Toru Hayashi, trainer
“She won the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) trial, the Anemone Stakes and ran much more solidly than she had in the race before that. But she was hurting in her back and hindquarters, so we decided to give her more time between races. The farm did a good job of getting her fully recovered and she returned on April 22. Even with a bit of time between races, she tends to do well. She can run at a good speed over a long distance. She’ll be up against colts in a big race for the first time but she did look strong in her last start. The jockey (Akihide Tsumura) did a really good job of sending her forward, which brought out her strong points. It’ll be her first time at Tokyo, but she gave us a very strong performance in her debut at Niigata, and since she’s not that agile going around, I think she may even find Tokyo more to her liking. If she can run her own race, I think we have something to look forward to.”

Bathrat Leon

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“He had improved before the New Zealand Trophy and he’d had a good draw. I had confidence going in to the race but he surpassed my expectations. He’d gotten so much more powerful than when he’d won in the one-win class. He’d matured more quickly than I’d thought he would and improved in many ways. After returning from a short spell at the farm, last week he worked up the hill course when the ground was pretty bad but he easily got a very fast time and it was then that I realized just how strong he’d gotten. Since he had a solid workout last week, and this week he has to ship to Tokyo and also because he tends to get overly excited, I just gave him light work this week. It was after he lost the Kyoto Nisai Stakes that I started thinking he’d reached his limit with the distance and decided to switch to the mile. He may go longer in the future but for now the mile is best for him.”

City Rainbow

Hitoshi Tsuchiya, assistant trainer
“When he broke his maiden on his second race, I knew he had the ability to win at the graded stakes level. But, his heart wasn’t into racing and he had a hard time notching his next win and stayed at the one-win class. Finally, around the time of the New Zealand Trophy, he finally was able to find some control. If he had more polish he’d shine. But up to this point he’s just been running on ability alone. He has matured mentally and is calmer and his control is a lot better but still has room for improvement. This will be his first time at Tokyo but he has had three starts at Chukyo. And, he’s shipped east to Nakayama, so he’s fine on the point. The other factor will be the weather. He does better over a fast track, so I’m hoping the weather will hold up.”

Gold Chalice

Koshiro Take, trainer
“She’s a small horse, so if she’s in a position where it’s easy to get knocked about, she’ll lose her rhythm and do poorly. If she can stretch out and extend well like she did last time, she won’t do too poorly. The New Zealand Trophy, was her first time over the mile. She finished sixth but she was racing against colts and was the best of the fillies. Everything has gone well since. I kept her at the training center the entire time. Before, the main focus was keeping her from losing weight, but that’s not a concern any more so she’s able to do more work. She filled out a bit and had hard workouts two weeks in a row. Her times may not have changed but her overall training has. I know now she can handle the mile and I think Tokyo should be good for her. She wasn’t upset at all when she shipped to Kokura and Nakayama so the trip to Tokyo should be OK.”

Gray in Green

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“It’s a tight rotation for him, but he has maintained his condition. Last race the ground was heavy and he couldn’t get good traction. I’m hoping the weather holds this weekend. I’d like the ground to be good on raceday.”

Tatsuhiko Kawai, assistant trainer
“To have gotten in on a one in six chance means good things are happening. I hope he can do more than just participate and I hope he has a fast track.”

Grenadier Guards

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“It was rough ground in the Falcon Stakes and I had the feeling he was very tensed. That surely affected the finish, but he did give it his all. That race sharpened him up and he’s much improved from last year. After his last race he went to the farm for a bit and returned to Ritto three weeks ago. Since then, his prep has one well. It was raining last week and was rough going but I’d wanted to see how he would fare over such ground so I had him work on the turf course. He ran nicely balanced and showed good turn of foot at the end. Last week, his muscle tone and breathing were good so this week was just a bit of fine-tuning. I had race jockey Yuga Kawada ride him for a final check. He’s a Frankel colt and he gets excited so the biggest point of concern is having him run balanced.”

