Cadenas

Masayuki Shibata, assistant trainer
“He was back after time off in the Mainichi Okan and wasn’t totally on his game. His start was poor and he wound up racing from the far rear. He did pick it up in the end but couldn’t gain much ground. Last week, he worked up the hill course and it was a good workout. He’s showing improvement with the one race behind him. The race has let some steam off and he’s calmer now, which is a good thing. This will be his fourth Tenno Sho (Autumn) but he hasn’t gotten slower with age. He’s put in good effort for a long time now. The competition is strong but he has the prep under his belt. I think he’ll race from the rear and we’ll just have to see how close he can get if he is able to race at his own pace.”

Contrail

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“His loss in the Osaka Hai came down to the poor going. It had rained very hard right before the race, so much so that in the paddock, I had wanted to scratch. He came out of the race poorly as well. And that’s why I passed on the Takarazuka Kinen, because he wouldn’t have been in ready. Until July, I focused solely on getting him fully recovered, and in August we gradually upped the amount and intensity of his work. Two weeks ago, he had a hard workout on the woodchip course and from that point his movement changed. With the hard work, his heart and lungs got stronger. I think he’s back to his best. This week, he had a light workout just to fine-tune his breathing. His movement was excellent and the work brought out his suppleness. He’s bigger than he was in the spring and I think the way he moves has improved as well. Also, I decided, given the damage he incurred in the Osaka Hai, that his body weight then (472 kg) was too heavy. I think he’ll be around 460 kg on race day.”

Curren Bouquetd'or

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“For fast work this week she worked with another horse and climbed the hill very smoothly. She did well in the Tenno Sho (Spring) and gave it her all in the Takarazuka Kinen. As could be expected, she was tired after that. Last year, I brought her back in the Sankei Sho All Comers, but this year I wanted to wait a bit more and see how she was before going ahead with plans. She has had problems with her hooves before but this time she was OK. Just to be careful, I’ve mainly given her work up the hill course. This week she ran nicely balanced and the jockey said she felt very supple. I think she’s in good shape. I think 2,400 meters is good for her but I also think she can handle 2,000 meters. She’ll need luck though. She hasn’t won a graded stakes race yet but I do want her to land a big win. Her talent is no less than that of a Grade 1 winner and I want her to join their ranks.”

Efforia

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“This week in fast work he worked with two other horses and I think he did a great job. Jockey Takeshi Yokoyama too said the colt felt very good. Efforia returned to the training center looking quite filled out and work was easy for him and he had two fast workouts a week without time off. Any weak areas slowly disappeared and my worries with them. He’s been able to handle all the work we’ve given him. Of course, his loss in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) was very frustrating, but it doesn’t end there. At the Select Sale, the owner and farm owner and I all discussed his next start. We figured the Tokyo 2,000 meters was a better fit than the Hanshin 3,000 meters, so we decided on the Tenno Sho (Autumn) as our target. Here, he’s a challenger and that feels quite different from the Derby. All of us, myself, the jockey and the horse can relax here a bit.”

Gran Alegria

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“Last week and this week she worked on the woodchip course. The times weren’t that fast but it was sufficient. She’s in good shape. The Osaka Hai was her first 2,000 meters and she was returning from time off. The ground was heavy and the Derby winner (Contrail) was strong. This time she’ll be at a familiar venue. I’ve had Tenno Sho (Autumn) winners before and they all had good stamina. This is the first strong miler I’m fielding in the race. Over the summer, she had her throat operated on. It wasn’t a difficult procedure and she has recovered with no breathing problems, so I think she’s OK. After returning to Miho, just like last year, she has been in a good mood and eating well. When she was younger, she was too frisky and had a lot of nervous energy, but now that she’s calmer and it makes her preparations easier. She has speed but I’d like to see if she has the speed to conquer the Tokyo 2,000 meters. This race always attracts strong horses and it’s difficult. This will be my last Tenno Sho, so please lend us your support.”

Hishi Iguazu

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“He won his last three races, but stayed at the training center the whole time. After he won the Nakayama Kinen, I considered the Osaka Hai but he was slow to recover and we passed on that. We then sent him to the farm. At first, I wanted him to run in the Sapporo Kinen but his recovery from the Nakayama Kinen was slow, so he returned to the training center on Sept. 29. He’s a horse that once he loses his muscle tone, it takes a long time to get it back. And, having to wait until the worst of the heat was over, I think we just barely made it. Two weeks ago, his movement and breathing were good and I thought he’d be ready in time for the Tenno Sho. He got a solid workout over the weekend two weeks ago and then a somewhat relaxed workout last week, which got his breathing just right.”

Kaiser Minoru

Yoshihito Kitade, trainer
“In the Mainichi Okan last out he traveled in third position, waited patiently, and gave it his all until the finish, without tiring. Since I put him in blinkers, he’s been able to try different racing strategies successfully. After that race, the jockey said the horse still had a lot more in him and, sure enough, after getting back to Ritto there was no sign of any wear and tear. I’d been prepared to give him less distance if things had been tough for him but seeing that he was fine I decided to take on the challenge of this race. With the blinkers on, his results have been more consistent, but I think he still has more to give. If he’s able to concentrate he can fully draw on his power. I think he’ll be able to handle this distance.”

Last Draft

Hirofumi Toda, trainer
“Before the Mainichi Okan, it was unexpectedly hot and on race day I think he was suffering severely from the heat, perhaps even had heatstroke. He was tense and a bit high strung for the first time in a long time. I think he was overheating. Right after the race, we took very good care of him and the temperatures have cooled off leading up to this race so I’ve seen no signs of after-effects whatsoever. The reason for his poor showing in the Mainichi Okan are clear, so I think you can disregard the results of that race. I think the extra distance last time was a plus and even though there are a lot of strong horses here, I’m looking for him to show us something different this time.”

