Ask Victor More

Yasuhito Tamura, trainer
“Since returning to the stable, he’s been responding well in his work and running with a good rhythm. He managed to run on strongly from the fourth corner in his last race, so I think he’s a good horse that can do well. After that last race, I can feel better about him, particularly in the way that he has tackled each race up to now. Just to see him improving with each run gives me confidence as this race approaches. He is about 4kg up since his last run, but it’s mostly muscle, and he’ll probably be about the same weight as he was last time. The jockey is a good match for him, and he says the Nakayama course really suits him. Hopefully no problems will come our way right up to the day of the race.”

Hironobu Tanabe, jockey
“He is up against different horses this time, and so the opposition will be strong. I will need to consider things on the day, such as the weather, the going and the draw. He has run at Nakayama over 2,000 meters, so he knows how to get into the flow of the race there. I want to do my best with him, given the condition he’s currently in.”

Be Astonished

Yuzo Iida, trainer
“He has been running well in training, despite having a mind of his own, and the jockey’s been getting used to him. The horse has mostly shown just the one style of racing, where he gets to the front early, but I don’t think it has to be like this. I think the 2,000 meters this time will be good for him. He performed well in the Kyoto Nisai Stakes last year, which was run over a similar track. He is very powerful the way he moves, and I don’t think there’s too much in it between him and the other horses. He can be a little difficult, but hopefully he won’t show too much of this characteristic on the day.”

Ryuji Wada, jockey
“His character’s a little difficult, and he didn’t want to run on the uphill training track, so we worked him on the polytrack. He has been running well regardless of this. I think on the day of the race he might get a little worked up, but he likes to run and certainly gets up speed, so I hope he can get into a good rhythm and settle well.”

Born This Way

Koji Maki, trainer
“He is his usual self and moving well. Race by race, he’s shown improvement, and it’s a sign he’s developing the right way. It was a tough race last time, but he showed what he’s capable of. He can be controlled well, and I think this will help him again up against the strong opposition here, so I look forward to what he can do.”

Shu Ishibashi, jockey
“Things are good with him, and he seems better than he was for his last race. This week I’ve just been seeing how he is mentally, and he seems fine.”

Danon Beluga

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“Jockey Yuga Kawada has done a good job schooling him. The horse’s balance is the most important thing, especially when he changes leads, when he can lose some momentum, and needs to be kept up to his task. There doesn’t seem to be any reason why he can’t run well racing right-handed. He recently weighed around 500 kg, and his heart and lungs seem strong. In his last workout this week, we just extended his run for another 7 or 8 minutes, and he just caught his breath a little, but the weather was hot. Overall though, I think he’ll be in good shape going into the race.”

Dante's View

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He has returned to a condition that is similar to the good shape he was in as a 2-year-old, and he’s handled his recent workload well in training. I think he’ll have no problem running well in the race this time, even though it’ll be his first time to go right-handed. He should respond well to the relatively small oval course too.”

Desierto

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“As a big, dynamic horse, he’s been able to post quick times in training. He is relaxed and runs smoothly, and I’m not worried if the ground is wet. He is still young, but the jockey thinks there’s a lot more to come from him. It is a big field for the race this time, and it won’t be easy, but if he can do like he did last time, and find a good rhythm, we’ll have to see what he can do here.”

Do Deuce

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He has put on a lot more muscle, and looks like a horse that could now run well over 2,000 meters or further. Whether he’s been at Tokyo, Nakayama, or the stable at Ritto, his appetite is always the same, and there’s no problem with transporting him or settling him into a different environment. This past week he strode out well on the polytrack with the assistant trainer, showing good rhythm and speed, in a time of around 86 seconds over the six furlongs. Providing he gets to run his own race, results will come his way. We are looking to the Japanese Derby and the Arc with him later this year.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“There is no change in the way he’s been moving, and he has always run well since his debut. He will be fine with the 2,000 meters at Nakayama, and I think he’s a horse that can perform at any track. I haven’t won the Satsuki Sho so many times, so to win again would be good. The horse is being aimed at the Classic races, so I’d like to get the best out of him here.”

Equinox

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“He is quite an easy horse to control. When he changes leads, it’s quite smooth. It might not be so easy racing right-handed, but when he hits top gear, I don’t think he’ll lean at all. We will just have to see how he handles the 2,000 meters at Nakayama, and how he gets to run.”