Ho O Amazon

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“I went in to the Arlington Cup with a feeling of, ‘We made it just in time.’ And he surpassed my expectations in that race. His stretch drive was amazing. He’s good at the break, has no trouble settling well and can move right up to a good position. He has a lot of racing sense. I’d been worried how he’d come out of the race but there were no problems. In fact, I think his balance has improved so much that this is helping to keep him in good shape. Last week we put the pressure on quite a bit with him working side by side with an open-class horse. He’d gotten a good workout last week but I wanted Yutaka Take to have a final check from the saddle and so he breezed him up the hill course. He’s improved. Right after the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes I wouldn’t have thought he could make it to here, so just having him race in the NHK Mile Cup makes me very happy.”

Land of Liberty

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“Last out in the Spring Stakes he couldn’t get good traction with the heavy ground and that was bothering him. And in the first half the jockey (Kosei Miura) was having difficulty with control. He couldn’t get the acceleration he needed and I think that was the biggest cause of his defeat. After that he went to the farm for a bit and returned to the training center on April 17. He always has good training partners and he had a good workout last week too. Everything’s gone well. Shu Ishibashi (race jockey) rode him this week on the woodchip flat working with another. I could relax watching the Kisaragi Sho at Chukyo, and thinking that the one turn at Tokyo would make things easy for him, so I decided to come here. If he can settle well and get a good trip, I think he’ll run solidly to the end. If he gives it all he has, he’ll measure up amid this field.”

Lord Max

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“Last out in the Falcon Stakes, he settled nicely but did become somewhat unbalanced in the stretch. And he seemed to lose concentration because of that. So, I don’t think his ninth-place finish was all that bad. After that we kept him at the training center with this race as our next target. He has gotten a lot of pool work and the jockey (Mirai Iwata) rode him up the hill course on April 29. Since he’s stayed in training, I think he’ll go to the gate in good condition. He won his debut at Tokyo and has a second in a graded stakes race at Tokyo too, so the course suits. He has ability, key is finding his rhythm. If he gets in behind another horse, he’ll run well, but I think that’s something the jockey understands. I’m looking forward to a good race.”

Pixie Knight

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“For the Arlington Cup, even if it was his first start in a while, his condition wasn’t bad. I did want him to at least finish in second. He’d won over the 1,600 meters in the Shinzan Kinen but the turf condition then allowed him to take the lead, which worked out well. I think it’d be good to see how he does in a race where he doesn’t take the lead. Actually, he has had three races where he was late at the break and raced from further back. He has no more problems with the gate now. In fact, he’s almost too fast at the break, but if there are no other horses wanting to go to the top I guess it’s fine if he does. There were only two full weeks between races but this was our target for the spring campaign and I think he’ll show improvement.”

Raymond Barows

Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“He was prepared last race with an eye to the main event so still had room for improvement. Returning from a layoff he did get tense at times but ran solidly to the end and was able to secure a berth here. He came out of the race well and with that sharpener he has definitely improved. There are only two full weeks between races but his movement was good in work last week. He’s lean and we’ll be able to fine tune him this week. For his last start, jockey Suguru Hamanaka rode fast work the week prior to race week, but in the race the horse tensed up. I think this second start since his jockey change will bring more gains. He has experience at Tokyo and I’m expecting him to put up a good fight.”

Hiroaki Yoden, assistant trainer
“In the Arlington Cup, he was gaining nicely in the stretch and I thought he was going to catch those in front, but he flattened out. Still, he gave it his all and made second. He showed he could handle heavy going and wasn’t exhausted by the effort. He did well in a graded stakes race because he’s raced against good horses from his maiden. Things were a bit out of sync at Chukyo but I wouldn’t say he’s not good at racing to the left. I’d always felt he had the ability and he has now gotten stronger. He is immature in some ways but compared to earlier, he’s gotten much better. Being able to race from any position is his strongpoint. He worked up the hill on May 2 with a focus on the finish, quickened nicely and recorded a personal best. His movement was fantastic and it looks like he’ll go to the gate Sunday in good shape.”

