2019 News

November 29, 2019

RSS


Champions Cup (G1) - Comments from runners' connections
Chrysoberyl
Chrysoberyl

Chrysoberyl (colt, 3)

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“He has had experience racing left-handed, so there should be no problem with that. When he came back to the stable four weeks ago he weighed 560kg, and after a couple of training runs his weight was 556 kg. For his last race he weighed 539 kg, and even allowing for the transportation to Chukyo, I don’t think he’ll weigh much below 550 kg. He’s still young and developing, and I think this will be the case through ‘til next spring. His last furlong time in training was below 13 seconds, and he’s been training well and keeping his mind on the job. He’ll also carry 2 kg less than the older horses in the race.”

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“He’s a horse that’s still developing, but he knows how to race, and I’m not worried about him handling the Chukyo track. I’ll have to think about things once the gate number is known, but I hope he can show his potential here among this field of strong horses.”


Heian Stakes (G3)
Chuwa Wizard

Chuwa Wizard (colt, 4)

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“The jockey’s been riding him these last two weeks in training, and I’ve considered everything to have gone well in his usual pattern of training. He’s capable of running well at any racecourse, no matter how the race is run, but an inside gate would be best, to give him a smooth run where he can tuck in behind horses and not lose any ground.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“I think his workload’s been about right and he’s been moving well and doing things just as I would want. I think he’s still improving and I’m looking forward to the race with him.”


Gold Dream
Gold Dream

Gold Dream (horse,6)

Osamu Hirata, trainer
“He had a break at Northern Farm Shigaraki and came back to the stable on November 7. He’s trained well since and everything’s gone according to plan, with this race always being the target for him. I think he’s suited to a course with quite a long homestretch, and hopefully things will go well for him and he’ll get to run his best race here.”


February Stakes (G1)
Inti

Inti (horse, 5)

Kenji Nonaka, trainer
“He’s done his usual training and he’s in good condition as the race approaches. His last race was unfortunate, but he was fine after it. I have a good image of him handling the Chukyo course, but above all he does need to run according to his best way of racing. This would be up with the pace and running smoothly, and I really would like him to make amends for the result in his last race.”


King's Guard
King’s Guard

King's Guard (horse, 8)

Ryo Terashima, trainer
“There’s little change with him and the jockey’s done just enough to keep the horse where we’d want him to be. He doesn’t always race well going left-handed, and that might have been the case the last time he did so, and getting him to overcome this is one of the keys. However, two years ago he was just 0.5 seconds off the winner, and in his last couple of races where there have been four corners in the race he’s done well, so if he is able to get things right he shouldn’t be far away.”


London Town
London Town

London Town (horse, 6)

Kazuya Makita, trainer
“His reactions have been good in training and he has come back into condition. He can improve more from now. It’ll be a question of him getting into a good rhythm in the race.”

Toshio Uda, assistant trainer
“He ran a strong race to win the Korea Cup a while ago, and so there’s no problem with him going left-handed, as well as his experience at Chukyo, and the homestretch with the rise. He will need to be well forward in the race and to keep things going until the finish.”


Mitsuba (horse, 7)

Tadashi Kayo, trainer
“I think with his last piece of work I can be satisfied with him. I was pleased with his last race. The jockey knows how to ride him and the horse has experience running at the track. More than this though, it’ll be how he can stack up against the strong opposition and how he can run to his best with the way the race unfolds.”


Elm Stakes (G3)
Mozu Attraction

Mozu Attraction (horse, 5)

Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“He did his hard work last week in training, and he’s done well since his last race. It’s a strong Grade 1 field, but he’s capable of running well, and if he finds his best rhythm, he should be able to run a good race. With the power he has, I don’t think there’s a lot in it between him and the other horses.”


