Andvaranaut

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“She was looking a lot worse in the Hanshin Himba Stakes than I’d expected, so I was worried, but she then started to look better and gave us some very nice footwork in the stretch. There’s not much time in between races so there’s no need to give her much heavy work. Last week, jockey Hayato Yoshida rode her and was able to check how well she was in tune with him. Her weight is up and that’s something I’ve always wanted for her, which is a great plus. She doesn’t look heavy at all and with the trip to Tokyo, I’m thinking her weight this year on raceday should be around 440kg. Last start, she finished nicely, so I’m hoping that with the change to Tokyo she’ll do even better.”

Divina

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She was in good condition for the Hanshin Himba Stakes, but she wanted to race ever wider and wider so it really wasn’t much of a race. I kept her at the training center afterward and set this race as our target. She worked on the woodchip flat course on May 3 and her movement was good. She’s been in great shape now for a while. The change to a lefthanded track is a plus and she didn’t lose by all that much last year. I think there will be a strong enough pace and if she has a smooth trip, she should be able to put in a decent race.”

Izu Jo no Kiseki

Taku Yonemori, assistant trainer
“Her 10th-place finish in the Hanshin Himba Stakes was due in part to it being her first mile in a long time, and also that she wasn’t able to keep something in reserve for the final stage. Still, I don’t think her performance was anything too tragic. She went to the farm for a bit after that and we then started preparing her with this race as our target. Even though there were a lot of traffic problems in her last race, we haven’t seen any mental issues that arose from them. In last week’s fast work, she was looking like she always does. I hope things can continue as they have up until now through to the race. Looking at her last race, I think we could say that the mile is a bit too short for her, but Tokyo has a good, long stretch. Since it’s her second mile in a row, things should be different this time. I’m hoping she’ll be able to run her own race and be able to use her late speed to its fullest.”

Kurino Premium

Shinichi Ito, trainer
“In the Fukushima Himba Stakes, there was a horse that suddenly moved up her quickly and, because of that, another horse that was giving her cover had to move and that hurt. She grabbed hold of the bit turning out of the backstretch. Still, amid all that, she really gave it her best, but I have the impression that she was caught and passed because of all that was going on. I think it was a strong race. There isn’t much time in between races, I haven’t given her much hard work. I think the conditions of the Tokyo 1,600 meters suit her. However, since it’s a G1 the competition will naturally be strong. I am hoping she’ll be able to have a trip that allows her to bring out her best.”

La La Christine

Takashi Saito, trainer
“After last summer and some time off, she had the Swan Stakes and then the Capital Stakes, and I think her racing last fall was quite good. She was in good form and had added more power. In her last start, the Kyoto Himba Stakes, she won by a nose. It was amazing that she made it. Afterwards, she went to the farm for refreshment and came back to the training center with this race as our target. On May 3, she worked alongside a partner over the course. She was eager to run and moved well. I see improvement with each bit of work and she’ll be ready on raceday. She’s skilled at getting a position, has good racing sense, and is better taking the turns racing to the left. She won over the Tokyo 1,600 meters in the Capital Stakes and I’m looking forward to seeing how she’ll do in a G1.”

Lotus Land

Yasuyuki Tsujino, trainer
“The going in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen was good for her as she likes a softer track. She had a good one that wouldn’t be disadvantageous at all. I did get the impression that 1,200 meters was just too busy for her. She had finished second in that race the year before, but that was because everything came together just right for her. After returning from the farm, instead of giving her a lot of hard work, I concentrated more on fine-tuning her. The jockey (Norihiro Yokoyama) rode work on May 3 and it appears he got a good reading on her. I think a mile is well within her range of capability. I’m hoping the ground on raceday and how the race overall unfolds will be to her liking.”

Namur

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“In the Tokyo Shimbun Hai, she broke well, moved nicely under way. In the stretch, her responses were good, so she was able to run well. She finished second, but considering that she was up against some very strong male horses, I think it was a good race. I’ve been careful to give her enough time between races and she has returned to the training center with some very good muscle and fantastic form. I think she’s very strong looking now compared to how she was in the spring as a 3-year-old. On May 3, she worked up the hill course and I wasn’t looking for any specific overall time. In the end, I just wanted her to extend over the final furlong. She’s now able to have a bigger range of motion. As for the distance, I think she can handle quite a wide range of distances, but that the Tokyo 1,600 meters will allow her to use her power to the fullest.”

Namura Clair

Kodai Hasegawa, trainer
“In the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, she wasn’t able to pull away from the others after going up the hill because of the sloppy track. She really tried hard, but there was one horse ahead of her she couldn’t catch. In any case, no matter what the conditions may be, she really gives it everything she has. I think she’s an amazing horse. After that, she went to the farm for a bit. I’d been worried about her being exhausted, but the damage was much less than I’d imagined. In work last week, she didn’t have her usual training partner, but there was a horse from another stable in front of her and she didn’t lose touch with her rider. It was a good piece of work. She’s been given mostly work on the flat and she’s nice and supple. She was adequately forward and there was no worry about her connection with the rider. I think she’s very different from when she ran at the mile as a 2 and 3-year-old. The lineup is really strong and it won’t be easy, but I’m hoping she’ll give a performance that will allow her to broaden her options in the future.”

Rouge Stiria

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“In her most recent race, the Hanshin Himba Stakes, just when she’d started to turn on the power in the stretch, another horse ran into her and that just seemed to take all the air out of her. She did try hard in the final stage again though. The horses up front really decided the way the race unfolded and she just wasn’t able to run her own race. After some time at the farm, she came back to the training center targeted for this race. On May 4, she had a good solid workout up the hill course under the jockey (Kazuo Yokoyama). All is going smoothly and she’s in good shape. I’ve always felt she had a lot of talent and even though she hasn’t raced that much, I can see she has made a lot of progress already. I think the change to a lefthanded track will be a plus. The others in the field are quite strong, but right now I’m just really looking forward to seeing how well she can do at where she is right now.”