Rooks Nest

Tamio Hamada, trainer
“He had the far inside gate in the Falcon Stakes so took the lead. I did wonder if he’d be able to hold his ground, but he aced it. He has gotten better with each race. He got worked up in the Shinzan Kinen but settled nicely in the Falcon Stakes. After that he went to the farm for a short time and has handled all his work well since he returned. His time was fast last week but that was due in part to the ground he’d covered. I do think it was a perfect workout. He’d been a bit soft and that helped tone him up. This week jockey Hideaki Miyuki rode him just to check his responses and see how he felt. He’s switched on and in good shape. He’s had experience at the Chukyo and I think Tokyo will suit him. He has good speed and the potential to maintain a high speed, so I’m hoping he’ll bring that out. The competition is strong but I’m hoping he’ll give us a good race.”

Schnell Meister

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“Looking at how he handled the Yayoi Sho and how he wasn’t able to close the distance between him and the winner, I decided to pass on the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas). His muscle tone was a little slack so they gave him lots of work at the farm. Back at Miho he was able to handle some hard training and is now nice and lean. He has definitely improved. He runs well in morning work, and last week on April 28 he had a good strong workout and showed me some of his best footwork yet. This week jockey Christophe Lemaire rode him. He has only raced to the right but watching him in trackwork I don’t see any problems and don’t anticipate any problem with Tokyo. He’s not the kind of horse you have to let do his own thing. He speeds up when cued by the rider so I think he’s especially suited to Tokyo. Since his times in his last three races haven’t been that fast and with the times at Tokyo being fast now, some people are worried but I’m not. I think he’ll be fine. He’s looking like a G1 horse now and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Shock Action

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“He always looks good in trackwork but last week his work up the hill course was especially good. His footwork was excellent. His prep has come along very nicely. Normally he has no problems galloping but when he goes to the racecourse and things get really fast things tend to fall apart. Last race and the race before that, that’s what happened. He’s quiet in the saddling enclosure but once into the preparade ring he starts getting worked up until it’s pretty bad. Then he can’t race balanced. When he was two-year-old, his potential made up for that but this is a problem that has to be cleared up. I’ll ship him to the track the day before the race and see if that changes anything. I’m hoping he’ll run like he did at Niigata when he won the Niigata Nisai Stakes over the mile.”

Toru Hayashi, trainer
“Her results in the Oka Sho were unfortunate but it was her first graded stakes race and she put up a good fight against strong competition. I think the experience will have served her well and it was definitely a plus to have raced. After making sure there was nothing amiss, we sent her off to the farm. And because she could recover quickly, we were able to bring her here. The Oka Sho had been her first race to the right, but I think things are easier for her running to the left. She broke her maiden with a strong win over the Tokyo 1,600 meters so the change in venue brings a welcome change in outlook. The pace in the Chukyo race before the Oka Sho was fast but she handled it well. I don’t have any particular requirements here. I’m just looking forward to the race.”

Time to Heaven

Yoshinori Saito, assistant trainer
“The winner was strong in the New Zealand Trophy but this one finished second and came out of the race fine. He’d drawn wide and had to race from the outside the entire way, and that was unfortunate. He wore cheekpieces and a shadow roll, settled well and showed good aptitude for the mile. He handled the shorter distance, surely gained in experience and showed improvement. He could use a bit more agility, but he can maintain a high speed so I think racing will be easier for him at Tokyo. He came out of the race well and stayed at the training center. He worked in tandem over the woodchip flat course April 29 and his responses were good and he was light on his feet. It’s a G1 and the lineup is strong but I’m looking forward to seeing if he can bring out his best with the condition he’s in now.”

Veil Nebula

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“Last out in the Spring Stakes, the plan was to race from the rear so he could save something for the finish, but he had an inside gate and ended up in the middle of things. Still, he traveled well and handled the rough going, and he has definitely put on muscle in his hindquarters. He went to the farm for a bit after that. Jockey Keita Tosaki rode him in fast work last week and pushed him fairly hard. He wasn’t able to distance himself from his training partner as much as I thought he would and the jockey said he still felt a bit heavy, but that will have improved. He won the Junior Cup over 1,600 meters but the mile may be a bit busy for him now. He is a strong-headed horse so if the going is rough, it won’t be a problem and I think he’ll be able to handle the Grade 1 competition. Though it seems he is better racing to the right, I want to see how he’ll handle the course this time. The last race was a difficult one but a good experience and I hope it stands him well.