but he has worked well. There’s no change in his condition. The key will be for things to go smoothly for him in the race.”

Takuro Izumi, assistant trainer
“He’s had three Grade 2 races this year, so he’s been a little tired, and after his last run where he wasn’t so smooth, we’ve taken good care of him at the stable. There was some stiffness about him, but he’s recovered since adjusting things with this in mind. It’s a Grade 1, so it won’t be easy, but I think he’ll be suited to the firm ground at Kyoto, and we’ll have to see what he can do.”

Lord Vent d'Or

Mitsugu Kon, trainer
“I think he’s been able to maintain his condition and that’s been important. He’s had some good results in graded races and has run well at Kyoto. We kind of reset things last time and got a result. He’s sharp and his footwork is good. Some say that because he’s by Daiwa Major, the distance is tough, but I’ve seen him since his debut and he’s been able to handle, and be successful, over a long trip. It’ll be good to have the services of his race jockey (Norihiro Yokoyama), and I hope he can get the best out of the horse.”

Meisho Tekkon

Yoshitada Takahashi, trainer
“He’s handled things well in training with the jockey confirming things with him. He should be just right going into the race. The horse himself seems more mature now. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of a race he’s able to run here.”

Kenichi Nakatsuka, assistant trainer
“Compared to last year, he’s more relaxed. Last time he ran, his weight was the heaviest he’d been since his debut, but a lot of that is him becoming more muscular. He’s done well in training and has also developed more mentally.”

Perform a Promise

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“Everything’s been as usual with him in training, his condition’s good, and there’s a refreshed feel to him. Even though he’s never won a Grade 1, he’s won other graded races, and the course and distance at Kyoto should be fine for him. Hopefully he’ll be able to take up a decent position and get into the flow of the race, and we’ll see what he can do here.”

Ridge Man

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“He doesn’t need to be pushed that hard and achieve fast times, more of a constant is better for him. He recovers well once he has a race under him, and now his breathing and overall condition are good because of the work he’s been putting in. A long distance race is fine for him, and I think Kyoto suits him more than Hanshin, so hopefully he’ll adjust well to how the race is run.”

Vosges

Masayuki Nishimura, trainer
“His training has been fine. Ideally he’d get a run like he did in the Manyo Stakes where he went off in front. He’s definitely best when forcing the pace.”

Hiroaki Yoden, assistant trainer
“He’s got rid of his tiredness. He’s been in the pool and has worked on the training track. I think he’ll be fine with the downhill run during the race at Kyoto, and he can compete even among this strong field. It’ll be good if he can find his own natural pace in the first half of the race, and in this way it’s possible for him to get a result.”

You Can Smile

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“In training he used to lean to the right a bit, but now his hindquarters are more developed and he runs straighter. After his last race he returned to the stable and there was no damage after that run, so we were able to have this race as his next target. He has no problems getting into a race, and with his stamina, a long distance turf race is ideal for him. I’d like the ground to be good.”

Yasunari Iwata, jockey
“He ran very well in the Diamond Stakes last time, even though he only carried 54kg. He’s an easy horse to ride, and it feels like he has real staying power. His condition is better than last time, and I want to do my best with the horse, knowing what he’s capable of with his abilities.”