Art House

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“She did her hard work last week, and since then we’ve been careful not to overdo things. She’s been off for a long time, but she’s in good condition, and I’m pleased about that.”

Taku Fukunaga, assistant trainer
“She’s worked well with jockey Ryusei Sakai, and put in a recent final furlong time of 11 seconds on the woodchip course. The race is 2,200 meters this time, which is an extra two furlongs than when she last ran in the Nakayama Himba Stakes. One of the keys will be how she gets into her rhythm in the race. It’ll be tough coming back straight into a Grade 1 race, so we’ll just have to see how she does.”

Big Ribbon

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“She’s come along as I would expect, although because the training track was heavy, she has looked a little slower, but she’s in good shape. Hopefully she’ll do her best with the condition she’s in.”

Taku Fukunaga, assistant trainer
“She’s been at the stable since her last race, and things have been as expected with her. The six-furlong time on the woodchip course under jockey Atsuya Nishimura a week or so ago was 80.2 seconds. She’s better for her last race, which was over 2,400 meters on ground that wasn’t so good, and I think the distance this time is more suitable. It’s a Grade 1 with all fillies and mares, and I think she can do well if she runs to her best and shows her strength. A good to firm track would be good for her.”

Brede Weg

Keisuke Miyata, trainer
“She’ll transport to Ritto ahead of the race, as I don’t want her to have the long transportation over just before the race. She currently looks well in her coat, and she’s been running well in training and wanting to get on with things. The jockey says there’s a fresh feel to her. In her last race, the winner went on to do well in the Shuka Sho, and I think my filly will be well-suited to the outer turf course at Kyoto this time, so I’m looking forward to the race. She’s a talented horse with Grade 1 ability.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“She’s shown a strong finish in her work in training. She’s become bigger and stronger, and is definitely a horse with ability.”

Divina

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She’s been working on the inside of the track in training, and has been doing things nicely, picking up the pace well, after the jockey was patient with her in the backstraight. Mirco Demuro knows how to ride her, and times in training have been good. She’s kept her condition since her last race. There’s not much difference between her ability and the other runners in the race, and I’m not worried about her racing right-handed. One key is how she’ll handle the extra distance of the race, but hopefully her breathing will match the rhythm she finds throughout the run.”

Yusuke Oe, assistant trainer
“I think she’ll handle the distance of the race this time. The jockey understands the horse, and can get her to run in a balanced way with a good rhythm.”

Geraldina

Takashi Saito, trainer
“After her last race, and the work she’s been doing since, it should lead her nicely into this next race. She’s been urged on well in training, as she can be just a little lazy. With the race being back at Kyoto on the outer course this time, compared to her last run at Nakayama, I have an image of it being a lot easier for her. The four corners to take in this next race should keep her on task, and the downhill section should work out well for her.”

Ryan Moore, jockey
“I won Grade 1 races on both her sire and dam (Maurice and Gentildonna) and that is something special for me. Even though I’ve never ridden Geraldina, I’ve watched the video of last year’s race and will look forward to riding her on Sunday.”

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“Her breathing’s a lot better since her last race, and she’s been moving well in training. We haven’t overdone things with her. It’ll be her first time to run over 2,200 meters this time, so that’s a bit of an unknown, but she has achieved good results on the outer course at Kyoto, with two wins and a second from her three starts over it. I wonder how she’ll do in a Grade 1, but things don’t look bad at all for her.”

Tatsuo Taniguchi, assistant trainer
“I think she’s in better condition now. The distance of the race, and the flat home straight, should suit her.”

Mirai Iwata, jockey
“I think she’s better than she was for her last race, and her times in training have been quicker than I would have thought. She’s a filly with a nice big stride, and I want her to run to her best in the race.”

Harper

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She always seems to get better for her races, and she’s running straighter now. Since earlier in her career, I thought she’d be good over longer distances. On the outer course this time at Kyoto, the runners should be a bit less bunched together, and it should make for a better race for her. She’s a horse with a good stride. It’s a race with older horses for her to take on, but she has a weight advantage, and with Yuga Kawada riding, I think the chances are she can run very well.”