Omega Perfume
Omega Perfume

Omega Perfume (colt, 4)

Shogo Yasuda, trainer
“There’s no big change with him, and he ran well last time, despite changing leads in the backstretch on the second circuit of the race. It’ll be left-handed again this time at Chukyo, but I think he can handle it alright. In last year’s race he had a very wide draw, so hopefully this time he won’t be too wide and he’ll be able to show a lot more power when it’s required. I think he’ll also be better for his last race.”

Lanfranco Dettori, jockey
“I’ve watched videos of the horse and spoken to Mirco (Demuro), who’s ridden the horse and knows him well. The horse likes running on at the end of a race, so that’s an important point. I’ve ridden at so many of the world’s racecourses, so Chukyo won’t pose a problem. I’ll do my best to win, and as with all big races, if I win I’ll do my flying dismount.”


Satono Titan
Satono Titan

Satono Titan (horse, 6)

Kazutomo Mori, assistant trainer
“It’ll be left-handed again this time, and while not quite such a wide course as Tokyo, one of the keys will be how he handles the track. Another thing will be how he handles the transportation to the track after his training. Hopefully both of these things will go in his favor.”

Yuki Uehara, assistant trainer
“He’s a big horse, but early in his career he was quite sensitive and not so easy to deal with, so he didn’t have many runs back then. Now he’s older he’s a lot better physically and mentally, and so that helps things. He has a good appetite and looks well in his coat, and has come on for being more constant with his races.”


T O Energy
T O Energy

T O Energy (colt, 4)

Masanori Masui, assistant trainer
“He’s a better horse when the weather is cooler. He’s a little timid and doesn’t like the kickback in a race, so that’s something to consider in the run. He hasn’t run left-handed in a while, so that’s a slight concern too. As a 4-year-old, there’s more to come from him and I hope he can produce a strong run here.”

Haruhiko Kawasu, jockey
“He’s quite an easy horse to ride and has done well when finishing off his work. He seems a horse with some ability.”


Time Flyer
Time Flyer

Time Flyer (colt, 4)

Kunihide Matsuda, trainer
“He worked uphill a couple of times last week, so this week we’ve just worked on his finish. He currently weighs about 480 kg and after his training that’s about what I think he should be for his races on dirt. His weight and proportion seem about right. Even though he’ll be up against more experienced dirt horses, I want him to put in his best effort here.”


Miyako Stakes (G3)
Vengeance

Vengeance (horse, 6)

Hiroyuki Oneda, trainer
“He’s in good shape and the way he’s run in his last couple of races over the longer trip seems suitable for him. Even though it’s a strong lineup this time, the way he ran last time when picking up strongly from midway through the race was impressive. This time too, if he’s able to race well through the third and fourth corners, he would have a good enough chance, and I’m looking forward to his run here.”


Westerlund
Westerlund

Westerlund (gelding, 7)

Shozo Sasaki, trainer
“There was some concern when he was coming back from injury last time, but he ran well. I think he’s better than this time last year, and he does come on for having a race under him. He has a tendency to lean to the left when he runs right-handed, so the switch to Chukyo is a plus, as well as having the same jockey on for the second time. Even though it’s a strong field, he’s not without a chance if things go his way.”


Unicorn Stakes (G3)
Wide Pharaoh

Wide Pharaoh (colt, 3)

Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant trainer
“He’s a lot more relaxed, and so physically and mentally it makes him a better horse and we can feel more at ease about him because of this. I think he’ll race a lot smoother running left-handed, so Chukyo will be a plus for him. I want to see him do well up against the other strong horses here.”


HorseName09
Wonder Lider

Wonder Lider (horse, 6)

Shogo Yasuda, trainer
“We haven’t overdone things with him in training, as he’s already had a couple of races this autumn. It’ll be his first time to take in four corners in a race and he has to carry an extra kilo, but I think if he can get into a good rhythm in the race he can run well. The jockey also thinks he can respond well over the trip after his good run over a mile last time.”


 

Sources: Net Keiba, Keiba Book, Sports Hochi

Champions Cup (G1) related contents