Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“She came back from the farm refreshed, and there’s no tiredness about her. She handled racing left-handed two starts ago at Chukyo, so I’d say Tokyo shouldn’t be a problem. Even up against colts this time, ability-wise I don’t think there’s much difference between her and the others. The jockey says she’s probably in better shape than she was before the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). If she runs to her best and shows her strength, she should put in a good race.”  

Danon Scorpion

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“He is in good condition, and he’s like Lord Kanaloa in the way that he races in a relaxed way. He is looking well in his coat, and hopefully things will go smoothly now right up to the race. He is in better shape than he was for the Kyodo News Hai, and he won well last time in the Arlington Cup. He should be fine racing left-handed at Tokyo. A mile is probably his best distance, so I think he can run well.”

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“I thought before he was a horse with a lot of ability, but he didn’t always get the best results. I think from now though, he’s getting better and results will come his way, and he has a good chance among the other strong horses in this Grade 1.”

Dante’s View

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“I think he’s shown enough in training, which has included a recent piece of work uphill, which he did in 57.4 seconds over the four furlongs. He came out of the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) well. He is quite switched on and developing nicely, and he has a good stature. Racing left-handed, and the long Tokyo homestretch, are things that should suit him.”

Industria

Keisuke Miyata, trainer
“It has been as usual with him and just recently he’s worked well with his race jockey (Damian Lane). The period between races seems just about right. The horse can get a bit aggravated with other horses around him, but he’s been running nice and straight in training and finishing off his work well. I think he won’t wear cheekpieces in the race this time as he’s running straighter and a lot smoother. It is probably the best he’s been regarding changing leads. He should be able to run a strong mile and the long homestraight looks perfect for him.”

Jean Gros

Hideyuki Mori, trainer
“He is developing well, and although quite a small horse, he is getting bigger gradually. Changing from Nakayama to Tokyo, we’ll have to see how he handles the long homestretch. If another horse doesn’t want to make the running, I think he’s capable of going forward and making his own pace.”

Ryo Shimizu, assistant trainer
“His workload has been just enough, considering the period of time between races. He has a good start, but I don’t think he has to lead, as we saw in the Marguerite Stakes, and we can rely on the jockey to know what’s best for the horse. I would like him to run a big race here in this Grade 1, as we look to the future with him.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“I had the image of him being a sprinter, but he won over a mile last time. He finished sixth in his one run at Tokyo, but I’d say he’s a better horse now. He runs strongly, and that could be seen last time when his concentration was good and he ran well right up to the finish.”

Kawakita Reverie

Yoshiaki Sugiyama, trainer
“He is definitely the type to improve with his races, and he’ll be better still for his latest run. He has moved well in training, and we’ve been careful not to overwork him, especially if the track was heavy. I have been able to see his progress race by race, even though last time was a difficult race for him, what with the wide draw and the strong wind. After that run, this race became his target, and he’s a lot more switched on now than before. There will be no problem racing left-handed, and I think he’ll be up there with the other horses if things go his way.”

King Hermes

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“From the beginning of his career, I’ve thought of him as a miler, so I have no concerns with the trip. He improved for his last run, and he’s shown he has ability. The flow and rhythm of the race will be the key, but he has a good chance.”

Takahide Ando, assistant trainer
“It was his first race back from injury last time, but his legs were fine and he came out of the race well. I don’t think he has to be so far forward in a race, as we saw last time. As he’s out of Stella Lead, he has a tendency to get a bit worked up, but right now he’s quite calm and hopefully that will be the case from now.”

Matenro Orion

Mitsugu Kon, trainer
“The horse is in good condition, and with his work on the woodchip course, he’s been running well and no big adjustment has been necessary with him. He will come across different horses in this next race, but he’s shown versatility since his debut, and he has a good rotation going into this Grade 1. We don’t know about Tokyo until we try it with him. He should come on for his last run, and I’m hoping things will keep going well right up to the race itself.”

Otaru Ever

Kazuya Nakatake, trainer
“He has looked good and moved well in training, and this last week he’s given it his all, as he always does. There is a good feel about him as he heads to the race.”

Masaaki Shibata, assistant trainer
“He has moved well in his work uphill, showing that he’s in good shape. After his break at the farm and returning to the stable, there’s no big change with him. He possesses a lot of speed, and this time it’s over the mile at Tokyo, so if he can get a good late finish in after settling into a good rhythm, like he did last time, he can get a result here too.”

