Beach Samba

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“The forward style in the Rose Stakes suited her and that was a discovery. I rode her dam and her brother and neither of them had the best acceleration. So, with that in mind, I think racing just behind the frontrunner may be the best for her. At any rate, she’s slow at the break and hasn’t gotten any faster. The Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) was her only start with four turns and she didn’t get the best results. I think two turns is better for her. As far as the distance goes, we won’t know until we try it. If it were Tokyo, I think 2,000m wouldn’t be a problem but at Kyoto you’re asking for more turning. She’s filled out more from the spring and still races nicely with her body low to the ground. I don’t know about heavy going. I think it would be OK. She has power.”

Blanc Noir

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“The pace was slow in her last start, so it all came down to the final three furlongs, but she did win strongly. She was well in hand and she handled the distance well too. She took a lot home from that race. The only real racing was done in the stretch, so she came out it well and I brought her here. Things have gone well and she worked in tandem last week. Her movement was good. She got a real good time without even going all out, which shows she’s in good shape. She has stabilized both physically and mentally. This week the plan was to just breeze her but we worked her in tandem up the hill again. It’s a Grade 1 so the lineup will be stronger and she’ll have a furlong more than she has ever had, but I think she’ll handle it. If she can make the most of the great shape she’s in, I think this could open up a lot of opportunities for her.”

Chrono Genesis

Takashi Saito, trainer
“She just needed a bit more in the Oaks. Things just didn’t come together for her there and it’s hard to win a Grade 1. I think she gave it her all though. She doesn’t have a problem racing without a prep and I figured that without one here, she could then go to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup next fairly fresh. She spent the summer at the farm and returned to the training center on Sept. 4. She was much bigger than she’d been in the spring and I mean that in a good way. The jockey rode last week working with another horse and she had a good solid workout. It’s the inner 2,000m course, so if she breaks well, the rest she’ll handle well. There shouldn’t be anything to worry about if she gives what she’s capable of.”

Contra Check

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“She’s not that big of a horse so she’s very easy to get ready. She’s had lots of work up the hill course. We have the trip to Kansai so her time on Wednesday wasn’t that fast but she was feeling good and her movement was good. Going directly to this race shouldn’t be a problem. She is forward and willing but not necessarily relaxed. She’s right for her age. She was racing from 2 years of age and she’s been to many places, the farm, Hakodate, Sapporo. So the trip to Kyoto shouldn’t be any problem. As for the distance, she was good over it at Nakayama, so I think she’ll handle Kyoto. She’s led in her three wins so far but they were lower-class races. There are a lot of fast horses at this level but I think a forward position is OK. Because she’s eager and forward, I think she’ll handle a heavier track. She managed the Oaks well but the distance was long and her start wasn’t the best. She was a bit keen under way and it wasn’t the smoothest of races. This time I think she’ll be able to handle it.”

Curren Bouquetd’or

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“The Shion Stakes was a trial race and she was the favorite and her position was a bit different than in the Oaks, so I think it was a rather difficult race for her. But I think that finishing a close third opened up a lot of opportunities for her. After that race, she showed immediate improvement and I’ve been training her mainly on the hill course. She has filled out and is calmer now. She had a good, hard workout last week but wasn’t quite up to peak, so this week I pushed her hard in the final stage as well. The horse she was training with could move well and I think it was bit tough for this horse when she lined up with the other one but she still finished well. She’s calmer now after the summer and her tone is much better. I think she has matured a lot. She has never run on a heavier track, so I don’t know about that. It’s her first long trip to a race but she’s relaxed and she has traveled between the training center and the farm numerous times, so she’ll be OK.”

Danon Fantasy

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“She did her best in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) but had a lot of fast horses behind her. And it was her first time over the distance in the Oaks. She finished fifth but she traveled well and was able to run her own race. She spent the summer at the farm and came back to Ritto Training Center for the Rose Stakes. She was fresh and there were some rough spots but she made up for them. She has learned to be patient and has matured physically. She was a bit unsteady in the straight in the Rose Stakes so that will be something of concern this time. We were able to use the grass track in work last week so I checked her rhythm and finish. All looked good. Because she’d had a hard workout last week, this week she worked alone under the jockey and did just enough so we could check her condition. This will be her first time over this distance and the course itself will be quite a change but I think she’ll handle it, though I do think 1,600m is her best trip. She hasn’t run on a heavier track before and I don’t think she’ll like it.”

Espoir

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“Compared to her races in the winter, since she returned to the track in June she is stronger and visibly much improved. She has met all expectations with her races and won her third race last out, so she had a go-ahead for this race. She had matured a lot more than we had expected and she doesn’t get worked up any more. I think having the rather relaxed rotation has been a big factor in her success. She spent the summer at the farm. Last week (jockey Andrasch Starke) rode her in work over the course and her wind was good. The inner Kyoto 2,000m is tricky but she has good racing sense. I don’t think there’ll be any problems. We’ll have to see how she fares against the fillies who ran in the Classic races. I’m hoping she’ll hold her own.”

Fairy Polka

Shunei Kikumoto, assistant trainer
“Her weight was up for the Shion Stakes last out but she ran solidly. She needed just a bit more though, but I think a race with four turns suits her and she has ability. On Oct. 2, she worked in tandem over the woodchip flat course. Kosei Miura, who is supposed to ride on Sunday, rode work and she easily caught the 2-year-old we had in front of her. She still had a lot more in the tank too. Her weight hasn’t changed much but she is leaner now and her last race sharpened her up. The jockey said she was easy to ride and her eagerness to run is a strong point. The only race that didn’t pan out was the Oaks, with the long trip to the track. She’s more mature now and the jockey has a good handle on her. I think it would be ideal to have her travel on the inside. And she should do well if there’s a decent pace.”

