Conch Shell

Michiro Oshida, assistant trainer
“She lost a shoe in the Rose Stakes last out and she had a lot of horses close around her as well, which apparently bothered her. After that, she went to the farm for a bit. After returning to the training center, nothing major had changed. Last week, she got a good workout on the woodchip flat course. She didn’t get good results in the Shuka Sho trial, but two races ago and three races ago, she won strongly. If she feels good running, she has the ability to give some pretty great performances.”

Yasuhiro Honda, assistant trainer
“She was half a length behind her training partner on Oct. 11, but the colt moves well, so being a bit behind is nothing to worry about. She’s not able to bring out her best when she races in among the others and makes her move from there, so I’m hoping she can get a forward position.”

Doe Eyes

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“She spent the summer in Hokkaido and it was a good vacation for her since she’d been racing without time off. She returned to Ritto on Sept. 15. In the Oaks, she tensed up heading to the gate. So with that in mind, we’ve been training her alone so she doesn’t get too wired up from early on. Two weeks ago, her time over the last furlong was faster than her running had looked. Last week, the jockey (Atsuya Nishimura) rode work and her wind wasn’t bad. Unlike before, she’s not leaning on the bit. She is able to run well-balanced, something that shows she has matured. On Sunday, if she doesn’t have problems in the gate, but can start sharply and get a decent position, I think she’ll be able to do well over the Kyoto inner course.”

Dura

Atsushi Nishioka, assistant trainer
“Going into the Queen Stakes, I was wondering how she would do going from the Tokyo 2,400 meters to the Sapporo 1,800 meters. Even though she won the Sapporo Nisai Stakes, the pace and the members were different. Nonetheless, her start was perfect, her racing bold and she won hands-down. I think she really found her groove for heading to the Shuka Sho. She went to the farm for a bit after the Queen Stakes and came back to the training center looking refreshed and more filled out. And thanks to that, she was able to tolerate hard work. The jockey (Arata Saito) rode her a week ago on the woodchip course and he thought she’d change with that workout. She’s looking good and I’m hoping she’ll switch into racing mode. She had a prep that should tie in nicely with the Kyoto 2,000 meters, and physically she’s much more powerful than she was in the spring. I hadn’t been confident she’d do well in either the Oaks or the Queen Stakes, but this time I’m looking forward to her performance. On top of that, I’m looking forward to seeing how close she can get to Liberty Island.”

Emu

Shoichiro Wada, trainer
“She was ninth in the Shion Stakes, but the race favored the frontrunners and, on top of that, her responses turning out of the backstretch weren’t the best and the wide draw was taking its toll. The ground was good on the inside and she just wasn’t able to bring out her best. The race did take a lot out of her, but since recovering she’s been able to handle regular work. With the trip to the track, I’m focusing on training her in such a way to keep her filled out nicely. Right now, I feel she’ll be right on target for raceday. I’ve been training her based on how she ran in her last start and I think where her responses had been poor, they are now much improved. Her muscling is better as well and I think she’ll be able to race better this time.”

Kenichi Fujioka, trainer
“I’ve gradually given her more distance and this has helped bring out her ability. The ground in her most recent start was poor and it made for a tough race. She’s a small-framed horse and I think it was really difficult for her, but she made a huge effort and hung in there for the win. She has finally gotten stronger. After returning to Ritto, she spent some time at a nearby farm. She didn’t show any fatigue from her Hokkaido races and she’s looking good. Looking at her races, I think she has adequate stamina and can handle 2,000 meters. She’s able to bring out her best when she races from the front or second position, so if she can run her own race, I think she’ll be able to access her power. We’ll just have to see how well she can do amid this competition.”

Grand Bernadette

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“She’d had some intestinal inflammation and had taken time off, but I don’t think that was a factor in her Shion Stakes results (10th place). She was in good shape. She was able to get close to the front from a wide gate but with those lap times and catching up from the outside, it had to have been tough on her. Last week, she worked with an older horse, the open-class So Valiant, starting from behind and overtaking him. She was well-balanced and I could see no damage from her last race. In fact, she looked better. It’s a new course for her, but we won’t know how she’ll handle the Kyoto 2,000 meters until she tries it. She won at Hanshin, so she has proved she can do well even with the trip to the west. There are a lot of strong horses in the lineup, but depending on the trip she gets, I think she has more to show us.”

