Ablaze

Hiroshi Kanetake, assistant trainer
“For the Kansai Telecasting Corp. Sho Rose Stakes last start, her weight was up and she was stronger. I thought she would do better, but the race left a lot to be desired. Still, she was returning from a layoff and was eager to run but it wasn’t just any layoff, she was returning after having recovered from a fracture so I guess that had something to do with it. After that race, there were no particular changes. Her condition is still good. The jockey rode her for work a week ago and she turned in a good time. She won two races in a row from her debut and both of them were to the right. Looking at this, I’d say a righthanded track seems to suit her running style. She should show some improvement with the one race behind her, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Cravache d’Or

Yuya Katayama, assistant trainer
“In the Rose Stakes she just wasn’t able to get that little extra bit of speed in the end, but she did hold her ground well. When it was over she was rather unfazed about it and I think she may have still had something left in the tank. I think the lack of turn of foot may have been because she was coming off a layoff. A week ago she was at about 476 kg, so she’s back up to about what she was a week before the Rose Stakes. She gets pretty nervous when she’s at a race, but normally she’s fine. Still, compared to before, she’s calmer now. As far as her physical shape, I have no complaints. She’s an agile horse so the inner course will be welcome and I think she’ll like the Kyoto homestretch without a hill. After that, we’ll see just how relaxed she is on raceday. She’s quieter in the van than she used to be, but the problem is how she’ll be after she gets to the track. I’m hoping she’ll go into the race nice and calm.”

Masaru Honda, trainer
“She’s won all along over dirt, but from her debut, I always thought she could handle turf as well. Last start, the dirt was light and her movement was fine. I think she handled it well. And, she does well running in among the pack, in with the other horses. The race will no doubt come down to the final stage and if she can travel at her own pace, I’m eager to see how well she’ll do in the end.”

Keisuke Dazai, jockey
“She’ll have no problem on the turf. She will run from behind, far off the pace. And, it’ll be in her favor if we get some rain the day before.”

Daring Tact

Kohei Matsuyama, jockey
“In the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), the ground was so bad I didn’t think she would win, but she did and showed just how much above the others she was. The distance was much longer for the Yushun Himba(Japanese Oaks) and I was a bit worried if she would settle well, but she was able to hold back and save something for the finish. She really flew in the final stage. Even from her debut, she stood out, but it was after the Oka Sho that I realized just how much she had improved since then. And then, her limberness in her work before the Oaks struck me and her improvement stood out. After returning to Ritto after the summer I felt she was mentally more mature. Her tendency to get agitated and tense was much better. Her weight is up and she returned much stronger. Her training has all gone well. She works in tandem on the flat and up the hill alone. This week’s work was excellent. But, given that this week is the race, I didn’t push her hard. I want her to be relaxed for Sunday. She’ll have no problem with the Kyoto inner 2,000 meters and rain won’t bother her either.”

Hisashi Shimizu, trainer
“She came back after her layoff following the Japanese Oaks looking more mature than I could have hoped. For the Rose Stakes, I’d wanted her to have a trip like she had for her race before that, for her win at Kokura. But she wasn’t able to run well-balanced on the inside and wasn’t ever really able to fire on all cylinders. Early in the year, she had done well racing from far off the pace, but now she’s able to race from a more forward position. If she can run her own race she can keep something in reserve for the final stage. I think the course suits her.”

Michiro Oshida, assistant trainer
“She’s in good shape and it’s great that she got in to the lineup. She has matured both mentally and physically from the spring and can race much more relaxed now than she could then.”

Ho O Peaceful

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“The go sign was slow in coming for both the Shion Stakes and the Oaks and once she goes behind the gate she starts to get tense. She was OK in the preparade ring, in the preliminaries, and while circling before going to the gate. Also, last start she drew wide and she ran down the outside most of the race so she had to cover quite a bit more ground. After last race we kept her at Miho to get ready for here. She was well on the bit after that so I gave her a nice long workout at her own pace a week out. I’m doing my best to train her so as to best balance her mental and her physical side and I think she’s in good shape. The trip to the track should be fine and if she can be patient for 2-3 minutes behind the gate she’ll be OK. If she races settled, I think she can do a lot better.”

