Ascoli Piceno

Yoichi Kuroiwa, trainer
“In her debut she raced toward the rear and moved up coming in to the stretch and won. In her last start she went for position, got it, was well-balanced and displayed her agility. It was a strong race. She’s high-strung and that too was a concern in her last race. But she was calm and cool-headed and won. That said, she is still very immature. She clocked 33.3 seconds over the final 3 furlongs in that race, but the jockey said she hadn’t lost her cool. He thought she was well-suited to the mile. Her strongpoints are that she’s agile and can run at a good speed at length. She raced in the heat of the summer and did need time to recover. But back in training she’s been doing well and had a hard workout last week. This week, I was going to work her hard but at the last moment decided to go easy, but she is fine mentally and physically. She’s eating well, staying calm and handling very well in general. I think she has matured all around. This will be her first time racing to the right, but the course has just one big turn and it should suit her.”

Catfight

Hiroyuki Uehara, trainer
“She was still very childish in her debut race but in the end gained ground up the outside. In her third start things went more smoothly and she won with a good time. With each race she has gotten better at things and she has learned to stay in tune better with the rider, so that has all helped and surely tied in with her win last out in the Aster Sho. Soon after that race I nominated her for this one and also fit in a bit of time at the farm. Last week in work, we urged her strongly over the final stage and she clocked an overall 65.1 seconds with an 11.3-second final furlong. Since she ships this week, I went easy on her in work. Seeing how she won at Niigata, I think the Hanshin outer course will be OK. Her weight is 430-some kg, but her footwork is really, really good, so I’m looking forward to the race.”

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“She couldn’t catch the winner in the Fantasy Stakes but she was able to keep something in the tank under way and did well in the final stage. She ran a good race and I think it will serve her well in the main event this Sunday. She went to the farm for a while and came back on Nov. 22. Her condition hasn’t changed.  She’s eating well and looks in overall good health. Last week, she worked over the woodchips in a trio. I look her over carefully to see that she hadn’t overdone it. She’s fit so this week I just had her breeze and that should be enough. I think she gained a lot from her last race, being able to run the race she did. She doesn’t get worked up now so I’d like her to have a fast track on raceday.”

Corazon Beat

Shizuya Kato, trainer
“I was extremely happy about her win of the Keio Hai Nisai Stakes. She was a bit slow away and had to race from behind, which made it scary to watch. But, in the end, her having to go all out was probably a good thing. She was tired after that and went to the farm for about a week and came back looking refreshed. Takeshi Yokoyama rode Nov. 29 on the woodchip course. She was on her toes and her mood somewhat different. She’s smart and knows the race is ahead. She moved well and looked good. Normally, back at the barn, she does relax and has a good on-and-off switch. She has only raced to the left but her workout was to the right and the jockey didn’t foresee any problem racing to the right. She worked in a trio last week and had some muscle soreness afterward, so this week she just breezed. The trip west is a little far, but she handled the heat in Niigata and trips to Hokkaido and didn’t lose much weight. I think she’ll be OK. This week in work, she was using her body well without overdoing it. She waited until the stretch and stepped it up smoothly. I think 1,400 meters makes it easier for the jockey. But she has won at 1,600.”

Shinichi Ito, trainer
“The distance was reduced from the 1,800-meter Cosmos Sho to the 1,500-meter Clover Sho and she won the latter nicely. I don’t think 1,800 is bad for her, but I do think the mile will be easier for her to handle. She’d had three races over a short period of time – her debut, the Cosmos and the Clover. She then went to the farm and got some time off to refresh and recover. She came back to the training center on Nov. 8 and I’ve gradually increased the workload to get her ready. Her fast work last week looked very nice. She’s ready. We’ll ship her to Hanshin right before the race so this week she just had light work. She’ll be competing against a lot of horses she’s never met before, but I’m looking forward to seeing how well she’ll do on the G1 stage.”

Culture Day

Hirofumi Shii, trainer
(She was the 15th pick in the Fantasy Stakes but traveled well amid the fast pace and was able to pick it up well in the straight.) “She surpassed my expectations and I think it’s simply because she has gotten that much better. Things went well after that. She’s a small horse but she’s eating well and she has gotten a lot of training.”
(She worked up the hill course alongside another horse on Nov. 29 in a 54.2-second time over 5 furlongs, with the last furlong in 12.1 seconds.) “I think she’ll go to the gate in good shape. With each race she has learned more about racing. She starts well now and doesn’t have any major problems carrying herself well and staying in tune with the rider. Key will be how she handles the longer distance this time and the hill.”

