Admire Lupus

Yukihiro Kato, trainer
“He’s refreshed after coming back to the stable and everything’s fine with him. We’ve taken the cheekpieces off and the effect of blinkers in training has been good this time. His state of mind is one of the keys with him. It’s best if he gets to run at his own pace, and with the start on turf this time, I hope he’ll get away well and take up a good position and not get left behind. I’d also like him to avoid any kickback from the sand in the homestraight.”

Auvergne

Eiko Umeuchi, assistant trainer
“His coat looks good and things have been fine with him. Two years ago in this same race, he lost badly due to him losing weight. He’s seven now, but still a bit sensitive. I think just the one turn in the race is not bad for him. He’ll have a long way to transport over to the track this time, so getting him to eat well before that will be good. He has the ability to race well, and to some extent it’ll depend on his mental condition on the day. He has speed, so it’s alright if he goes forward in the race too.”

Yuichi Fukunaga, jockey
“His last piece of work was good, and the Tokyo mile should suit him. As it’ll be my last Grade 1 race in Japan, I want to ride the best race I can and get a good result.”

Dry Stout

Mitsunori Makiura, trainer
“He’s worked well on the woodchip course with jockey Keita Tosaki, who says the horse feels good. It was the plan to go for the Subaru Stakes and then the February Stakes with him, given that the Negishi Stakes wouldn’t give him much time between races. He’s still young, so in some ways next year’s February Stakes would be good for him, but with these plans in place it would be good to see him run a good race this time with the future in mind.”

Keita Tosaki, jockey
“He’s very sharp and his reactions have been good in training. I’ve been riding him for some time, so I can see how he’s more experienced now. I have always thought he’s a capable horse, and I’m excited about it being a Grade 1 this time and hope he can win.”

Helios

Masato Nishizono, trainer
“We’ve just concentrated on his finish in training and he’s been taking the bit at the right time. He’s better for having his last race. The distance of the race is further this time, but three starts ago he could get a good result over a mile. When the speed is on and he can get a smooth run, he does better, and I want him to be more forward in this race. It’ll be just his second run for the stable and we understand him more now, so hopefully he’ll get to use his ability this time and get a better result.”

Ryo Shimizu, assistant trainer
“There hasn’t been long between races, so just the fast work which he did last Sunday and this Wednesday has been enough before this next race. The opposition’s strong this time, but over a mile he won’t have to go so fast, so he should settle well, and he does have a closing finish.”

Koichi Shintani, trainer
“There’s no change in his condition. I’m interested to see what he might be able to do over this distance. He’s fine getting a forward position and racing over 1,400 meters, which he has already proved. Racing on a left-handed track is fine, so I just want to see him do his best over a mile. The distance will be the key.”

Kenshinko

Kazuo Konishi, trainer
“He’s very well in himself. We’ve had this race in mind for him after the Negishi Stakes, and things have been fine with him since that race, which he came out of with no problems. He’s different in training to how he is in an actual race, and his character is a little difficult, but he does possess ability. Hopefully he’ll get into a good rhythm in this next race and the extra distance should suit.”

Theo Bachelot, jockey
“The horse is in good condition, and from riding him I can feel he’s very strong, with no bad points about him. Together with the trainer, I have confidence in the horse.”

Lemon Pop

Hiroyasu Tanaka, trainer
“He’s had ten starts in his career, but he always comes out of his races well, and that was the case last time too. I feel as an American bred that there’s still more to come from him. He’s well-balanced and is an easy horse to ride, which means we can work him well between races. The race distance of a mile is probably his limit, but Ryusei Sakai is a very talented jockey and I’m sure he’ll do his best with him.”

Toshikiko Hokari, assistant trainer
“The distance might be an issue, but he ran well in the Musashino Stakes to finish second. I think he’s good enough to take on the strong opponents this time. Since last spring we’ve had the Negishi Stakes and then the February Stakes as the plan for him. He has good racing sense and obeys the jockey’s orders, so even with the extended distance, he should be able to get a good result.”

