Cape Cod

Yuya Suzuki, assistant trainer
“She had a good position in the Fillies’ Revue and was travelling well, but she didn’t quicken as I thought she would. It was 1,400 meters, so it would have been good if she’d gotten a gate closer in. She stayed at Ritto after that, and thought it took some, she has grown accustomed to the surroundings. Now she’s eating the same as she would if she were at Miho. Jockey Mirai Iwata rode her for fast work on April 2 and she worked solo over the grass course. She’s had a sharpener so this should be enough. With the extra distance this time, if she can keep something in reserve under way, we’ll just have to wait and see how much she can quicken in the final stage. Ideally, she’ll get an inside gate. I’m looking forward to seeing how well she can do over the mile.”

Chain of Love

Yoshimitsu Nakata, assistant trainer
“The pace was slower than I’d expected it to be in the Tulip Sho and, in the end, the race favored the frontrunners. If it had favored those a bit further back it would have been better. I’d brought her to Ritto early before that race and after that she stayed at Ritto. Last time she was in the temporary stalls and there were no other horses, so she was lonely. But this time, there will be other horses from other stables, so that won’t be a problem. And she has grown accustomed to the surroundings. Rather than racing in with the pack, it’s actually better for her to run on the outside. The pace will no doubt be strong this time and that should make it easier for her. It’ll be great if making her move from the outside can work in her favor.”

Cravache d'Or

Yuya Katayama, assistant trainer
“She kept Resistencia in sight in the Tulip Sho and, though this horse finished in second place, it was a good race. The difference was just in her timing. From before her debut she has always been rather excitable and she is still somewhat high-strung, but it’s not enough to worry about. It doesn’t seem to take away from her performance and that’s her strongpoint. Last week, she clocked 82 seconds over six furlongs on the woodchip course and she didn’t go all out. She was very nicely in hand too. Even though she’s high-strung, she always runs her own race. She has excellent racing sense. I can’t imagine her having a bad run. And, looking at her last start, I’d say she has a good chance of turning the tables on the top picks.”

Daring Tact

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
 “She was agitated behind the gate in the Elfin Stakes and she didn’t break very well. She did settle during the trip, however, and displayed a good turn of foot over the last furlong. I can see what the issues are, but it was a strong race and the future is looking brighter. She was a bit ornery in work last week and lugged in but we pushed her pretty hard and she got a solid workout. She’s a sensitive horse and easily upset, so I’m taking pains to prevent that while getting her ready. She’s beginning to lose her winter coat and she has filled out a bit and looks to have improved. She finishes well so it’ll be better if the pace picks up. She’ll go to the gate in good shape.”

Epos

Yoshihito Kitade, trainer
“Last out in the Fillies’ Revue, the jockey had her wait patiently on the inside, which brought out the best of her late kick. She has gradually gotten stronger through her back as she has matured, but her weight had continued to drop so I worked on getting it back up by giving her two weeks of pool work, then she worked on the track on March 31. She worked well up the hill course last week and it looks like she’ll be in good condition. I do think her last start (1,400 meters) was a good race. She has speed but she also settles well and I think the mile may actually suit her more. I think real improvement is yet to come but I’m interested in seeing how well she’ll do for now. A fast track would be ideal.”

Michiro Oshida, assistant trainer
“In the Anemone Stakes she was way in the back at the final turn and had to circle wide around the others. It was a difficult position to be in and she did really well getting as far as she did despite the short Nakayama stretch. She was down 12 kg for that race so she went to the farm after that and came back with her weight back up. She got some work last week but since she raced regularly, we’re being careful not to overdo it. She’s had six starts so far and she has lots of experience shipping to a far track. She’s quite tough for a filly. If she gets a smooth trip, she’ll be able to use her late speed. If the frontrunners pull the field at a decent pace and the race favors those travelling midfield, it’ll be good.”