Yusuke Oe, assistant trainer
“She tried hard from an inside draw in her last race. She seems to have come on for that run and continues to improve.”

Izu Jo no Kiseki

Naoya Nakamura, trainer
“She’s as I would expect as this next race approaches. She’s worked well and put weight back on since her last race, where she’d lost weight after returning from Hokkaido. It’s become slightly more difficult for her to find a good rhythm in a race, but I think she can still do well, even in a Grade 1, although things have to go right for her. She does have ability. In her last race, it was difficult for her to get a finish in, and in her last three races since changing stables, she’s drawn outside gates, which has made it tough for her to get a position in the race, so I hope she’ll draw an inner gate this time.”

Kukuna

Toru Kurita, trainer
“She transported over to Ritto ahead of this race. The training staff have done a good job with her and she’s in good condition. She has been training well and is quite relaxed. She doesn’t have such a long, sustained run in a race, so the key will be how to get the best out of her when it comes to her footwork.”

Suguru Hamanaka, jockey
“She’s an easy horse to ride, and in her last piece of work, she completed five furlongs in about 68 seconds. She’s certainly a good horse. I hope to get a good start and a clear run throughout the race.”

Lilac

Ikuo Aizawa, trainer
“She’s been at the stable and has kept her condition well, and we’ve had her race jockey (Keita Tosaki) ride her in work. Her times have been good and she’s quite relaxed. She seems quite developed now she’s a 4-year-old, and she had put on weight for her last race. I think the four corners in the race this time will suit the way she runs better than the one turn at Tokyo. I’d like to get revenge (for last year’s second to Geraldina).”

Keita Tosaki, jockey
“She’s picked up well against the horse she was training with, and her movement and reactions have been good. Even though she lost last time, I feel she’s improving.”

Maria Elena

Toshiyuki Takashima, assistant trainer
“She’s in the same condition as usual, and has been working well in training with good responses. She feels more mature now that she’s a 5-year-old, and although she’s only around 420kg, she seems bigger than that.”

Shintaro Tsunochi, assistant trainer
“After her last race, we have had this one as her target. There’s no change with her, and she’s been moving well. The flatter home straight at Kyoto will be better for her and she should be able to show her ability. Looking at the other runners in the race, I’m interested to see what she can do up against them.”

Hisashi Shimizu, trainer
“She went to the farm after her last race for about a week, and on her return to the stable, there’s been no change in her condition. Her times and movement in training have been as usual. She knows what to do in a race, and doesn’t give up, as she is quite stubborn. She’d recovered her weight for the race last time over 2,200 meters, and that distance wasn’t a problem. It’s a Grade 1 this time with plenty of strong horses, so we’ll have to see what she can do.”

Rouge Eveil

Yoichi Kuroiwa, trainer
“Her balance and cornering have been better in training, and she’s come on for her last race. We’ve made sure there’s no tiredness after that run. She didn’t do well in the Aichi Hai because of the ground and the way the race was run. She doesn’t have a problem transporting to different tracks. With the way she runs, the distance of the race this time might be a bit long, but I think it’s possible for her to get into a good rhythm, and that would definitely make up for having to stay the extra distance.”

Saliera

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“She’s only a small filly, so we’ve got her over to Ritto early, rather than run the risk of her transporting just before the race and things going wrong. Everything’s been fine with her, and she’s been working with horses from another stable and has been moving well. Her finish has been strong. It’ll be her first time to race right-handed, but I’m not concerned about that, and she does tend to make her own luck. Last year the race was run on the inner course at Hanshin, but the outer course at Kyoto this time should make things smooth for her, and I hope she’ll run a strong race.”

Masahiro Takeuchi, trainer
“She didn’t run so well in her last race, despite the fact that she was in good condition. She was quite tense, and the trip of 1,800 meters made things a bit fast for her. She’s still a bit nervous, but I feel with her recent training, she’s becoming more settled. The distance of the race this time is 2,200 meters, and I think her reactions will be better over this sort of trip. She’s had wide gates in her last two races, so I’d like her to be drawn more to the inside this time.”

Hatsuya Kowata, jockey
“I feel that she’s developing more now. She’s a bigger horse come this autumn, and I hope to get the best out of her in this race.”