Crescendo Love

Toru Hayashi, trainer
“In both the American Jockey Club Cup and the Nikkei Sho, he took advantage of the draw and had excellent runs. Afterward, he went to the farm for a bit of a rest. Once we were certain there was no damage to him, he returned to the training center on April 12. His footwork last week was good, as it usually is, and everything’s been going well. This Wednesday, Hiroyuki Uchida breezed him over the woodchip flat course and all looked well. We can’t expect too much physical improvement from the horse at this age, but mentally he’s very mature and has gotten very good at tuning into the rider. He is much easier to ride now. His better results in his last two races are surely tied in with that, and with the way ran them, I think he’ll be able to handle the distance this time.”

Deep Bond

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“In the last year’s Tenno Sho (Spring), he missed the win by just a bit. He still had some speed problems, but despite them, rose to the challenge. He traveled to France as well and I think he’s a lot more mature this year. The goal for the spring was always this race, so we started him back in the Hanshin Daishoten. It was a good race and he won it solidly. On April 20, jockey Ryuji Wada rode him on the Ritto woodchip course working with another horse. I had him start off slowly, then catch and pass the other horse. It was a good workout. He is not coming cold off a layoff this time, like he was for the Hanshin Daishoten, so he doesn’t need much more work than this. This week, Wada rode over six furlongs on the flat with just a bit of urging in the finish. The ground was sloppy and he clocked 81.4 seconds, which was about a second faster than his work before the Hanshin Daishoten. Considering the track condition, I think that shows how he’s improved.”

Divine Force

Ryo Terashima, trainer
“I was undecided about racing him in either the Hanshin Daishoten or the Nikkei Sho. He had won the Stayers Stakes, so I decided on the latter. His condition wasn’t bad at all, so I think his poor result was due more to the trip he got. After that, he went to the farm for a bit. This race has been the goal all along and things have gone well. He worked on the woodchip flat last week on April 21 and his footwork was the usual. In the race before last and the one before that, he was able to bring out his ability over distance. I am hoping that unlike last year, when it all came down to who had the top speed in the final stage, this year things will be a bit slower in the finish. I am hoping for a trip that will work in his favor and if he can run his own race, we’ll just see how well he can do.”

Hayayakko

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“We had been racing him on dirt for a while but hadn’t been getting the results we were looking for, so to do something new, I decided to try him on turf. In between races he’s been looking good in trackwork and he’s been running well in his races too. Even though he finished fifth in the Nikkei Sho last start, the margins were small. He really gave it his best. He has maintained his condition and the distance doesn’t worry me, so I decided to race him here. His footwork on April 20 was good and everything has been going just fine. This time of year he’s lean and on the up and up. He breezed with Heart’s Histoire this Wednesday over the woodchip course and looked good. Having jockey Yutaka Take, who’s especially good in this particular race, is a confidence booster. There are a lot of unknowns, but things should go well if he travels like he did last race.”

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“For his last start, the Soshun Stakes, he had had time off, but he’d gotten lots of work and that surely helped. He was at his best venue and the assigned weight was reasonable, so I had my hopes up. He always executes the course well, and though it was close at the end, he made it. I did consider giving him time off and racing him at Tokyo again, but his hindquarters are much stronger than before and he’s better overall, so I decided to come here, also to test his strength. His movement on April 20 was good and since we have the trip to the track, jockey Christophe Lemaire just breezed him this week. He settles well and has no problem. I have no worries there with the distance either. That said, there are horses that are proven in these conditions, so he will go to the gate as a challenger.”

Heat on Beat

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“In the Nikkei Sho, he entered the straight with what looked like enough in the tank to catch and pass those ahead of him. He picked it up nicely, but faded just before the finish line. He is not interested in passing other horses. It is not a distance problem, it’s a mental one. We kept him at the training center to prepare for here, and since he’d come out of the race well, things went smoothly. He was actually very full of energy. On April 21, he worked with two others on the woodchip flat course over the six furlongs. He came up from behind and, though he didn’t pass the horse in front, he did clock 81 seconds, and covered the last furlong in 11 seconds. I think it was a good hard workout. Jockey Kenichi Ikezoe knows this horse well and he rode him well last start. Stamina is not a concern. We just need him to want to pass the other horses in the stretch.”