Magic Castle

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“For the Shion Stakes, she was returning after time off but her weight wasn’t up though she did look well filled out. She broke nicely from an inside gate and kept up with the pace. But the pace slowed due to the slightly heavy going. It took her a bit to get her engine revved in the stretch but in the end she was on a par with those out in front. We kept her at the training center after that race and, as usual, she has maintained her condition. On Oct. 7, jockey Takuya Ono, who’s to have the ride in the Shuka Sho, rode her just to get a reading on her. She moved well. The competition will be stronger this time and we have the short stretch of the Kyoto inner course. Where she makes her move will be crucial. I think she has a chance if the track is fast and help bring out her sharp turn of foot, and if she gets a smooth trip.”

Maltese Diosa

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“If you look at her win of the Shion Stakes, you’d have to say that her performance in the Oka Sho and the Oaks meant that she hadn’t fully recovered and, with her weight down, she wasn’t at her best. But, recovered for her last start and her condition back, she broke smartly and went with the pace. She won and did so with lots left in the tank. Since then, I’ve worked her just enough to not get her too tense, and on Oct. 7 she worked nicely. This week, given that the ground was weather-affected, she had a good strong workout up the hill. With the Rose Stakes as a sharpener, she’s on her toes, on her game. And now, unlike in the spring, she doesn’t lose weight after a race. I think that her running style will be suited to the Kyoto inner course and even though the lineup is strong, she should be able to do well.”

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“She ran a good race in the Shion Stakes, broke well and stayed on the pace, but coming in to the straight she was blocked on her outside and lost her momentum for a moment there, which was a shame. But among that lineup, she certainly reaped something from the race. This filly seems to get bigger and stronger with each race and she’s calm and does very well in the gate. Even if sent forward from the gate, she settles in to a rhythm all on her own. I think that’s her biggest strength. Her best distance is probably 2,000 meters. And, I think a bit of poor going with a slightly slower track wouldn’t be bad for her. She’s had her usual training, including work up the hill this week and work on the woodchip flat course last week. I’m hoping she’ll do her best and show off what she has. It’s very good that Yoshito Nagaoka (stepping in after Shota Kato’s suspension) has ridden her regularly for morning track work. She had ample work last week and her preparation had gone as planned.”

Miyamazakura

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“She was very well in hand in the Oaks and did advance in the end but it wasn’t enough. I’d say the distance was a bit too long. After that, we sent her to Northern Farm in Hokkaido. The plan was always to send her directly to the Shuka Sho without a prep. I feel she matured both mentally and physically over the summer. On Oct. 7, she worked in tandem over the woodchip course and the rider pushed her quite hard. She has always moved well in work and this too was a good workout. I think her final fast work this week will have her tuned and ready. In the Oka Sho, she fell back and then rallied and she certainly has enough power. If the ground is heavy it still won’t be reason for her not to do well. Still, that said, she does best on a fast track. She has run second in a graded stakes race over the Kyoto 2,000 meter before. She can travel very nicely on her own and I’m hoping she’ll be able to make the best of her strength and finish in the top spots.”

Takashi Suzuki, trainer
“The jockey gave her a nice ride in the Rose Stakes. It was good the way he had her ride the pace from midfield. A week ago, she worked up the hill with a 2-year-old. She has gotten stronger and it was a good solid workout. She didn’t show any signs of fatigue after her last race and her training has all gone well. She ran well last time but her turn of foot is sharp, but short-lived. So, I think that a course with a shorter homestretch will be better for her. Considering that, I think Kyoto will be good for her. The competition will be even tougher, but if she can run her own race here too, we’ll see how well she can do.”

Oh My Darling

Hiroshi Kawachi, trainer
“Before the Rose Stakes, in the 1-win class, she really showed her competitive spirit and guts when she wasn’t ruffled running in with the pack. That’s a real strong point. It was fantastic the way she came up the inside. Compared to the spring, she’s no longer tense before the race and I can really see how she’s matured. She raced two weeks back to back and won a berth in the Shuka Sho with her Rose Stakes performance, but I still put the jockey up and had him take her over the course. She didn’t seem to be any the worse for wear and things have gone well since. The Rose Stakes winner was strong and we also have the winner of both the spring classics. It surely won’t be any easy race but I think if she uses her experience to date here she’ll become even stronger. Also, I’d prefer to have a fast track.”

