Admire Justa

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“He’s moved well in training and there are no worries about his current condition. Compared to when he was a 2-year-old, he’s much improved. The Tokyo course is a lot easier than the tighter Nakayama track, and the distance should be fine for him. He showed good ability when he finished second in a Grade 1 last year, and it would be good if he could reproduce a run like that and confirm that he’s a horse to look to the future with.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“His responses in training have been good and he’s easy to ride. The distance is a bit of an unknown, but with some luck he has a chance.”

Courageux Guerrier

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“He’s trained well and chased down his training partners when starting behind them. He’s still a little thin and I’d like him to be bigger, but he does find a good rhythm when he runs, and mentally he’s come on a lot. I don’t think the 2,400 meters at Tokyo is a negative for him either.”

Danon Kingly

Kiyoshi Hagiwara, trainer
“There’s no tiredness about him after his last race, and he’s in good condition and has been moving well. While his opponents from last time will be in the race again, and the distance is further, he’s certainly a horse to give it his all. There are other strong horses in the race too, but with the condition he’s in, and what he’s shown in training, I think he can give a good account of himself here.”

Keita Tosaki, jockey
“2,400 meters might not be his best distance, but the horse has a lot of ability. I thought he ran a strong race in the Satsuki Sho, and there really wasn’t much in it between him and the first two. It might have been different running on the outside. The change to Tokyo will suit, and really it’s a matter of how much he’s improved since that last run.”

Emeral Fight

Ikuo Aizawa, trainer
“He’s been at the stable and we’ve monitored his condition as he recovers from his last race and have adjusted things to keep this in mind, but overall he’s in good shape. He’s improved in his track work. He’s not a horse to pull hard, so I think the distance will be fine for him. I want him to show his full power here.”

Yukito Ishikawa, jockey
“I think he’ll be fine getting into the race, and he’s already shown his ability to win. His last race was his best so far, so hopefully he’ll put in another strong run.”

Lion Lion

Mikio Matsunaga, trainer
“Everything’s been satisfactory with his training, working uphill. It’s unfortunate that the jockey who’s ridden him so well in his last two races has been suspended. The horse has come along nicely, and if he’s able to find his own rhythm, things should go well for him in the race.”

Meiner Surpass

Yuji Tannai, jockey
“He’s improved this year after his break previously. If he produces a run like he did in the Kimmokusei Tokubetsu at Fukushima, I think he’s not far off some of the other runners.”

Meisho Tengen

Kaneo Ikezoe, trainer
“He seems to be in good condition. I think the longer trip and the wide Tokyo course are to his advantage. I’ll rely on the jockey to know when to get the best out of the horse when it comes to putting in the horse’s big strides. He’s obviously still a young horse, but he has a lot of power. He just takes a little time to get wound up, so that’s something that I hope can go his way.”

Naimama

Yoshinori Muto, trainer
“He’s been eating well, and having taken things carefully with him, he’s now in good condition. Despite his 10th place finish in the Satsuki Sho, I think he’ll be fine with the distance this time, and the track condition will play a part. Rather than a real fast race, conditions which make for a tough race would be better.”

Daichi Shibata, jockey
“By working him gradually, he’s gotten better and seems tough now. Just in the past couple of weeks he’s improved.”

Nishino Daisy

Noboru Takagi, trainer
“There have been a lot of fast times recently at Tokyo, especially the record time in the Victoria Mile, so regarding this I’m not sure how he might do. He hasn’t been pulling and has been running a lot smoother, and I just hope he can find the rhythm that suits him best, and if that happens I think the 2,400 meters will be fine. I hope he can perform to his best.”

Masaki Katsuura, jockey
“He’s trained well and is much smoother in running. He seems a bit different from his past runs, and I’ll need to just concentrate on getting him into the flow of things.”

Red Genial

Yoshitada Takahashi, trainer
“It’s just a short time between races, so I don’t feel we have to pressure him into doing too much. He’s still a little immature, but he does have ability. One of the keys will be transporting him over and getting him right up to the race, without him losing any of his condition and energy.”

Roger Barows

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“Two starts ago in the Spring Stakes, he got quite tense on the journey over to Nakayama and didn’t show his best in the race. He was a lot better last time when he ran at Kyoto, and he recovered from that race really well. He’s in good condition, and I think he’ll be fine over the 2,400 meters. He doesn’t have to lead, but finding his own pace is best.”

Run for the Roses

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“He’s come on gradually and looks good. Since his debut he’s been easy to train and handle. He has good speed, and since his last run his breathing has been better. It’ll be interesting to see how he matches up to the other runners.”

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“It’s a big plus that last time he ran over the course and distance of the Derby, so it’s natural to think that he can run a big race here as well.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“In training, because he has races under him, there’s been no big adjustment necessary. He knows what to do, and just at the finish in training I’ve pushed him a bit more. I feel he’s a horse with potential, having finished second in the Aoba Sho. Three-year-olds tend to improve quickly at this time of year, and I hope he can give me a chance to win the Derby for a second year in a row.”

Satono Lux

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“His responses and movement in training have been good, and he’s done just enough. He wasn’t able to get a good position in his last race, so I hope this time things will be different. The extra distance should be no problem, and the wide expanse of the Tokyo track will be good for him.”

Saturnalia

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“It’ll be his first time at Tokyo, and given the strength of his hindquarters, particularly on the left, I think he’ll be well suited to running left-handed and tackling the homestraight at the finish. He’s in good physical and mental shape after his return from Northern Farm Shigaraki. The jockey has a good image of the horse from riding him in training, and we’ve been able to give the horse a stronger workload this past week. There are two strong horses from the Satsuki Sho, and a lot of other good horses in the lineup. He’ll be marked by other horses, but hopefully he’ll show his best and be able to carry off this second leg of the Triple Crown.”

Damian Lane, jockey
“He’s a horse with good balance, and his footwork is good, particularly at the finish. Even though he’s the favorite, it would feel similar riding another horse in the Derby. I have experienced riding in front of big crowds in Australia, so I’m not worried about that, and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Schwarz Riese

Kazutomo Mori, assistant trainer
“He’s been able to keep his condition. With his big stride, the Tokyo course suits him, and the extra distance is a plus. With a race of importance like the Derby, all being well he’ll get to go into the race in the best possible condition.”

Tagano Diamante

Ippo Sameshima, trainer
“Last weekend his training was as usual, In his last piece of work he closed well, and the time for that training was in the 52 second range, which pleased me. It’s been touch and go with his prize money whether he’d get into the race, but we don’t need to worry about that now he’s in the lineup. The last time he ran at Tokyo he leaned quite badly at the finish, but he’s a different horse now, and there should be no problem. Ideally he’ll get a ground saving run, so that he can show his strong footwork at the finish.”

Velox

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“This has always been his target race. His aptitude is the best. I think the extended distance will be a plus.”

Teruhiko Saruhashi, assistant trainer
“He’s a horse that doesn’t have any bad points and has become easier to ride. We’ve had some time before the race to get him into condition. There was some concern last year about him running left-handed in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes, a 2-year-old race, but now it’s not a problem at all. Going into the first corner will be one of the keys. I also think getting into the flow of the race and the distance will be fine for him, so he should be able to run another good race.”

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“He’s a horse with potential and keeps improving. I can think of him as a Derby horse and see him running a good race. He ran well last time, that was the best he’s run, and he feels just as good if not better now.”

Toshitsugu Uehira, assistant trainer
“He’s been able to maintain things and feels good. He’s been moving well. Coming off two straight wins, we’ll see what he can do in the Derby among the strong field.”