Harper

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She spent the summer recharging in Hokkaido. Because she’s the type that does better with more time in between races, I decided to pass on the original plan to run her in the Rose Stakes and came directly here instead. Her preparation has been going as planned. She worked in a group of three over the woodchip course on Sept. 28. It was a good solid workout and she did the same on Oct. 5. Trainer Yuichi Fukunaga rode her and he said that she’s still a bit soft and she’s going to get better. He also said she’ll be even better next year. The ground was bad that day, which made her running more difficult, but I think she looked good. She has a big frame and she’s gotten more width and looks quite impressive. She is back to her usual calm, settled self. At 2,000 meters, I don’t think the distance will be too short. It’s the inner course, but I actually think this will be more in her favor.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“Liberty Island is her biggest rival. Winning will be difficult, but I think 2,000 meters is perfect for Harper. She gets into position easily and is an easy horse to ride. With a smooth trip, I think she’s capable of a fantastic performance. If possible, I’d like to have a ride just like we did in the Oaks, and the best position would be racing behind or next to Liberty Island. That said, Harper needs to run her own race. She’ll have to start well and find a smooth path in the final stage. Her strong point is her toughness. She doesn’t have the sharpest turn of foot, but she doesn’t stop. She maintains a good pace throughout. In the spring season, her responses were a bit slow, but now I think she can do better. I want to race from a forward position, given that it’s the Kyoto inner course. The straight is short and you need to make your move early.”

Hip Hop Soul

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“She was looking good in the Shion Stakes but succumbed in the straight to the winner’s late kick. That said, this one was able to get a better position and really made a great effort. She didn’t go to the farm after that race. We kept her at the training center and proceeded with her prep. Her muscle tone and her coat have stayed in good condition. We started her back in work on Sept. 22. She worked alongside another horse and Hip Hop Soul ran solidly to the end. I think if she continues like this we’ll see further improvement. Until this spring, her racing was a somewhat lackluster and she wasn’t able to get into position well, but she was able to run well in the Shion Stakes which makes me think she’ll have ample chance over the Kyoto 2,000 meters.”

Kita Wing

Shigeyuki Kojima, trainer
“Going into the Queen Stakes, she was looking better than she’d looked for a while. Before that, the distance in the Oaks seemed too long for her so I’d wanted to give her a race that would help me decide what distance was more suited to her. As it turned out, however, things didn’t go smoothly in the straight. I’ve been training her at Ritto and she had two runs up the hill course there on Sept. 30, and they looked to have really improved her. On Oct. 4, she chased her training partner and finished a neck behind. Taking the difference in the rider weights into consideration, I think she moved very well and held her body in such a way that she could access her power. The competition is strong, but I’m hoping this time as well that she’ll be able to run her own race. She trained at Ritto for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the Oka Sho, and this will be her third time to train there, so I am looking to see her get good results.”

Kona Coast

Michiro Oshida, assistant trainer
“In the Oaks, she tripped just after leaving the gate and she also got bumped by another horse. Up until that race she had always succeeded in getting a good position, but this time she had to race from the back. She went to the farm afterward and spent the summer recharging. She came back looking bigger, taller and more filled out. Jockey Katsuma Sameshima rode her fast work last week and pushed her hard over seven furlongs on the woodchip flat course. Her time was good. She’s going to the race without a prep, but everything has gone smoothly since returning to the training center. She’s fresh and I think she’s in better shape than she was for the Oaks. She has good racing sense and I think she has the footwork needed for the Kyoto inner course. There’s a two-crown filly in the lineup, but I think she can do well if she can run her own race.”

Liberty Island

Yuga Kawada, jockey
“The way she raced the Oka Sho and Oaks were different, but we were able to get good results in both without incident. Last week, I studied her well when I rode her fast work. To be honest, I didn’t feel that much of a difference even with the difference in her weight. I’d heard so many reports about how big she’d gotten, so I’d been thinking she was going to be too big, but she wasn’t. In a good way, I found it hard to even feel the difference. She didn’t feel heavy either when she started working, but since it was a week out, I did think she would improve from then. Since she’s so talented, it’s always hard to find a training partner. This week, so call it a partner or a pacemaker, we put another horse in front and worked this one, being careful to keep her in good balance. I did feel improvement from last week. She looked a bit more toned and leaner. I do think the Kyoto 2,000 meter is a special course. The shape of it is tricky and so is the distance, but that kind of things are no excuse for her. I think she will overcome everything to win this race. I want her to be in the gate on raceday without any problem.”