Mozu Bello

Naoyuki Morita, trainer
“He was coming back from time off in the Kyoto Daishoten and raced from the rear, but just had no response in the final stage. The heat had gotten to him and his training had been a bit delayed, which may have been a factor. He’s not good in the heat and even after returning to the training center, he hadn’t been good in work. There isn’t much time between races, so his work has been light. We gave him hard workouts on Oct. 23 and this week. I think with the one race behind him and the weather having cooled off, he should be feeling good again. He usually improves with a race, so we’ll just have to see how much he can improve by Sunday. The lineup is very strong, but with a bit of rain, I think he could have a chance.”

Koichi Tsunoda, trainer
“Before the start of the Kyoto Daishoten, we’d been discussing whether to lead or race in second position but he was agitated in the gate and wasn’t able to concentrate. So, he missed the break and wound up traveling just a bit fore of the rear. The race didn’t unfold in a way that suited him and nothing went according to plan. He’s not good in the heat and prefers the cooler seasons. So, I do think we can expect to see improvement. There’s only two full weeks between races, so last week we just breezed him up the hill course last Friday and this week we pushed him pretty hard. It being a Grade 1 and I don’t think it’ll be an easy race. The return to the left-handed Tokyo is a plus though. As far as simply executing the course goes, I think he’ll be fine with the Tokyo 2,000 meters, but he’ll need to start well if he’s going to do well.”

Persian Knight

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“The turf was to his liking in the Sapporo Kinen and when he’s able to run to the best of his ability, he does quite well. The winner was carrying only 52 kg, so when you consider the 5 kg more he was carrying, I think he was in even better shape. We sent him to the farm for a bit after that and he returned to Ritto on Sept. 30. And since, everything has gone well. Last week I had him catch and pass two other horses on the woodchip flat. He didn’t look all that sharp to me in the final stage but his time was good. I think he’s in good shape. He did well in his last race and he’s looking like he’ll carry that condition through to this race. Since he’s gotten a bit unwilling I think 2,000 meters is best for him. At Tokyo, it’s just the one turn so I’m hoping he won’t lack for speed.”

Potager

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He was able to run his own race in the Mainichi Okan and even when he was passed in the stretch, he dug down and showed his usual tenacity. It wasn’t a bad race at all. He didn’t seem tired at all afterward and was working from the next Thursday. There isn’t much time between races, so on Oct. 20 he worked over the woodchip flat course with a time of about 85 seconds. We just had him pick it up in the final stage and his responses were good and he moved powerfully. He looks to have maintained his condition. I think the extra distance will be a plus. The competition is strong but this horse has never once given a poor performance and I don’t think we’ve seen the full of his talent yet. It’ll be his first Grade 1 but I think he’ll hold his own.”

Sanrei Pocket

Yoshitada Takahashi, trainer
“In the Mainichi Okan, he travelled in about the same place as the eventual winner did. He did respond well in the stretch, and his time over the last three furlongs was the second best of the field. Considering that he was coming back after a layoff, it was a very good effort amid strong competition. I think the sharpener should have done him well. He was pretty tired after that race for about two days and then was back just fine. The jockey (Katsuma Sameshima) rode work last week and this week and they were good hard workouts. His last race has definitely helped. I can’t say how he’ll do amid this lineup, but I think the ground is pretty torn up and the distance is 2,000 meters, which could both work in his favor.”

Tosen Surya

Kazuo Yokoyama, jockey
“I usually ride this horse in work as well as in races, and last week, my instructions were to put another horse in front, and while watching that horse, focus on having this one pick it up in the final stage. It was a good workout for the week before race week and best was that there were no worries. He’s done well racing to the left before and since he’s recently put on muscle he can take on the hill in the stretch easily. The competition is taking a huge leap up, but this horse has gotten good results and is stronger now. I don’t know how good a fight he’ll manage, but I’m hoping he’ll do his best.”

World Premiere

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“After the Tenno Sho (Spring) we sent him to the nearby farm for two weeks, then off to Hokkaido for the summer. I’d wanted him to return to the training center a bit early and he came back mid-August. Since then he’s been getting regular work. I don’t usually have him work with others, but on Oct. 21, he worked in a group of three. I had him out in front, but he was overtaken. I don’t think he’s heavy but his movement last week was a bit sluggish and it did feel like what you’d expect after a long layoff. But each fast work has seen him improve so I think he’ll be ready this week. Last year he was returning to the track after nearly a year and yet he finished sixth in the Japan Cup. It was a strong race too. He has no problem with Tokyo and I think, with the long homestretch, he’ll have no problem with the distance either.”

You Can Smile

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“Last year after the Tenno Sho (Spring), I sent him to the farm to refresh and recover and brought him back in November for the Copa Republica Argentina. But, with the summer off, it was slow getting him ready in the fall and he wasn’t really good until the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix). So, with that in mind, this year, I brought him back with the Sapporo Kinen. He looks alert and his movement is good. I think having had a race in August helped. His work on Oct. 14 was good, but on Oct. 21 working in a trio was even better. I have no complaints whatsoever. In the 2019 Tenno Sho (Autumn), he finished a very close fourth. There’s no problem with the distance. I do think it’s hard for him to make an all-out effort in the final stage, so I’m hoping that the race will unfold in such a way as to bring out his ability to run well over distance.”