Meisho Hario

Inao Okada, trainer
“He’s in good condition and looks well in his coat, as well as being relaxed. He put in a fast time last week, so this week it was all about his finish in training. Jockey Suguru Hamanaka rides him well. The horse has experience at Tokyo, so the track suits him when it comes to taking just a little time to get his engine going.”

Masahiro Yokoi, assistant trainer
“He’s worked well uphill recently and seems to be in good condition. It might possibly be better for him to race right-handed, but racing to the left shouldn’t pose any problems, and he has won at Tokyo. In the early stages of a race, he might not be settled so well, but he generally knows what to do and is capable of showing a good turn of foot at the end of a race, which is what we’d hope for this time.”

Suguru Hamanaka, jockey
“It’s a mile at Tokyo this time, and I hope to get him into a good rhythm in the early part of the race.”

Red le Zele

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“I’ve decided that with his preparation at Ritto, the February Stakes is best for him, and after that we’ll decide on whether to go overseas or not. He returned to the stable last month and has been moving well, showing no sign of his age at all. He’s been training over a longer distance, and the key will be getting him to produce this in the race, as I do feel his best distance is probably 1,400 meters.”

Sekifu

Koshiro Take, trainer
“It’s difficult to know when he’ll run to his best, but he came out of his last race fine, so we’re set for another try this time. The jockey knows about the horse and so he’s thinking of how to get him to run well also. We’ll try the blinkers again and see if he can run better this time.”

Hiroshi Minai, assistant trainer
“He’s keeping his condition and having regular races, so we haven’t been worried about times in training. He got a bit tense in his last race, so he didn’t run well. It’s really a question of how he feels and how things go in the race as to whether he puts in a good run or not.”

Shonan Nadeshiko

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“There’s no change with her and she’s a very steady horse. She trained well last week and this week she’s looked good in training just before the race. She won the Kashiwa Kinen last spring, so I think the mile’s a good distance for her. She’ll get a 2kg allowance this time and I don’t think she has to lead in the race. Finding a good rhythm will be more important and it will allow her to run to her best.”

Soliste Thunder

Daisuke Takayanagi, trainer
“The horse is in good condition, and just keeping him ticking over doesn’t make him look heavy at all. The mile at Tokyo is probably the best for him, and I’d like to see him run another good race this time.”

Yuichi Tomomichi, assistant trainer
“He’s quite relaxed and there’s a fresh feel to him. He didn’t lose by much in the race last year, and even though he’s eight now, he’s still looking good. He’s done enough in his races up to now against good opponents, so he should do well again if he gets into the flow of the race.”

Akira Sugawara, jockey
“His training’s been good and he doesn’t seem heavy, despite what I’ve heard about him. I’m pleased to get the ride on a horse of his ability and want to do my best.”

Tomoyuki Fujihara, trainer
“She was fine after her last race and is in good shape. She switches leads well and her breathing is fine, along with her appetite. We’ve trained her over a longer distance than before. It’s a Grade 1 this time, but I don’t see why she can’t run in her usual way and take off from mid-division in the race. There’s still more to come from her. She shows a lot of power with the condition she’s in, so I don’t have anything to worry about. This is the best time of her career.”

Norifumi Mikamoto, jockey
“The start on turf and the rise in the homestraight are two things that make the race a little difficult, but I want to give her a good race and make things interesting for the fans.”

T M South Dan

Masayoshi Ebina, trainer
“I think he’s better now than before his last race. We fitted blinkers so that it would help him concentrate better on things, and he’s run well in between two other horses in training. It wasn’t a good race for him last time when he didn’t run on. I think he can run well with the condition he’s in, but to some extent it depends on his mood.”

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“There was no damage after his last race and things have been good in training with him. Fitting cheekpieces or blinkers would seem to help him. He was second in the race last year, so if everything goes well and the feeling’s right with him, he can run a good race.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“He’s been moving well in training, and has concentrated right up to the end of his work. He stopped early in the race last time and didn’t run to his best.”