Malaki Naia

Sho Tajima, assistant trainer
“She matured both physically and mentally over the summer. In the Rose Stakes, she took the bit herself. She made a good effort in the stretch, and it was a good race overall. Already as a 2-year-old, the expectations were high for her and she’s right on track. She always moves well in work and is full of energy and I think she has improved from her last race. This time it’s the inner 2,000-meter course with four bends, but I think she’ll be able to handle it just fine. I think if she can get a good run and access her strength, she’ll do well.”

Masked Diva

Yasuyuki Tsujino, trainer
“Before the Rose Stakes, I wondered how well she could do amid the competition, but she exceeded my expectations. She had returned to Ritto from the farm in good shape for the race and her prep went smoothly, so I had started thinking that she just might be able to win a ticket to the Shuka Sho. Since she’s still growing, I had thought that winning a graded stakes race at 3 years old would be difficult. But she pulled away in the Rose Stakes and even had enough time to look around a bit before she did so. The time was so fast, I had been worried about the damage that may have been incurred. I checked her carefully for a week after the race but there was nothing, not even a bit of fatigue. So, I made the decision to come here. She’d had trouble in the gate in her debut and problems with her cornering in her second start. But after that she started to remedy everything on her own. Her on and off switch is excellent. She’s smart and is continuing to mature. If she keeps on like this, I think we can look forward to a lot. It’ll be her first time at Kyoto, but I don’t think the new surroundings will bother her. I think the key will be how well she can take the first two bends. She had lugged out in the Wasurenagusa Sho, but with a stronger core now, she should do better.”

Mississippi Tesoro

Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, trainer
“In the Shion Stakes, she was traveling well about midfield, then quickened in the straight and made the board. It was her first time over 2,000 meters and I think the outlook was excellent. After that race, she went to the farm for a bit and since returning, her preparation has been going well. In last week’s fast work, she worked very nicely with an older filly, coming up from behind and overtaking her. Also her footwork, with an 11-second for the final furlong, was good. It’s been gradual and in small increments, but her weight has increased with each race. I feel she has matured quite a bit from the summer. She has raced at a number of tracks and she has the experience of a long trip, so I don’t think her first time at Kyoto should pose any problems. I’m looking forward to seeing just how well she can do given the good shape she’s in now.”

Moryana

Yoshinori Muto, trainer
“The Shion Stakes was held at the start of the meet and when I saw her position going into the straight, I thought there was no way she could get home in first from there. But from there, her footwork was incredible. She’d had three weeks going into the Shion Stakes and it was difficult getting her ready in time, but here she’s had five weeks and we were able to take our time. She was almost ready last week, so this week I had her work alone and just check how well in tune she was with the rider. Her time did get a little fast, but I think it was acceptable as it shows she’s feeling good. Jockey Norihiro Yokoyama got a good reading on her racing style and her personality from the NHK Mile Cup, and that’s likely why she did so well in the Shion Stakes. It was her first time over 2,000 meters and she won, so with it being the same number of turns this time, I have a good feeling about it.”

Koshiro Take, trainer
“Last start, she ran her own race at her own pace, and from the position she had taken, she won. She went to the farm for a while after that, and since she doesn’t lose weight like she used to, we were able to give her solid workouts. Maurice progeny develop well, but she wasn’t able to race well in the beginning. Finally she has improved. She is proven at the distance and her effort at Kokura was excellent. Kyoto has a flat straight and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of race she gives us.”

Ravel

Takahide Ando, assistant trainer
“Heading into the Rose Stakes, her weight was up and she looked to be in good condition, but she got tense under way and wasn’t able to move as well as she usually does. So, that is still something we’ve been concerned about heading into the Shuka Sho. We kept her at the training center. She’s been eating well and she hasn’t lost much condition. I think that shows that she is now a fully fledged adult. The jockey (Ryusei Sakai) gave her a hard workout over the woodchip course on Oct. 5. We changed her to a Triabit bit and that worked well to settle her. I think if the change in bits helps her stay more balanced in the race, we’ll see some better racing than in her last start.”

Soleil Vita

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“Her last race was over the Nakayama 2,000 meters, but I got the impression that the distance was a bit too long. There was quite a bit of time between races before her last start, but she was in good shape and she has maintained a high level of condition this time. This time it’s the same 2,000 meters but unlike Nakayama with its hill, the relatively flat course of Kyoto should be a plus for her. It’s a Grade 1 race and the lineup is strong, but she’s agile and travels well, so I’m hoping that she’ll be able to use that to its best.”