Pallas Athena

Mizuki Takayanagi, trainer
“For the Shion Stakes, she was just back from a layoff and still a bit stiff and I thought that she wasn’t quite ready. She had to go wide and cover more ground than the others and couldn’t catch the winner, but she did try really hard and clinched her ticket to the Shuka Sho. I think the race allowed her to let off some steam and we sent her to the farm for a bit after that. That got rid of the stiffness and she’s definitely improved for it. The ground was bad for her fast work on Oct. 8 so I had her train on the artificial surface. She kept the other horse in front in her sights, then caught and passed him. It was a good piece of work. Mentally, she’s much more relaxed now and since she doesn’t need any special conditions to be met to have a good race, I think she’ll be able to handle the Kyoto inner course.”

Ria Amelia

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“She ran a great race in the Rose Stakes and I thought we’d finally gotten to see some characteristic racing. I think it was only about the second time that she really turned in a real race. For her debut and her second start, I don’t think she really understood racing yet. So, with that in mind, rather than saying she suddenly improved dramatically in strength, I think it was more that she finally found her rhythm and that translated to a good race. She’s not very good in the gate and though she did break well last out, I think it’s still going to be a concern if she can do this consistently. She has matured a lot mentally compared with the spring. Physically, she’s still immature but because she has a difficult temperament I think she hasn’t been able to do well in her racing. But, now that’s more mature mentally, she’s more even-keeled and that’s how she ran in the Rose Stakes. This week in morning work, I felt that she had come along quite a ways and that there was no real area where she was lacking. As for it being her first time at Kyoto and over the inner course, I have no worries. I do want her to have a fast track.”

Sanctuaire

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“Her Oaks result was most probably due in part to the distance. Still, she broke from the far outside in a field of 18 and traveled rear of midfield. She didn’t keep up with the pace. She came back to the training center from the farm on Sept. 17 and there were no marked physical change. She was just as fresh and lively as she had been in the spring and there was a really good air about her. On Oct. 7, she worked up the hill course and easily got a better time than her usual. Her preparation has been going smoothly and this week, I think she’ll be ready to give it all she has. She has experience at Kyoto, so that shouldn’t pose a problem. She hasn’t been able to access all she has these last two starts but changing to a 2,000 meters race should make things easier. After that, I hope she’ll be able to travel from a good position.”

Kunihide Matsuda, trainer
“After her Tokyo run, I sent her to Hokkaido to get her recovered for the fall. And I think that helped her in the Yuzuki Tokubetsu last month. I’d always had great expectations for her, so her strong performance in that race was no surprise. It was always something I thought she was capable of. On Oct. 7 she worked up the hill for a time of 54.5 seconds and a 13-second furlong flat out. Her preparation all went well. I feel she’s really coming into her prime now. And her last race sharpened her up. She’s also displaying more mental maturity now and is eating well after fast work. I’d say she’s ready. Since she raced recently I think she’ll do well running from a good position on the pace. I’m looking forward to seeing how she’ll do.”

Win Marilyn

Takeshi Yokoyama, jockey
“Unfortunately, I was suspended and couldn’t ride her in the Oaks but I think she got a perfect ride. She has matured with each race and every time I ride her I think what a great horse she is. I’ve ridden morning work from two weeks ago and I feel that she’s much stronger than she was in her work before the Oaks. Last week, the track was in poor condition. You could see it and you could feel it, but this week it was easy to work on and her movement was excellent. She’ll go to the gate in top condition. Of course, she’s stronger than she was in the spring, and I’d say it’s overall that she has matured. Kyoto has pretty tight turns, but Marilyn has won at both Nakayama and Tokyo. She’s an agile and limber horse and easy to ride. I’m not worried about the course at all. Since I didn’t ride her for her Grade 1, this will be my first top race with her. I think she’ll be able to hold her own.

Win Mighty

Tomoki Igarashi, assistant trainer
“Her Oaks run was fantastic. But, with it being the 2,400 meters to the left, I think she may have been starting to flag in the end. Her next start was the Shion Stakes the first week of the Nakayama meet. And, with an outside draw, she was slow out of the gate. But I think, also given the fact that she was returning from a layoff, that she quickened nicely in the final stage and did a sufficient job of showing her strength. She recovered immediately from that race and last week I had the jockey ride her fast work. She got high marks. She has improved significantly with the one prep race. This time it’s 2,000 meters over the inner course. I think if she’s to have any chance of taking down the top two Oaks finishers then this is the best kind of course for it. If she can break well and keep up with the pace, I think it’ll be a good race.”