Yoshihito Kitade, trainer
“She gets tense and easily agitated if there’s too little time between races, so for the Kobai Stakes last start she was coming off a layoff and was able to remain calm in the pre-parade ring. She traveled well with a ground-saving trip and put nice distance between her and the others on ground with some spring to it. She’s in good shape for a filly this time of year but mentally she’s still somewhat immature. In work last week she ran hard in the beginning and looked a bit lackluster in the finish, but she has had time off so she’s calm. That’s the most important thing. There are no concerns about her eating and she gets up to peak nicely. She has gotten good results over a heavier track, so I’ll have my hopes up if that’s the case on raceday.”

Yasuhiro Omura, assistant trainer
“She was nicely in hand in the Anemone Stakes and even with the rough going she gained ground all the way to the end. She’s a small filly but she’s powerful. Her weight was down for that race so we moved her to Ritto and kept her there while working to get her weight back up. Last week, we were careful not to overdo it while pushing her just enough. We let her run at her own pace in the beginning, then picked it up in the end. Everything went as planned. She’s put the weight back on and then some. She has lost her winter coat and is in good condition. She’s an agile horse so the change in venue should be fine. She’ll run better over a fast track, but she has handled a heavier surface too. Key will be keeping her weight up.”

Magic Castle

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“She’s had three seconds since winning her debut. When she moved up in class in the Saffron Sho, looking at the results, I’d say she was ridden too aggressively. In the Fantasy Stakes two starts ago, she did well in the final stage but the winner was stronger. Last out in the Queen Cup, she had the fastest time over the final three furlongs, but she hadn’t travelled from the best position. She went to the farm after that and returned to Miho on March 4. On April 1, she worked with another horse, passed that horse easily and pulled away. It was a good solid workout. She’s a small filly but she has a good appetite. I think she’ll weigh about the same as she did for her last race. She just missed the winner’s circle in her last few starts but the competition has been strong. I think the outer Hanshin course should suit her, but it’ll depend on the trip she gets.”

Maltese Diosa

Yasuhiro Omura, assistant trainer
“She was coming off a layoff for the Tulip Sho but she was in very good shape. She waited very patiently before making her move and really showed tenacity in the stretch. I think it was a very good race in preparation for this one. She stayed at Ritto and is used to the surroundings. We gave her an easy week after her last race and then gradually upped the pace. Jockey Yusuke Fujioka rode work her on April 2 and her time was good without any urging from him. She had a lot left in the tank. It was a good workout, not too much, not too little. Her wind is good too. She’s agile and competitive and has good tenacity. In her prep she beat some of her rivals nicely and she’s in about the same shape as she was then, so I’m looking forward to the race.”

Miyamazakura

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“The Queen Cup was her first mile but she handled the pace much better than I’d thought she would. She was near the front but ran in high gear for a long time. She did so well you wouldn’t have thought it was her first time over the mile. The pace this time will be different but having ridden her once before I’ve got a reading on a number of things, things that I would like to bring out in her this time. She’s a powerful horse and has good speed too. She’s a top-level filly. She moved well in work this week, but she always does and did last week too. I think she’ll go to the gate in good condition. I haven’t won this particular race since the track was renovated but I ride the Hanshin mile regularly. The straight is long and I think it’s a course that can bring out the best in a powerful horse.”

Masato Nishizono, trainer
“The pace was strong in the Fillies’ Revue and she made her move from the outside. I don’t think it was an easy trip by any means and she really tried hard. On April 1, she worked up the hill course with another horse and we were able to push her hard and things looked good. I think she’ll show improvement with the sharpener. It’ll be the outside course, so I don’t think the pace will be as strong as it was for her last race. She can surely handle up to a mile. There’ll be strong horses in front this time, so I figure this one will be travelling with them in sight. She does have talent and if she can get a good position and keep something in reserve for the final stage, I think she has a chance.”

