Auvergne

Eiko Umeuchi, assistant trainer
“He’s better for his recent work. In last year’s Champions Cup, he lost some ground at the fourth corner and things didn’t work out smoothly for him. This autumn has seen him finish third in the Sirius Stakes and he can still do better than that. The Chukyo course suits him. It’s best if he’s produced on the outside from the fourth corner, in the same way that he has won a graded race. The jockey has won on him before, so that’s a plus, and some rain would help the horse’s chances.”

Badenweiler

Takashi Saito, trainer
“Since returning to the stable, he seems a lot tighter now, and we’ve had the blinkers on him in training. He’ll also wear them in the race. It’s been good to have another horse chase after him in his training. His mood is sometimes not always the best, but overall, he is able to run very well and recently he’s shown improvement. To some extent it will depend on how he reacts in the race and whether he gets to run in a more forward position, but he should be able to run well given his current condition.”

Crown Pride

Koichi Shintani, trainer
“In his work, we’ve had him go off in front, like he did in his last race, and just had another horse chase him up. It gives him the feeling a race is coming up. He’s in good condition, and this has seemed the best way to train him with this next race in mind. He adjusted well to his race two starts ago, and last time he went off in front, so he’s experiencing different things, but as he matures, he’s showing a lot more power and there’s more to come from him. His experience in Dubai and America has also been good. I think he can do well this time too, and since returning from overseas he’s finished second, but I want to see him go one better.”

Gloria Mundi

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“In training, I’ve wanted him to be a bit sharper, and in his final work this week he’s shown that he is. We’ve changed back to dirt this time, and if you look at his past performances on dirt, he almost made it five wins in a row, but just missed out in the graded race where he put in a strong run to just lose out to Omega Perfume. He really kept going well at the end of that race. He’s only lost once on dirt, so I think there’s still more to come from him, and even among this field, I’m interested to see what he can do. He’s a serious horse and Ryan Moore rides this time, so things should be good.”

Hapi

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“He’s an interesting horse and knows when to switch on and off, and he changes when the jockey gets on him. He’s worked well on the woodchip course and his times have been good enough without having to push him too hard. With two wins from his three starts at Chukyo, and even among the older horses in the Sirius Stakes, he finished second, so the track is a good match for him. He’s developing race by race, and he should run a good race this time too if things go smoothly for him and he’s able to show his strength.”

Jun Light Bolt

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“The horse has been moving well and there’s no change in his condition. His workload’s been sufficient while working with two other horses, and he likes to do things his way. His last piece of work was on the polytrack, where he moved well under the assistant trainer. The distance of this next race should be fine for him, and different from his races on turf, he’s picking up well between the third and fourth corners in his dirt races. He’s been finishing well in the homestretch too, so I’ll look forward to his run here among the strong opposition he’ll face.”

Yukito Ishikawa, jockey
“It’s been good timing for me to ride the horse. He seems suited to dirt already and his maturity gives me confidence. He won well last time and 100 meters less to travel this time is fine. I don’t think the draw is an issue and I want to get a good position in the race. It’s great to have a chance to win a Grade 1 race.”

Notturno

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“He wasn’t in best condition for his last run, because when he returned from the summer in Hokkaido, he had lost weight. He seems a lot sharper now and is ready to run again.”

Masanari Tanaka, assistant trainer
“He’s trained well and has done some hard work, so there’s nothing to worry about with him, including racing left-handed. With his big stride, Chukyo should suit him. He’s back to the condition he was two starts ago, so hopefully he’ll get a good result this time.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“As a 3-year-old, there’s improvement in him, and in training he’s been running well, showing good footwork. I’ve mostly ridden him at right-handed tracks, but he should be alright racing to the left as well.”

Red Galant

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“He’s in good shape and I think he should be able to run well on dirt. He’ll carry 57kg and it’s a strong field, but we’ll see how he does. With the Symboli Kris S bloodline, I think he can be competitive, and it’s something new to try with him.”