Iron Barows

Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“He got forced wide at the first turn in the Hanshin Daishoten and he tensed up from there. I think that really hurt, even though in the straight, when the other horse passed him, he hung on and raced solidly to the end. Afterward, he went to the farm for about two weeks to refresh and came back looking good. Last week, he had a solid workout over the course and his movement looked good. He had a lot of work before his last race too and he’s in good shape. He always improves with a sharpener and has definitely improved with that last race. The competition is strong but his heart and lungs are in very good shape. I don’t think he’ll be lacking in stamina. This time there’ll be early speed, which should make things easier for him.”

Machaon d'Or

Teiichi Konno, trainer
“He was returning from nearly four months off for the Hanshin Daishoten and that was reflected in his result. He probably needed a bit more trackwork, but he also got pushed out in the race and that affected him. He also had the bit in his teeth at points. Despite all that, he gained ground well in the end and it was a good demonstration of his strength. He improved considerably with that race and his muscle tone really came out. His movement is also more powerful now. Even last week, I had no complaints whatsoever, so I’m hoping he can continue like this. He is still growing but he is definitely stronger than before. The distance is further this time, but if he travels as usual, he should show us some good footwork in the finish.”

Meiner Fanrong

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“He has talent but he has difficulty working with the rider and settling well in a race. In the American Jockey Club Cup, we weren’t worried about his position, just that he could run at his own pace and he did show us some good footwork in the final stage. He has won a graded-stakes race before, so it’ll be good if he can travel like he did last time. He had been racing steadily so I sent him to the farm and he returned to the training center on March 29. He has gotten lots of work since, with this race as our target. I had him work over more distance than usual on April 20. We pushed him hard and he looked good. I don’t know how he’ll do at this distance. If you give him an aggressive ride, he tends to have nothing left for the end. The jockey (Masami Matsuoka) understands him well, so the idea is to let him run his own race and push him in the final stage.”

Melody Lane

Naoyuki Morita, trainer
“She had a smooth trip in the Diamond Stakes and wasn’t doing poorly, but didn’t respond in the straight. She just needs a bit something more when racing to the left, and when she’s on the right lead she doesn’t seem to gain ground. She went to the farm after that for refreshment. Last week, she had a hard workout up the hill course. Her times aren’t that good, but she is coming along and I think the easier rotation this time will help. It is a Grade 1 and the competition is strong. I don’t know how well she can do, but switching to a right-handed track this time is a plus. She is better with more time in between races, so she should be good there.”

Toru Hayashi, trainer
“After the Midosuji Stakes, I kept him at the training center. He looked good last week and has done everything we’ve asked of him. He was physically in very good shape for that race and considering he was returning after about six months, I think he did a good job. He switched leads well and was very eager to run. I think he’s also improved mentally. He is a 3-win-class horse, but his results in the Kobe Shimbun Hai and the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) tell me he can do well enough not to embarrass us, so I decided to race him here. He was my stable’s first horse to run in a Grade 1, so we’re very happy to see him on the big stage once again. I am hoping he’ll do well.”

Silver Sonic

Yuki Iwasaki, assistant trainer
“In the Manyo Stakes two starts ago, he lugged out, so from last start, we switched to a Triabit racing bit and the jockey says he’s a lot easier to work with. After that, with this race as our target, things have gone smoothly. Last week, he worked with two other horses. His time over the final furlongs was faster than usual, and the rider said that the horse felt good. I think it was a good workout for one week out. This week, we pushed him a bit hard to clock 83.3 seconds over six furlongs on a sloppy woodchip track. He always runs consistently, but he just needs a little bit more, and it’s a Grade 1 this time. I think everything will depend on the trip he gets.”

