Ares Barows

Koichi Tsunoda, trainer
“The horse is in good condition, and in training has moved well and posted good times. He went easy in his last piece of work and his breathing was fine after it. In last year’s race, the ground was bad so he didn’t do so well. I think he does have ability when it comes to a Grade 1, and the Nakayama course is fine for him. He needs to have a smooth run and get to show his strength on the firm ground.”

Daimei Princess

Naoyuki Morita, trainer
“She had a slight injury from her last race, but we had her in the pool and she only really had one day off, before carrying on as normal. Given the short interval between races, we’ve just been keeping her ticking over. She ran well two starts ago, and also in her last race, so she’s returned to form and is in good condition. She’s a horse that can run from any position. Of course, it’s a strong Grade 1 field, but if she gets to run smoothly, she can run a big race.”

Danon Smash

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“He’s certainly become better as a 4-year-old. He reminds me of his sire (Lord Kanaloa) now, and it would be good to win a Grade1 in similar fashion and then look to overseas with him. I don’t foresee a problem with the Nakayama course, but it is riding fast, and one of the keys will be for him to pick up speed when it matters. There are a lot of fast horses in the race, but he won cleverly last time, and I think he can get himself into a good position at the final turn again, and take on the closing stages of the race aggressively.”

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“He feels better than he did in Sapporo, and he’s not a difficult horse to handle, being calm enough now. Everything’s been good with him since the Keeneland Cup, and he goes into this race in top condition. There’s no concern about Nakayama, and while there are a lot of good horses in the lineup, my expectations are high.”

Dirndl

Yutaka Okumura, trainer
“There’s no change with her and her responses in training have been good. She’s done her gate practice satisfactorily too. There’s a fresh feel to her. Even though she lost last time, she did well up against the older horses, and she’s able to get into the flow of a race and run well. Hopefully she’ll get a good start.”

Yusuke Fujioka, jockey
“I rode her for the first time two starts ago, and there’s a good feel to her. She seems an honest horse with a good character. She started racing over 1,200 meters since her debut and she has a lot of natural speed. She’s worked well uphill and has been relaxed in recent gate practice. A 3-year-old filly did well in last year’s race, so I think this one has a good enough chance too.”

Fantasist

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer

Happy Hour

Koshiro Take, trainer
“It seems like he’s pretty well in himself, and after returning from Tokyo, he’s maintained his condition. He’s come on for his last run and would be in better shape than he was for that.”

Iberis

Koichi Tsunoda, trainer
“It’s been good to work her and she ran well in her race last time. She doesn’t stiffen up and she’s gotten better recently. Even though she has strong opponents here, she’s capable of taking them on. I think this trip is better than the mile, and even if she gets an inside gate, as long as she gets to run her race, things should be fine.”

Suguru Hamanaka, jockey
“She’s a lot sharper for her last run. I don’t think it matters whether she goes forward or not. I want her to do well in this strong field.”

 

Let's Go Donki

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer
“She’s taken on this race the last four years, and two years ago she came straight into it from the Victoria Mile and managed to finish second, so coming to it after a spell is no problem. She’s a type that can do this. She’s done her usual training, and while she wouldn’t be quite like her younger self, she still focuses on things and does things as we would want. It’ll be interesting to see how she goes here.”

Linate

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“In this time between races, she has trained well with good times, and we’ve taken care of her, so there’s no stress about her. It’s a difficult Grade 1 race, but she’s developed well in every way, so she can take on a race like this. Travelling when she did for the Keio Hai Spring Cup, there were no problems with that. The short oval track at Nakayama with the rise is fine for her, and in the condition she’s in, I look forward to the race.”

Love Kampf

Naoyuki Morita, trainer
“Her times in training have been just right, by pushing her just enough according to the way she is. She is in pretty good condition, and although she hasn’t had good results this year, keeping her up to task is good for her. I think running in second or third is good, but it will depend on how she jumps.”

Maltese Apogee

Masahiro Horii, trainer
“He has been at the stable since his last race, and we’ve decided to go for this race with him. He has trained well and his movement is good. He is a bit unruly, but this can be taken as a good thing with him. He has a lot of speed, so I hope he can put it to good use here.”

Mozu Superflare

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“She has worked pretty well in her usual way, and in her final work she took a little time to get going, and possibly her weight is up a little, but this last piece of training hopefully sets her up just right. The pace will be fast in the race, but she is well suited to Nakayama. She obviously likes to be up with the pace, and five of her wins have come from being able to lead all the way, so it’s best if she tries to dictate things here.”

Mr Melody

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“While he hasn’t won going right-handed, he did finish second in last year’s Hanshin Cup, and he has experience on the dirt track at Nakayama. He is a horse with a lot of power and is able to put up a fight when taking on other runners, and hopefully he’ll run to his best again here.”

Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer
“He has worked well uphill and has had his usual pattern of training on the turf track. He is the champion sprinter from the spring, so naturally I have confidence in him.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“It is a question of getting the best out of him when he travels right-handed. Last time he came there strongly to win the race, but just didn’t have enough left at the end. I think his condition is now better and I want to get the very best out of him this time, and hopefully this will be the case. I’m looking to winning the race myself for the first time too.”

No One

Kazuhide Sasada, trainer
“She has improved since the spring and her movement gets better week by week. Up against the older horses here, she gets an allowance. I think she’ll be fine adjusting to the shorter distance and I want her to give a good account of herself here.”

Hiroyuki Uchida, jockey
“Even though she is coming back from a break, things have gone well with her and she feels good. She’s a nice horse and can run well.”

Seiun Kosei

Hiroyuki Uehara, trainer
“His overall condition is better than last year, and after his last race I expect him to improve again. His last piece of work was good. He is more mature now. Hopefully he’ll get a good position from the start, and going forward is best for him.”

Tower of London

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“With his two good recent runs, we haven’t been concerned about fast times in training, and he’s been fine since his last race. Though the Nakayama track can be a little difficult, the horse is easy to control and the jockey knows him well. I’m not worried about the draw, and level weights with some of the runners this time is a plus.”

Hideyuki Chishima, assistant trainer
“He has done well over sprint distances and gets into the flow of things well in a high-paced race. He is able to get into good positions before winding up fully at the end of a race. I’m looking forward to his run in this Grade 1.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“He was very strong in the Centaur Stakes and he goes up another level here. Even though Danon Smash is a good horse, Tower of London must have a chance.”