Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“His work this week has been good and he’s just done enough. He probably wasn’t fully wound up for his last race. Hopefully he’ll run well this time with the opponents he’s up against.”

Bitterender

Ikuo Aizawa, trainer
“On his return from a short break at the farm, he’s been training well. Now when he takes the bit, he gets on with things and doesn’t hang like he did previously. He’s by Orfevre, so he’s a good horse to ride. In his last piece of training, he moved well and finished off the run strongly. His condition’s good and I’d like him to get a result here. A bit of rain might help him.”

Black Hole

Ikuo Aizawa, trainer
“He’s performed well in training, and last week he posted good times. This week he’s just done enough. He’s only a small horse, but he’s become stronger recently and I really think he’s tough. Some cut in the ground would be good, and against the strong field here, if he can save things until the end, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do.”

Koichi Shirakura, assistant trainer
“He showed what he can do on turf last time, and with his recent training, he’s in good condition. As long as he gets to run his own race, he could easily be up with the leaders or leading, and I’m looking forward to what he might be able to do against these strong runners.”

Kazuya Nakatake, trainer
“I’m satisfied with the way he’s moving. If he forces the pace, it’ll be interesting to see what he is capable of. A softer track would be a plus.”

Contrail

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“He’s looked good in training, getting into the flow of things and responding well, even when the training track has been a bit heavy. He seems fired up. At this time of year, the going at Nakayama is better than it was for the Hopeful Stakes last year, so that’s a good thing.”

Shigeki Miyauchi, assistant trainer
“We’ve mostly concentrated on his finish in training. His win over the course and distance was a good one, and I think he’ll be better now he doesn’t hang so much.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“Last week when I rode him he ran straight, and he seems just right going into the race. He’s a horse that starts well and is able to get a position, so I don’t worry about anything with him. The Nakayama track is a bit different from others, but he’s already won there. It’ll be a tough race, with the other Grade 1 winner and other strong horses, but I want to get the best result.”

Cortesia

Takashi Suzuki, trainer
“He’s been consistent in training and everything’s gone as expected. He’s certainly developing the right way. A mile might be a bit short for him, so this extended distance, as well as the track and the ground, should all work in his favor. He’ll improve more, but I’m wondering what sort of performance he can give here.”

Crystal Black

Fumimasa Takahashi, trainer
“He’s only had the two races, so it’s early in his career, but he’s better than he was for his last race and he’s developing very well. We’ve been careful not to overdo it in training, particularly with the heavy track. The jockey (Yutaka Yoshida) knows the horse well, so that’s a good thing. Of course, it’s not an easy race considering the number of runners, but I hope he gets a good run, where he has some left at the finish to show his turn of foot.”

Darlington Hall

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“The horse is very well in himself, and he did well in his last race when the ground was not so good, so that was encouraging. He can be difficult to control, but I’m not worried about his position in the race, nor the other strong horses, as long as he finds his natural quick rhythm. I’m hoping for a good result.”

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“He’s had experience over 2,000 meters at Nakayama, so there’s no problem with that. He’s a powerful horse that can pull, but if under control he can run well at a good pace. The ground was soft last time, so hopefully it’ll be firmer for this race.”

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“He’s done better than I’d have imagined in training, particularly right up to the finish. There’s only been a short time between races, but I think he’ll come on a lot for his last race, which was his first in a while.”

Galore Creek

Hiroyuki Uehara, trainer
“It’ll be his third race this time since a spell, and I think he’ll be in great condition for it. He’s very well and has become more mature. It was a slow pace last time in his trial race, but the Satsuki Sho pace should be better. The horse has the ability to adjust to any pace, and that’s certainly one of his strong points. Even over this distance, it shouldn’t be a problem and he should run well.”

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“He’s improved as he has continued to win races, and he’ll probably get better still. He has a lot of power. He’s been running well in training without the blinkers on, and has picked up speed well without hanging at all. He might look a little heavy, but he’s fine regarding his weight. In the race, I wouldn’t want him to get too far back, and would hope for a smooth run. I don’t want to rush things with him, but a good result here would lead to a run in the Derby.”

My Rhapsody

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He worked well training with two other horses last week, so this week we’ve just checked things over with him, and everything’s fine with the way he responds. In his last race, the way it was run and the ground didn’t suit him, but he did transport over alright. I’m not sure about the Nakayama course with its short homestretch, but hopefully the pace will be genuine and he can show his ability.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“He’s in good condition and feels good, and has moved well to prove the condition he’s in. He hasn’t run in a race with a lot of runners before, and he’s not a fast starter, so these are things to consider. Also I need to think about how to ride him if the ground comes up soft.”

Rhinebeck

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He’s a horse with a lot of power and ability, and is one of the best 3-year-olds at the stable. Since he came back from the farm, there’s no change in him. He only made his debut last June and has come a long way since. He starts well and is able to get a good forward position easily, and I think the Nakayama course suits him. He has stamina too, so hopefully he’ll be able to give a good account of himself here.”

Salios

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“He moves smoothly and is calm enough to control as we’d like. It’ll be his first time at the track, but the way he’s running he can adjust to the pace and he’s just how the jockey thinks he should be. Among the horses I’ve trained, mentally he seems one of the best.”

Yuki Uehara, assistant trainer
“He’s been constant in training and he seems more relaxed now. He knows when to switch on and off, and he’s coped very well with the workload we’ve given him. He weighs about 550 kg, and for his last race he was 538 kg. He doesn’t have to transport far this time, but that weight should be fine. He’s put in three strong races already, so he must have a good chance.”

Kazutomo Mori, assistant trainer
“He’s moved well in training, and he’s shown what he can do in races over a mile. He’s capable of getting a good position in a race, and I don’t see any problem with the extra distance or the track.”

Satono Flag

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“I think he’s better all round since his last race, where he won cleverly despite the ground. The jockey then (Yutaka Take) said the horse is like his sire. He did his hard training last week, so this week we’ve kept him steady. Good ground is best for him, as he showed when he won in record time before. I want him to run smoothly, but the jockey this time (Christophe Lemaire) knows what to do. I’d like a gate from somewhere in the middle to the outside. Of course, there appear to be two very strong horses in the line-up, but I’m looking forward to it, and it’s not often you have a chance to take on a Classic race.”

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“He’s fired up and I’ve been pleased with his training. He’s not so quick, so I hope the pace is not too strong for him.”

Weltreisende

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“He seems a bit different from his sire, and also his half-brother, World Ace, but nevertheless there’s a dexterity about him and it seems he can handle any kind of race. He ran well last time and I think he’ll be better for that race. He seems more muscular, and since last week he has looked fine. I think distances of 2,000 to 2,400 meters will suit him, and Nakayama should be fine. It’s to be hoped we can look to the Derby with him.”

Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey
“Since this year he’s improved. His footwork’s good from the beginning and he has a good closing finish. Over the shorter trip in his last race, things got a bit tight, but he still did well. The extra distance is a plus, and it’ll be important to get a good position going into the first corner.”

Win Carnelian

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“It’s still early days with him, so I can’t say a lot at this point, but race by race he’s developing the right way. In training, he’s done enough by showing what he can do when racing with his training partners. A little bit of cut in the ground would be good, and I’m interested to see what he might do here.”