Cadenas

Masaaki Shibata, assistant trainer
“Last out in the Osaki Hai, the going was bad, but I think he did a good job of gaining ground in the finish. Up to then, he had never done well over poor ground but he really gave it his all this time. He went to the farm for a bit of refreshment after that and returned to the training center looking good. He went all out up the hill course last week and moved powerfully even over the places where the ground was in poor shape. Everything is coming along well. This will be his first mile in a while. He has good late speed. If he can run at his own pace, it’ll be interesting to see how close he can get in the finish. He did well over poor ground before, but I would like him to have a fast track this time.”

Cadence Call

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“I was surprised when he won the Sports Nippon Sho Kyoto Kimpai as his first start of the year. I hadn’t particularly made any changes in his training, but the important thing is that he now wants to run. He’d lost favor for a while but was in good shape so I was very happy when he won the Yomiuri Milers Cup last out. Jockey Yoshihiro Furukawa gave him a perfect ride. It was then I decided to send him to the Yasuda Kinen and things have gone smoothly. In training this year, the pattern has been to hold back in the beginning and go all out in the finish. Last week and this week he’s clocked 11-some seconds over the last furlong on the hill. He’s maintained his condition. The jockey (Yasunari Iwata) said the horse felt better this week, which gives me confidence. There are a lot of mile specialists in the lineup, so I am a bit worried about how he’ll measure up. I think the venue suits. His weight hasn’t changed. His coat is in good condition and he has filled out. I’m hoping for a good strong pace like he had in the Milers Cup.”

Catedral

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“He didn’t win, but in the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy last out, he ran very well in the final stage. Three races ago, he’d gone for a good position and faded in the end, so it seems holding back in the beginning is better. I think jockey Hironobu Tanabe works well with him. If this horse has a tight rotation, he tends to lose concentration in the race, so we’ve given him a more relaxed schedule so he can go to the gate fresh and will be able to concentrate. He improves with the warmer weather too so it looks like he’ll be in good shape. I think for the Tokyo mile, if he can hold back and save something for the finish, he will definitely be able to gain ground. The competition is strong, but a higher pace should work better for him. He just needs to run his own race.”

Daiwa Cagney

Takanori Kikuzawa, trainer
“There was a strong pace in the Milers Cup, which was good because he didn’t pull too hard on the reins. And, since he was gelded he has been able to concentrate. I was very happy because he was able to do well racing to the right, where he hasn’t had much experience. After that he went to the farm for a short spell and his preparations have gone well. He had a hard workout with another horse last week and his movement was good. He’s not showing any fatigue and is on his toes. He still tends to get somewhat excited but being gelded has helped that considerably. And he has had good results at Tokyo. I’d like to see him run at his own pace over the first half and go into the straight with something left for the finish. I think he’ll be able to make good use of his ability here.”

Danon Kingly

Kiyoshi Hagiwara, trainer
“Recently, he’s had to pass on races he was set to run in, so the most important thing has been getting him in condition that is suited to the race he’s aimed for. I see improvement. But, hand in hand with his maturing as a 5-year-old has been greater damage incurred in his recent races, so we’ll have to wait and see how he performs to be able to talk about how maturity is affecting him. He was able to run in good form in fast work this week and I think he’s nearly back to where he was at his best. Jockey Yuga Kawada will be up for the first time and he has a good idea of what’s been done and what’s needed. He didn’t ride trackwork, and will ride for the first time in the race. I think the mid distances are the best for the horse but I also think the possibilities as to what he can handle are still wide open. I’ve really wanted to have him win a Grade 1 race for the owner and here’s another chance, so I’m hoping he can make good use of it.”

Danon Premium

Yuya Katayama, assistant trainer
“After he returned from Hong Kong, he went to the farm and had a good long rest. Then he returned to the training center and we aimed him here. The time off looks to have done him good. He’s come back in better shape. He worked over the woodchip course on May 27. The horse ahead of him was moving fast, clocking 78-something seconds over six furlongs and this guy kept up. His condition has slowly improved and I’d say he’s in perfect shape right now. He handles distances from 1,600 meters to 2,000, but with three wins over the mile at the graded level, including a G1, the mile does seem to be his best distance. Last year, he was just back from Australia when he ran in the Yasuda Kinen and things didn’t go as we’d hoped. This year he’s fresh, so I don’t think we’ll have a repeat of last year.”

Gibeon

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“The Milers Cup was his first mile in a while and the pace was strong. He also had an outside gate, which likely made holding back and keeping something in reserve difficult. Still, he slowly gained ground over the last furlong, so I don’t think it was a poor race. He went to the farm for a short time afterward, then returned to the training center with this race as our target. He used to be a bit weak, but now that he’s mature, there has been no change, in a good way. The jockey (Atsuya Nishimura) rode him in trackwork last week over the woodchip flat course and pushed him pretty hard. The horse has improved with each workout and all is going smoothly. He has finished second in a Tokyo G1 over 1,600 meters, and with cheekpieces on, he can settle well now and focus on his work. This is his second start in a row over the mile, so I think he’ll be able to keep up with the pace. It’s quite a lineup, but I’m looking forward to the race.”