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“The jockey feels that the horse has been good in training. It is hard to know exactly, as the horse performs better in actual races than he does in training. He is still a bit loose, but it’s not a problem and he’s running very well. It will be his first time in a race with so many runners, and that might make it difficult, but it would be good for him to show his full potential here.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“I have confidence in him, and with his two wins from two starts, there seems to be plenty more to come from him. I am not worried about it being the first time at the track, or the fact that he hasn’t run in a while. I think he can run from any position in a race, and he showed a really good turn of foot at Tokyo last time. I haven’t won a big race in Japan this year, but my confidence is up after riding overseas, and I’d like to be successful here with this good horse.”

Geoglyph

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“Before his last couple of races, he hadn’t trained so well, which was possibly down to the climate and how he felt mentally. This time his race jockey (Yuichi Fukunaga) has got a good feel for him, and has made sure the horse has started smoothly in his training, and also got him into a good rhythm, so he could save his legs for the finish. I feel relieved about this, and it’s to be hoped the horse returns to better form this time.”

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“He has been his usual self before this race. He has had experience of a race with four corners at Sapporo, even if there weren’t as many runners as this time. The key will be how he gets away from the gate. Last time he jumped quite well, but he didn’t run a perfect race.”

Noboru Takagi, trainer
“He lost a shoe at the third corner in his last race, and after that he couldn’t run smoothly. There is no change in his condition since that last run. I would like the ground to be good on the day of the race.”

Justin Palace

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“The jockey’s got a good reading on him, and the horse has moved well in training, particularly when closing at the finish. His responses have been very good. Earlier in his career, he could get quite tense, but he’s now much better mentally. He ran well last time in a strong field, and being in good condition before this race, I hope he can put in another good run this time too.”

Justin Rock

Tatsuya Yoshioka, trainer
“He has just run once since last November, but I think the timing’s been good with that, and he seems to have improved during that period. He has had experience with the transportation to Nakayama, so that should be fine. If there’s no experience with things, it’s difficult to develop. As a horse with a good closing finish, I think he can do well.”

Sho Tajima, assistant trainer
“He put in a time of 51.7 seconds on the uphill training track recently, and that was faster than expected, indicating that he’s in good shape. He has been having gate practice too, so hopefully things will be smoother regarding that. There was no problem transporting him to Nakayama last time. He is a horse that needs his races, so he’ll come on for his latest run. I want everything to go smoothly with him right up to the race.”

Killer Ability

Takashi Saito, trainer
“There is no big change with him, but in training he’s shown gradual improvement, and the jockey has made sure of this. Last week he had his usual training pattern, and in this last piece of work, we made sure he didn’t overdo it, but he finished off well at the end. When it comes to a race, he knows when to switch on. While there are still a lot of tasks ahead for him, he definitely has ability and I hope he’ll show us that in this race.”

Takeshi Yokoyama, jockey
“Last week in training he showed he’s still a bit immature, but he’s improving when it comes to learning what to do, especially when to take the bit. He knows what to do in a race and I feel he can do well if things go his way.”

Lagulf

Yoshitada Munakata, trainer
“From around the time of the Hopeful Stakes, he’s calmed down a lot, and this has helped him focus more on the way he moves. Otherwise, there’s no big change with him and he’s eating well. About two weeks ago, he put in some strong work with a good time, and while it made him blow a bit, it’s made him look nice and sharp now. The opposition’s strong, but I’d like to see him do his best.”

Kyosuke Maruta, jockey
“He has been running fast in training, despite the ground not being so good. He understands when to switch on and off, and can be controlled well.”

Matenro Leo

Mitsugu Kon, trainer
“He has worked well on the woodchip course, and with there just being a slight difficult side to him, we’ve been using blinkers during his training. We will just see how he does in the last week before the race. He looks better for his last race, so I’d expect him to give it his best this time.”

Onyankopon

Shigeyuki Kojima, trainer
“He has been working well uphill, despite the heavy ground. The jockey’s been satisfied with things in training. The horse’s back seems a lot stronger now that he’s developing more. Of course, the level of the other runners is high, but I’d like him to show his real strength and bring out his best in the race.”

Satono Helios

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“I think with a short time between races, he’s done enough in training. It will be his third time to run at Nakayama, and the rotation is similar to how it was for the Hopeful Stakes. The trip is back to 2,000 meters this time, and it is a Grade 1, but I think he can respond well. The tougher the race the better is the way I feel about him. We are not completely sure of his character yet, but I think he has a chance.”

Satoru Kobiyama, trainer
“It is a Grade 1 race this time, so we’ve made sure he’s had some strong training, and he’s been able to cope well with things, so he should be able to do his best in the race when he goes up against his opponents here.”

Shun Takano, assistant trainer
“He is a horse that takes care of himself, and while not too eye-catching, he does get things done. With his experience of races up against strong opponents, despite not always getting good results, I think this experience can help him again, taking on this Grade 1 field.”