Purpur Ray

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“He is developing nicely, and has been training well over a distance, running smoothly and concentrating well. He is a slightly difficult type, but we try to keep him from getting distracted, and he has come to understand what’s expected of him, so he should be able to run well in this race.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“He has been moving well as usual. I felt last time in his race, he still had a bit left, so I hope things will continue to go well for him.”

Hiroyuki Oneda, trainer
“There is a difficult side to her, so it’s not easy to bring out her best, but if she does put in a good run, she has a very good turn of foot at the end of a race.”

Serifos

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“He ran solo in his last piece of work on the woodchip course over five furlongs, but he went quickly. He looks good, and I can see the difference from when he was a 2-year-old. I think the distance of the race will be fine for him, and racing left-handed at Tokyo shouldn’t be a problem either. Things to consider are the large field, coming back from a spell, and the way he tackles things from now.”

Taku Fukunaga, assistant trainer
“There doesn’t seem to be too much change with him, but he is more of an adult now. He managed to post a final furlong time of 10.8 seconds recently on the woodchip course. He is in good condition, and there’s nothing to worry about regarding the way he’s moving. This has been his target race since his layoff. He can get a little excited before a race, and to some extent this will be one of the keys on the day, but with the condition he’s in, he should be able to show the power that he has.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“He is a very good horse and moves accordingly. His footwork’s lighter than I would have imagined. He has had experience racing left-handed too, so he should do well.”

Solitario

Taisei Yamada, assistant trainer
“The jockey says he is easy to ride. As the horse develops, he’s become more mature and better overall, and he’s had experience of transporting to different tracks. He has no problem at the gate, and if he gets into the flow of things well, he could take up a more forward position, which might be better. I want him to do his best.”

Sonnet Phrase

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“It was a slow pace in her last race, but it didn’t bother her, so I’m not too worried about the flow of the race. The Tokyo mile should suit her, and there’s no reason why she can’t do well with the ability she has. The pace should be strong this time, and it’ll be a full field of eighteen horses, but unless we try, we won’t know. There shouldn’t be anything irregular about how the race goes, and I’m not worried about where she is drawn. I would like her to show her potential here.”

Takeshi Yokoyama, jockey
“I think for a filly, she’s not too tense, which is a good point. On the other hand, the hardest thing is to get her to corner smoothly and run as straight as possible.”

Sternatia

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“She came back to the stable three weeks ago, and things have gone well with her training. The jockey could get a feel for her in training this week. Since the horse’s debut, things have been quite constant with her, so I don’t see any big changes, although she is still developing.”

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“There’s a fresh feel to her, and she’s been running well in her work. We haven’t worried about times too much in her training. She is a horse with potential, and I’d like her to run a good race, given the condition she’s in.”

Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey
“She feels good, and a lot will depend on how she is on the day of the race, regarding her behavior. Also, the gate she draws, how she gets on among the other horses, and how she gets to run in the race, will be other factors.”

Taisei Divine

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“He ran well in the Arlington Cup, getting a good position and making the most of things. He came out of the race well, and his training has been good since. He is very full of himself. I was hesitant to run him over 2,000 meters on his debut at Kokura, but since then he has improved a lot when it comes to his movement in a race. It is a Grade 1 this time, but I’m looking forward to his run this time too.”

Toshin Macau

Mizuki Takayanagi, trainer
“We have had this race in mind for him. He has been his usual self, training well with the jockey (Keita Tosaki), and moving forward nicely. He didn’t lose by that much in last year’s Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, and I think a mile is a good trip for him, although at Tokyo it might seem a bit long. Some speed in the race would be good. I think he should be fine among his own age group here.”

Voller Blute

Keisuke Miyata, trainer
“I think she’s done enough in training given the interval between races. She is more of an adult now. She handled the race quite well last time, and ran on at the end. I don’t want her to get too far back in the race, however, and that will be the key with her. In this last piece of work, the jockey (Takuya Ono) rode her and he will ride her in the race. The horse has had gate practice, but she’s still not completely smooth, and I do want her to start well and get into the race better, then she has a chance with the long homestraight at Tokyo.