Gran Alegria

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“This is the first time she’ll have only two full weeks between races, so her fast work this week was on the hill course and just fast enough to keep her tuned up. I didn’t need her to go too fast so, with a horse in front, I told the rider it was fine if she caught him or not. I was told she got close. She always tries hard and I think it was a good workout. Compared to when she was 2 or 3 years old, she can now settle much better at Tokyo. I was very happy about the Victoria Mile win. Due to the lack of time between races, we’ve just focused on getting her recovered and tuned up. She hasn’t had that many races overall but has come along well nonetheless. Last year in this race, the jockey (Kenichi Ikezoe) said she’d run into trouble (getting hit with turf under way) and it’d been a tough race. This year, she’s had a 2,000-meter race before this and was calm and able to wait for instructions, so that’s reassuring.”

Indy Champ

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“He was able to keep up with the pace last time in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and I think he did well and didn’t lose by much. He went to the farm immediately afterward and came out of the race well. Last week he worked with a partner. The rider got after him a bit in the finish and he moved out well so I have no worries. Last week he was nearly ready. But, he needs to work this week, or won’t get the kind of results he has gotten. So, to get him on his game, we pushed him hard over the last furlong and his movement both last week and this week were the same, with no problems. He’s very young for his age, so 6 isn’t old. It won’t be easy to beat the Victoria Mile winner. I’m hoping he’ll rise to the challenge. I’ve tried many different things, many distances and find ourselves back at the mile. I want him to go out there and win.”

Karate

Yoshiyasu Takahashi, trainer
“Last out in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai, he was able to get a better position than I’d thought he would and in the stretch it was clear sailing. He quite clearly was stronger. After that, I had planned on entering him in the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy, but he got a stone bruise and had to withdraw. I didn’t send him to the farm but kept him at the stable where I kept an eye on how his hoof was doing. He’s a big horse and we have to be careful that he doesn’t gain weight. Now, he’s about 530 kg, which was what he was before taking time off. But, with the time off, I can’t pretend there isn’t room for improvement. Last week’s fast work did not have him at his best and at that point he still needed a bit more time.”

Lauda Sion

Takashi Saito, trainer
“In the Keio Hai Spring Cup he broke well and got a good position. The jockey (Mirco Demuro) didn’t chase the leader, but kept away so this horse could run at his own pace. I think that helped a great deal in winning. Up until the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the colt would get excited easily but having only given him light work helped him to race calm and relaxed. It’s a tight schedule and if we race too much he tenses up, so after the Spring Cup we sent him to the farm. He came back last Wednesday and the rest seems to have done him well. He’s relaxed and looking good in work though he was a bit slow getting up to speed. Last week, it was if he were saying, ‘Oh, is it fast work today?” But the jockey got after him. His movement was really good and I knew there’d be improvement. This week I told the jockey to be careful not to overdo it. It was a light workout but will help keep him relaxed. He’s better racing to the left and I think 1,400-1,600 meters is best for him. Since he has won a G1 mile, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Salios

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“This time in particular we’ve taken great care to get his right loins fully recovered before giving him more work. In the Osaka Hai, the ground was heavy and he came back to the stable in pretty bad shape. His weight was not up when he returned from the farm this time, but mentally he’s looking very refreshed. So, that has made preparations easier. His earlier difficulty changing leads was in part due to lack of coordination, but also linked to his weak areas. Last race I was told that he had improved. And now he seems to lag just a bit when changing. After last week’s fast work, he’s using his body better but his time wasn’t great. This week, I gave him a longer workout and pushed him pretty hard. His heart and lungs were already in good shape last week. This week, because the race is to the left, we focused on his lead change in the straight and it went well. The Osaka Hai was challenging for him and the heavy ground made it tougher. But the jockey (Kohei Matsuyama) did a good job of taking him over good ground and that helped him get to fifth place. The Tokyo mile shouldn’t be a problem.”

Schnell Meister

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“There were three full weeks between the NHK Mile Cup and this race, so he’s already race-ready. The focus has been on his mental state and his breathing, not his times. His movement has been very good. Last race he went from 2,000 to 1,600, from Nakayama to Tokyo and it was a difficult race in many ways. So for him to win was outstanding and means we can have our expectations up this time and for the future. After the NHK Mile Cup, he went to the farm for about a week. He was full of energy and had been much less tired than I thought he’d be right after the race as well. There was no damage and when he returned to the training center, I decided to run him in this race. He has been on his toes and has gotten a lot of work. When he came to the stable as a 2-year-old, he wasn’t that big. He could run but was weak overall. And that has not fundamentally changed but he has gotten stronger and stronger with each race. The Yasuda Kinen is a big challenge and though 3-year-olds have won before, it’s often a tough race. But he has potential. I’m hoping he can made the best of the lighter weight he’ll be racing under.”

Taurus Gemini

Shun Takano, assistant trainer
“In the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy, he had an outside gate and that really made things hard for him. Jockey Kazuo Yokoyama grabbed the lead on My Style and this guy had to run in second position. And, as I expected, having to follow another horse was much harder than being able to run his own race at his own rhythm. On May 26, he worked on the woodchip course with another horse. His movement was good and I’d say that he’s the best he’s been coming back from time off. He’s been training mainly up the hill course, but he handled the first bit of flatwork he’s had in a while well. I think the flatwork will do him a lot of good. He’s in good shape, but the lineup is strong. But, all he can do is run his own race. I think he’ll take the lead and we’ll see how well he can do.”