T O Royal

Yuji Hishida, jockey
“Last week, he worked hard so this week, I let him relax more and was careful not to overwork him. He moved well and his time was good. He is an easy horse to ride and even though it was his first time over the distance (3,400 meters) in the Diamond Stakes, he was relaxed, responded very well at the crucial point and won strongly. His heart and lungs are in very good shape. It is fantastic that his winning margins keep getting bigger even though he’s been moving up in class. He has won at Hanshin too, so the course shouldn’t be a problem.”

Masahiro Yokoi, assistant trainer
“He got a real nice position last out in the Diamond Stakes and traveled well in hand. Then, in the stretch he moved quickly up, out, and won. I think it was an important race for him as it showed he can handle the distance. His hindquarters had gotten much stronger, but I think he’s even better now. This time though, the competition will be stronger and the assigned weight will be heavier. I am hoping he’ll get a race that’ll open doors for him.”

Tagano Diamante

Takeshi Noda, assistant trainer
“In the Kyoto Kinen, he had the inside gate, broke well and got a good position, which surely helped, but he also was quite keen to run. That considered, I think he did a good job holding his ground to finish second. We kept him at the training center after that. For a while, we only exercised him in the pool to help him relax, then slowly upped the pitch of his work. Last week on April 20, jockey Hideaki Miyuki rode him up the hill course in company of another horse and he clocked 51.1 seconds over the four furlongs. It was a good workout and things are proceeding normally. Looking at his result last start, 3,200 meters may be tough for him, so our focus has been getting him to settle well. This will be his third start since returning after a year off and he has definitely improved.”

Titleholder

Toru Kurita, trainer
“In the Nikkei Sho, I thought the others were going to catch him in the stretch, but he reached down and found some more and held his ground. I was reminded again of just how strong he is. He went to the farm for about 10 days of rest and that helped as he came back looking good both mentally and physically. In work on April 20, jockey Kazuo Yokoyama said that the horse is dramatically improved from last time. His run in the Nikkei Sho prepared him overall, but there were still finer points that needed work. This time, I think his overall balance will be better and he’s very close to what he was at his best. The jockey rode him again on Wednesday over the woodchip course and everything looked good. I saw the improvement I expected him and have no worries heading into this race. He will be a popular pick and that brings a sense of responsibility, so I’m hoping he’ll do well.”

Tosen Cambina

Yukihiro Kato, trainer
“In the Hanshin Daishoten, he traveled toward the rear on the inside. There were horses fading back and it was hard for him to get a position. He gained ground in the finish but that early loss hurt. It was a tough trip and unfortunate. He stayed at the training center afterward and is in really good shape. He is frisky and looking good. In this race two years ago, this horse finished fifth only 0.7 seconds behind winner Fierement. He came to me from another different stable and this time I’ve asked jockey Kota Fujioka, who rode him here two years ago, to ride on Sunday. The horse has gotten so much quieter in the gate, I think the jockey may be surprised.”

Valcos

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He was in nice shape going into the Diamond Stakes, and he’s improved with each race. The wide-open Tokyo course after the tight turns of Nakayama was surely a plus. From the Diamond Stakes to the Tenno Sho (Spring) was the idea and things have gone according to plan. His legs are fine now but just to be careful, he’s gotten most of his work up the hill course. On April 20, jockey Kota Washizu rode him up the hill, gave him three whacks of the whip and really got a response out of him. This week, he worked hard again and looked improved. I think he’s had sufficient work. He has great stamina, but if late speed decides the race, it’ll be tough for him. I’m hoping he can run at his own pace and the race will go to the horse with the most stamina. Heavier ground would be welcome.”

You Can Smile

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“His run in the Hanshin Daishoten was by no means a bad one. He stayed at the training center and has gotten regular work all with this as our target. On April 21, he worked on the woodchip flat with Lupercalia, a 3-win class, 4-year-old colt. And, this horse worked as he usually does. Jockey Takuma Ogino rode and said that the horse has shown improvement with each workout. He always does better with a sharpener and I think he’s in good enough shape to bring out his best. After that, it’ll depend on the trip he gets and the track condition. It will be difficult if late speed decides the winner, so I’m hoping stamina will be what’s called for. Hopefully the track is a bit heavy.”