A Will a Way

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“She’s in good condition and showing she can run well. When you consider her run in the Oka Sho last year, she was slightly disadvantaged the way things went for her, but I think she was probably better than her tenth place finish suggested. Now she’s got plenty of energy, is sharp, and looks more like a sprinter. I feel she can be a challenger here. She can get into a race well, and we’ll look to the jockey to give every assistance possible.”

Admire Mars

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“I think he’ll come on for his last run, and it leads him into this nicely. When it comes to him getting his late finish in, the Hanshin course is probably more suitable than Kyoto. With the distance, the weight he’ll carry and the conditions of the race, he’ll have a good chance if he runs the way I know he can, being well forward and keeping his momentum until the finish.”

Besten Dank

Akio Adachi, trainer
“He’s better after having had a run. It’s a strong field this time, but I don’t see a problem with the distance, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do. He doesn’t seem like an 8-year-old. He’s done well at Kyoto, but this time the race is at Hanshin, and I want him to give it his best with the final rise in the homestraight.”

Black Moon

Katsuichi Nishiura, trainer
“It’ll be his first race in a while, but he’s in good shape. He might not be able to pick up quite like he used to, but he’s still good for his age. With his big stride, firm ground would suit. Even in this strong Grade 1 field, I think he can run well, and we’ll see what he can do when it comes to getting in a finish.”

Gran Alegria

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“It’s been easy getting her ready after her last race, and everything’s gone as expected. She always works well in training, and this week she’s just run on the turf training track as we didn’t need to push her too hard. She’s relaxed too, so she’ll go to the race in top condition, and it’s good that she’s also won at Hanshin before.”

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“She’s achieved a lot already in her career. She’s become a lot easier to manage and control. She won the Oka Sho at Hanshin, so there are no worries about the course and the distance, and she should be able to run another strong race.”

Indy Champ

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“His times were slower this week than last, but we didn’t want to overdo it with him. He’s just been working on the woodchip course. He’s coming back straight into this Grade 1, which might make it difficult, but he has won at Hanshin before, and I want him to give his best effort once again to get revenge for his loss in the Yasuda Kinen.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“It seems like his condition is better now than it was in the spring, and he’s somewhere around where he was last autumn, so I think he can get a good result here. Previously he leaned in a little when racing right-handed, but he seems to have overcome that, and he has put in strong runs at Hanshin, so I’m not worried. I suppose the key really is how he can do with this being his first race in a while, but I want to do my best in what is a great looking race.”

Katsuji

Akishi Higashida, assistant trainer
“There hasn’t been so long between races, but his condition’s good and we’ve just done enough with him. It’s a strong looking race, but he was fourth two years ago, so he has the ability to do well. His results haven’t been so good, but what he showed last time was quite impressive, so we hope he can run another race like that.”

Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey
“His back feels good and he doesn’t feel heavy at all. He’s easy to ride and he’s just what I expected him to be like. Just as in his last race, it’ll be good to get off to a fast start.”

Keiai Nautique

Osamu Hirata, trainer
“He’s done what I’ve expected in training, and as well as posting good times, he’s closed well when it mattered at the end. I think the Hanshin course with its final rise is alright for him, the way he’s able to stretch out and run on in a race. Despite the strong opposition, I’m looking forward to what he might do here.”

Lauda Sion

Takashi Saito, trainer
“He’s been fine while at the stable. His weight gain for his last race was him growing. He’s different from last year and with his power, the mile will be good for him. He might be better racing to the left, but having said that, I think he’ll be fine at Hanshin. He’s had plenty of gate practice, so everything should be smooth at the gate. Hopefully in the race itself things will go his way and he’ll get to run a good race.”

Meikei Die Hard

Masaaki Shibata, assistant trainer
“He’s worked well uphill in training. He’s up against strong opposition here, but I think the switch to Hanshin is a plus, even though the track is currently riding fast. I wouldn’t want the ground to be heavy, but going which is not too quick would definitely help his chances.”

Manabu Sakai, jockey
“I haven’t ridden him in training before, so I can’t make any comparisons. He moves well without straining himself. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do here.”

Persian Knight

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“His movement’s good, and in his last piece of work it wasn’t necessary to push him too much. He’s in good condition and looks fine going into the race.”

Hiroshi Kanetake, assistant trainer
“He’s done well training on the woodchip course over a distance and finishing off strongly. He won the race three years ago, and has also finished second and third in it, so it’s a good race for him. This year it will be at Hanshin, but he finished second in the Osaka Hai there, so there’s no problem with the course, and I think he can put in another good run.”

Resistencia

Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“She came back to the stable weighing about 510kg, but I put that down to her developing, and things have gone as expected since she returned. She’s more relaxed than she was in the spring. Last week and this week she’s trained well uphill. Obviously it’s been a while since she ran, but there’s no problem with the way she’s moving, and with her record at Hanshin, I’m looking forward to her run here, and I think she can do well against the older horses.”

Yuichi Kitamura, jockey
“I didn’t overdo it with her this week, and just getting her to run in a relaxed way is best. She has a lot of speed and her times in training were faster than I thought they would be. She’s a bit delicate, but doesn’t usually give any problems at the gate. I want to get the best out of her in the race and to find a good rhythm with her. I’m looking forward to taking on the other strong horses in the race.”

Salios

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“I’ve had some leeway with him, and while a week ago his breathing wasn’t quite so good, this last week we could bring him up to his best. I’ve had the jockey get a feel for the horse too. I think it’s an advantage for him to race right-handed, and he’s had experience at the track with his run in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. I can’t quite work out the difference between him winning or not, but I think he’ll run a strong race anyway.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“It feels great to have got the ride, and I’ve seen the way he wins races. I’ve been pleased with his work in training, and he knows the right time to take the bit. He’s easy to ride as well. What’s more he’s won at Hanshin. The pace will be important, as well as the draw.”

Scarlet Color

Ryo Takahashi, trainer
“We’ve kept her in condition, and she’s been using the pool, as well as moving well on the training track. She’s previously run quite well at Hanshin. Hopefully she’ll get into things in the race itself, and be able to save things for a good finish at the end of the race.”

Sound Chiara

Akio Adachi, trainer
“I’ve had the jockey get a feel for the horse in training. It’s a strong line-up in the race, but it being at Hanshin I think the ground should be fine. She’s had good results before, so I want her to try her best here and do well again.”

Taisei Vision

Shunei Kikumoto, assistant trainer
“It was good to get him to use up some energy in his last race, and he’ll be better for that. I think he’s fine with the way a Grade 1 race is run, and he’s had good results at Hanshin. All being well, he’ll give it his best here, and it’ll be another step in his young career.”

Vin de Garde

Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer
“It’s been quite easy to bring him along because he had the summer off. His mental condition is good, and looking at his last race, it’s clear he’s very capable of running well.”

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“He hasn’t needed such hard training, and his condition is good after his last race. He’ll be fine at Hanshin. He can be a little tense in the paddock, but that’s probably a good thing as it seems he knows what he has to do later. He’s run in high-level races since he was a 2-year-old, so it proves he’s a horse with a lot of quality. If he gets to run a smooth race, I think he can perform well in this Grade 1.”