Yutaka Okumura, trainer
“He’s moving well and is in good condition. He hasn’t always been able to run a strong race, so my idea this time is for him to be even more forward and possibly get to the lead early.”

Akira Murayama, trainer
“Since last week he’s come along well in his trackwork and he’s running well. The distance might make things a bit busy for him, but he’s a horse with power. Racing on the outside would make things easier for him if he’s good enough. I’ll look forward to how he gets on.”

Manabu Sakai, jockey
“He’s relaxed, and he’s a horse that’s easy to ride. In his last race, jockey Kota Fujioka thought he would have done better if the inside had opened up for him. I want to do my best to get the horse to run a good race.”

Shamal

Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“He seems switched on, and the jockey (Yuga Kawada) has been putting him through his paces. There’s no real change in his condition. He’ll have an extra furlong to run this time, but looking at his last race that should be fine. On his pedigree too, it shouldn’t be a problem, and he’s not one to pull. He’s good at getting a forward position in a race, like last time, so I’ll look forward to what he can do this time as well.”

Koichi Shintani, trainer
“The horse is in good condition and there’s no change with him. I think he’s fine over a distance of up to 1,900 meters, and between 1,600 and 1,800 meters he can get into the flow of a race nicely. The jockey (Katsuma Sameshima) has a good image of him, and I hope the horse can find a good rhythm in the race.”

Katsuma Sameshima, jockey
“I’ve made sure not to overwork him. I’ve ridden him a number of times, and I think Chukyo is one of the better tracks for him.”

Sunrise Hope

Tomohiko Hatsuki, trainer
“He ran a big race last time, so he took a while to recover, but after about 10 days we were able to give him his usual pattern of training. He hasn’t needed to do too much this week and his condition is fine going into the race. Chukyo seems good for him, and after his last race and the way he ran, we seem to have flexibility with the way he races. The jockey (Hideaki Miyuki) certainly knows how to get the best out of him.”

Hideaki Miyuki, jockey
“I’ve always thought him to be a horse capable of getting good results. He ran well in last year’s race up to the fourth corner, but never managed to run on. In his most recent race, I couldn’t get a forward position, but he still won, and I’ve talked to the trainer about riding him this way. It seems he’s a horse that can get a result however the race turns out.”

Sunrise Nova

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“He’s quite switched on. With his age, there’s no great change with him. He finished fifth in the race last year. Compared to his last race, there’s an extra furlong this time, so that will be one of the keys.”

Masanari Tanaka, assistant trainer
“He’s kept his condition since his last race. Despite the strong winner last year, he still managed to finish fifth in the race, so the Chukyo course is fine for him. He usually manages to use his legs well at the end of a race. If things work out for him here, it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on this time too.”

T O Keynes

Daisuke Takayanagi, trainer
“There’s some pressure with this next race, but he’s been his usual self, and if anything he’s a bit lighter. Step by step, things have gone smoothly leading up to the race. He won well last time having to race on the outside for most of the race. It’s good to be back at Chukyo this time, and while it won’t be easy to win for the second year in a row, I want him to put in his best run.”

Juntaro Taira, assistant trainer
“Things look good as the race approaches. It was a strong win in last year’s race, so racing left-handed is fine for him. He’s a lot quieter than before and he jumps a lot better in a race now, so even if the pace is quick he can adjust. His condition is the same or better than last year, so I hope things go smoothly right up to race day.”

Kohei Matsuyama, jockey
“He ran a strong race last year, so I’d like things to be the same this time too. His experience overseas has helped him mature more. He took a bit of time to recover from his last race, but just recently in training he’s done things in his usual way and has responded well.”

Masato Nishizono, trainer
“There hasn’t been long between races, so we’ve just taken care not to do too much with him, but he seems fine. With the distance of the race and the four corners, I’d like to see him pick up from just before the final corner. He has won over the distance. Changing to Chukyo with its long straight, I’d like to see him just a bit closer to the front when he makes his challenge.”