Resistencia

Yutaka Take, jockey
“I had heard this horse could move, and when I rode her debut race, I found her to be very responsive. She did run out a bit and had some difficult points but I could tell she was talented. Once she turned for the straight she flew, and I remember thinking, ‘Yeah, she really can run.’ I haven’t ridden her since then, but she won a graded-stakes race and a Grade 1 as well and was champion 2-year-old filly. I was especially impressed with her run in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Her career is still young so I think it’s best not to pigeonhole her in regard to any particular style of racing. Still, looking at the Juvenile Fillies, she may indeed be best at either taking the lead or stalking it. This week I was just looking to check her responses and we had only a light workout. She really felt strong and in good shape and she has matured a great deal since her debut.”

Ria Amelia

Yuya Katayama, assistant trainer
“She had looked fine going to the gate in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies but after the gate opened, I feel she just didn’t want to run. I don’t know what the reason was but she just didn’t run. She wasn’t at all out of breath after that race and definitely didn’t go all out. At the start of the new year, we sent her to the farm and decided to aim her for this race alone. Two weeks ago, she worked over five furlongs on the woodchip course and was very relaxed and easy to ride. Yuga Kawada rode her last week and we gave her practice getting some kickback in her face by having her run behind another horse and then overtake him. Things went satisfactorily. She’s a good eater so she can handle hard work and there is no worry whatsoever about her going to this race without a prep.”

Sanctuaire

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“This week she worked up the hill course as usual. Last week she was on the woodchip flat. Her final workout is up the hill because she has the trip to the track. The time wasn’t that fast but her movement was good and I think it was sufficient. She’s coming off a layoff but she’s on her game and all is going smoothly. She’s had three starts thus far, all at the mile, all at different venues. She has handled them all well and I think she’ll do the same in her first time at Hanshin. There are a lot of fast horses in the lineup so I do want her to stay close to the front. Christophe Lemaire has ridden all her races so I think he understands her well. She’s coming along fine so I don’t think I have to say much to him. I plan to ship her to the track the day before the race.”

Smile Kana

Yoshiyasu Takahashi, trainer
“She broke well in the Tulip Sho but didn’t take the lead, then was unbalanced under way and didn’t have enough for the finish. She couldn’t go all out. Still, even with the long trip to the track, she didn’t lose much weight, so that was progress. She was a bit worked up after that race, but there’s no problem at all now. She’s eating well too. Jockey Daichi Shibata rode fast work last week along with another horse. She clocked 64 seconds over the woodchips, which was a good time. We have the trip west this week, so this week we just breezed her. For a filly at this time in her life, there are no big physical changes happening. All is going as it should. Her regular jockey, who knows her well, will be up this time, so, if she can run her race, I’m looking forward to seeing just how well she can do.”

Woman's Heart

Katsuichi Nishiura, trainer
“Two starts ago in the Juvenile Fillies, she was sent forward, so in the Tulip Sho, we intentionally held her back and focused on keeping her settled to be able to go all out in the final stage. The pace was rather slow and even though she ran well, she didn’t have much of a kick. A week ago she worked on the woodchip flat with another horse. She moved up on the inside, and caught and passed that horse. She still felt strong and her movement was good. She’s eating well and it’ll be good if that helps her fill out. I still would like her to mature more both physically and mentally. She’s a quality horse. She finished well in her first two starts and this time, I’d like to see her run in with the pack and keep something in reserve for the final stage.”

Yamakatsu Mermaid

Yukio Higashida, assistant trainer
“In the Fillies’ Revue, just when I thought she was going to win, she was overtaken, but it was still a good race. She also showed progress in that she showed good concentration after she moved out, which is a gain. She came out of the race well and didn’t go off her feed at all. Her preparations since have all gone well. Last week we had the jockey ride on the flat and he gave her a good solid workout. She got a good time too. She had the one race after returning from time off and she’s definitely looking improved. The competition is quite strong and I think currently she is best suited to distances in the 1,400-1,600 range. She has talent and she has matured a lot both mentally and physically from her debut. I think it could be time she comes in a winner.”