Meisho Shobu

Kaneo Ikezoe, trainer
“Last out in the Rose Stakes, the jockey decided to race from a bit further back and she ran solidly in the finish. I don’t think it was a bad race. Everything went well after that. Last week the jockey rode her in fast work over the woodchip course and focused on the finish. She worked to the right and moved well. I feel she’s getting better with each race. There’s more distance this time but it’s to the right and only for 3-year-olds, so I’m eager in seeing how well she can hold her own if she can run at her own pace. She gets excited easily and this can be a problem. She’s had two races but with the start right in front of the stands, how calm she can remain is key. We plan to send her out to the track ahead of the others and get her down to the pocket to the right of the stands early.”

Passing Through

Yoichi Kuroiwa, trainer
“You could feel she had matured in the Shion Stakes. She was in good condition and it was good race. She was able to run on the pace from the No. 15 gate and win by a nose. And that was huge. She went to the farm on Sept. 11. Until now, this has been the shortest time between races. We have the trip to Kyoto from Miho so I decided it was best for her to have regular work at the farm as well. She looked really well two weeks ago and she came back to Miho on Oct. 2. And the next morning she went to Ritto. She had hard workouts up the hill on both Oct. 5 and Oct. 9. The Shuka Sho course is a difficult course but she has run with agility these last two races. She’s going into this race as prepared as she can be.”

Red Anemos

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“A heavier track alone shouldn’t be a problem for her but the going last out in the Radio Nikkei Sho was just too bad. She wasn’t able to give it much of what she’s capable of. I kept her at a farm near Ritto after that and had intended to start her back with the Rose Stakes, but felt she was still too heavy, needed more work and so I’ve brought her here without a prep. Last week, she worked in tandem on the woodchip flat. We pushed her hard and I think she is finally showing us her usual best. With her racing style, the Kyoto inner 2,000m isn’t a problem. She learned a lot from her win of the Shirayuri Stakes there in May and I think if she’s able to run her own race, she’ll give it her best.”

Takashi Kanari, trainer
“The pace of the Shion Stakes favored the frontrunners and this one kept up and had a good ground-saving run. Her start was good too. I didn’t decide to race her here until up to two weeks ago. On Oct. 2 we worked her hard with another horse on the turf track, which is tight. She was a bit better than her partner but followed her over the line, then passed her afterward. The competition will be strong but her Niigata race two starts ago showed she has ability. I’m hoping she’ll have a good race.”

Kazutomo Mori, assistant trainer
“Her start last out on Sept. 16 was decent and it looked like she would take the lead but held back around the first turn in second position. Considering the going and the pace, I think that was an ideal position. She responded really well when she was passed, so I’d say she was better than the finishing order would suggest. She came out of that race well and we kept her at the training center. On Oct. 1, she had recovered her weight and was at 459kg. This will be her third start since her summer run at Niigata, but she is still in good shape and has maintained good condition. She was a bit fragile from her debut and her development lagged, so I’d say she hasn’t shown us her potential yet.”

Schon Glanz

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“It’ has been a month since she returned from the farm since the Oaks and we’ve been working her almost solely on the hill course. She’s more robust than she was in the spring and that makes me very happy. Initially she was very mild-mannered and slow in the race early stages but, now that she has filled out, I think she’ll show us something different and I’m looking forward to that. In both the Oka Sho and the Oaks, she couldn’t gain ground early on and was left far behind, but now that won’t be the case. She was tired after the Oaks so we let her refresh, but they were riding her at the farm for at least a month before she came back to the training center. All has gone well.”

Shadow Diva

Makoto Saito, trainer
“She had matured for her last start, the Rose Stakes, so I’d had my expectations up. But because her back was stronger, she actually started too well and she was too on the bridle and lacked smoothness. But that said, she still lost by too much. She stayed at Ritto and wasn’t bothered at all by the change in surroundings. In fact, she’s eating better than she does at home in Miho, so it was a good choice. We gave her a hard workout last week and had her work in tandem. She moved well. A race sharpens her up nicely and this time is no different. She has racing sense and is good at splitting the ranks in tight spots so a change to the inner course shouldn’t be a problem. She has gotten bigger and better over the summer, so I’m hoping that will translate to better results.”

Shigeru Pink Dia

Kunihiko Watanabe, trainer
“She broke too well in the Rose Stakes and she took the bit much stronger than we’d expected. She kept nothing in reserve and that meant she couldn’t quicken in the final stage. Also, I think the distance was about a furlong too long. She came out of the race well and her weight is back up to around 470kg. She’s muscled up behind and her time in work last week over the woodchips was about 82 seconds. We didn’t push her that hard, but hard enough. And her legs are fine. With the extra furlong, I’m hoping she can keep something in reserve. Also, she’ll need to stay calm. She’s usually good through the preliminaries but gets worked up circling around after that.”

Koji Maki, trainer
“The reason we’re running her here without a race since August is not because something was wrong. She has never been good with too many starts and is more of a late bloomer, so I didn’t want to give her too much. She’s an agile horse so the change in course shouldn’t be a problem. In the spring, her time in the Sweetpea Stakes was the same as the runnerup in the Oaks. And except for her Fukushima race two starts ago, where she got sucked into the soft ground, she has never missed the board. The competition is strong, but she has a lot of potential, so my hopes are high.”

Keiji Takaichi, trainer
“She had a good run in the Ibaraki Shimbun Hai last out. It did look like she was a bit off the bridle but she did quicken nicely in the final stage. She has matured and can run a solid race on both turf and dirt and is definitely stronger. She recovered quickly from her last race so we were able to aim her here. Both her wins have been over dirt but she has shown that she can do well on turf too in her recent starts. Above all, she has great racing sense and I think the Kyoto inner 2,000m will suit her.”