Sodashi

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“Having finished third in her last outing, the Mile Championship, I’d have to say that Sodashi did not run her usual race. I had hoped she would give us a more typical performance. They took good care of her at the farm after that and when she came back to Ritto, she was in a condition that made her preparations for this race easy. I don’t see any big changes in her physically, but I do feel she has matured mentally. Even with all the spectators in the stands now, I think she won’t be bothered by them and will race as usual. Her final workout on Wednesday went smoothly and I am satisfied with it. I do think that if the rider (Manabu Sakai) had pushed her a bit more she’d have given us a better time, but my instructions were to have her run relaxed. It was an ideal workout. Jockey Damian Lane rode her two weeks ago, and he said he found her easy to ride. He has been studying all her races and I do want him to ride her as he feels is right. There are a lot of top horses in the lineup, but I want her to be able to bring out her best. Of course, I want results, but the most important thing is that she runs safely and comes out of the race well.”

Songline

Toru Hayashi, trainer
“I think she went to the Saudi Arabia race in good condition, but I’ve done a lot of thinking about how her mental state may still have needed work, since she was going into the race after a layoff. After returning to Japan, she went to the farm where they got her fully recovered from the race and she returned to the training center on April 14. Her first fast workout after she was back was really good and she has come along well since. In fast work this week, jockey Keita Tosaki rode her for the third week in a row and she moved really well. I think if Tosaki had been concerned about something, he would have talked to me about it but after three weeks he is always so optimistic, for which I am very grateful. Songline is very mature, both physically and mentally. Even if she has a hard workout, she is no longer set back by it as she used to be. She’s at her best and I’m hoping and praying that the extra work that she has been getting will tie in to good results. I’ll leave the race entirely up to the jockey. I think he has a lot of ideas about how he’d like to do things after riding her in the trainings. The others are strong, but so is she. I really hope to see some good results.”

Sound Vivace

Daisuke Takayanagi, trainer
“In the Hanshin Himba Stakes, even during the pre-race warmup she was moving carefully and carrying herself very well. She broke well and the pace wasn’t too strong, which suited her, and she was able to run well to the end. She has been maturing and gaining weight steadily. I can see that as her framework changes, the muscle she has put on is also different. She is calm and has matured mentally as well. I’ve been careful to give her time off at the farm right away so that she will be able to relax. She had good hard workouts last week and the week before. This week we just breezed her to give the final touches. Her time in fast work last week was even better than it looked and the rider Kohei Matsuyama said her time was faster than he had felt. Her breathing was good and she was well in touch with the rider. All the horses are strong, but I want her to not get swept up by what’s going on around her, but to run at her own pace. If she can do that, I think she’ll be able to give it her best.”

Stars on Earth

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“She ran well in her last race, the Osaka Hai, but unfortunately, she didn’t break that well and we had to take up a position toward the rear. Her footwork was excellent in the finish, but she just couldn’t make up the distance in time. I rode work on Wednesday with another horse running alongside on the woodchip course. It was a very good workout and I think she felt better than she had before her last race. She’d been coming off a layoff in her previous race, but this time, with a race behind her, I think she has improved. She feels to be in perfect shape. On Wednesday morning, when I gave her a cue, her response was excellent. After the workout, I discussed the start with the trainer. Of course, I’m hoping for a good start this time. With it being only 1,600 meters, she’s going to have to have speed early on and I’m hoping to be able to get the position I want. We lost last time because we were racing from too far back. The start will be important.”

Stellaria

Takashi Saito, trainer
“She was returning from almost a full year off for the Fukushima Himba Stakes and we just got her final workout in that week. So, all considered, I think it was a really good race. And the jockey (Taisei Danno) did a fine job. She had taken time off because of leg problems, so confirming that everything was fine after the race was the most important thing. She breezed up the hill a week ago on Thursday and I’m hoping everything will continue to go smoothly through to raceday. She did well in her most recent start, but it is her first mile since she was 3 years old. Still, I think she’ll be able to handle it. I want her to find a nice rhythm from the start.”

Stunning Rose

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“She finished fifth in the Nakayama Kinen up against some very strong male horses. However, she gave us a very good performance and raced solidly to the finish. She’d done very poorly in the race before that, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, and I think the Nakayama Kinen helped by giving her a reset. The Osaka Hai had also been an option I’d been considering, but she’d had some fatigue in her back that we weren’t able to remedy in time, so we passed on that race. That decision worked out well as she came back to the training center in very good shape. She has filled out nicely. To keep her fresh, I haven’t been giving her too much hard work. I’ve been more careful to make her condition the top priority. It’ll be the first mile for her in a long time, but I’m hoping that the Tokyo course will help to bring out the best of her ability. She’s a G1 horse and I want her to go in fearlessly and give us a good performance.”

Sublime Anthem

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“In the Hanshin Himba Stakes, she was a bit difficult to control in places, but she did run solidly to the end. She was able to keep something in reserve for the final stage. I don’t think it was a bad performance. After a bit of refreshment at the farm, we began her preparations for this race. On May 3, jockey Kosei Miura gave her a good run over about 800 meters on the woodchip flat course. She didn’t seem to have any problems, looked relaxed, and I think she’ll go to the gate in good shape as usual. She has gotten good results racing to the left, so the change to Tokyo will be a plus. A G1 should make for a pace and that’s easier to work with. She’s the kind of horse that rises to the level of the others, so I expect her to be able to hold her own here.”