Takahide Ando, assistant trainer
“In the Fantasy Stakes, she wasn’t able to catch the winner but she had a good gate position and the jockey gave her a good ride. And though she got worked up early on, she was able to calm down behind the gate. It was a good preliminary to this race. Her lungs are already strong, so in fast work Nov. 29 she worked on the flat under the jockey (Ryusei Sakai) with two other horses and the focus was just on the final stage. She covered the last furlong in 11.4 seconds and her footwork was as it always is. This week the jockey just breezed her up the hill course. She’s a bit thin now at 420 kg. She’s a bit too on edge now but she should be calmed down by raceday. I think the distance is a little bit too long but she got a good handle on the 1,400 last race. And she has experience shipping in on raceday too.”

Lucifer

Takashi Saito, trainer
“In her most recent race, the Hagi Stakes, she was on and off the bit. She was showing her immaturity, but did give us some excellent footwork in the stretch. And, winning solidly was the most important after all. I think she showed us that she has a lot of talent. Last week the jockey rode and worked alongside another horse. We didn’t overdo it, but let her move as she wished. She was on the bit nicely in training and her preparations have gone smoothly. It’ll be her first time at Hanshin but I don’t think she’ll find the hill in the stretch too much of a problem. Key will be how well she handles 1,600 meters. I’m hoping she’ll give us a good race, one that will carry over into the new year.”

Yuzo Iida, trainer
“She has only raced on dirt but her debut winning performance was a very strong one. And in her last start, she somehow hung on until the end and managed to make third place. Since she showed she didn’t need to lead, I thought she could handle the mile, and, with no hoof or leg problems, decided to race her here. I’m hoping she can hold her position and travel well to the straight. Also, a slower track would be better. The jockey rode Dec. 6 and she moved with ease and was light on her feet. It’ll be her first time on turf so we’ll just have to see how she does.”

Yuji Nakai, jockey
(after finishing 3rd in the Oxalis Sho at Tokyo) “It was her first long trip in a van to the track and she performed well over the Tokyo course. One of her strongpoints is her tenacity. She doesn’t give up.”

Minoru Oguri, trainer
“Before the Momiji Stakes, she’d been quiet in the parade ring, but got worked up when she went to the gate. Still, she showed good racing sense and went to the front with ease. In the stretch, she seemed to move up more as the other came closer behind her and I think it was much stronger win than the margin indicates. I did consider taking her to the Fantasy Stakes but after discussing it with the jockey, decided to bring her straight here. She went to the farm and came back to the training center about a month ago. Last week she worked over the artificial surface. She is in good condition now and her heart and lungs are strong. I’ve been paying particular attention to the length of her workouts, working her at length and teaching her to be patient. She seems to have learned well. She no longer needs to take the lead. She’s OK on heavier ground, but a fast track is best.”

Hidenori Take, trainer
“Despite the sloppy ground in her debut race she won strongly and was faster than I thought she’d be. Still, though she was running well, there wasn’t much acceleration. Her conformation suggests she’s better suited to short distances but I think she can just handle the mile. She’s been coming along well, but hasn’t shown much improvement from her last race. She had a hard workout up the hill Saturday and the jockey breezed her on the flat Wednesday clocking 86.8 seconds over 6 furlongs, and she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Kanta Taguchi, jockey
(after fast work on Dec. 6) She took the bit nicely. In the stretch when a horse started moving up on her, she responded on her own. To ride in a G1 has been my dream and I want to thank the owner, trainer and entire stable staff for having asked me to ride, in my very first year as a jockey.”

Minoru Oguri, trainer
“Before the Shiragiku Sho, she’d gotten a bit worked up behind the gate, but was still able to break well and go to the front in what seemed to be a good state of mind. She showed real tenacity in the finish and gave it her best. I think the trip she got really brought out her best. After that I had the impression she was pumped up and improved physically. With that, I thought that she was ready for here, even with only 1 full week in between races. I’ll be giving her gate practice too. She has a slight frame and is light on her feet, so I think a fast track is best for her. The way the race unfolds will most likely be different this time and it’s a big field. And there’s the hill too. If she can do well here her future prospects will brighten. I’m hoping she’d give it her best.”

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“The time she lost at the break in the Fantasy Stakes, she would never have been able to make up before then. But she gained ground down the straight and the race turned out to be not all that bad. I aimed her here since then and she has had regular work. She worked alongside another horse last week and we pushed her hard. The other horse was an open-class older horse and the jockey was riding him, so that was sufficient work. She’s carrying herself better. This week was just fine-tuning and jockey Luke Morris breezed her up the hill. She has won over the Sapporo 1,500 and the Hanshin 1,400 but I wanted her to be capable of running the mile. I’m hoping she’ll be able to keep up with the pace and have a good trip.”

Safira

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“The winner in the Artemis Stakes was very strong but considering that there were only 3 full weeks in between races and that this one was still a bit stiff, she still managed to finish in second place. I think it showed she has a good solid foundation. She had a bit of time at the farm after that and last week the jockey rode and her time was faster than he had thought it would be. But, she hadn’t overdone it at all and it was good workout. With the remaining time until the race, we’ll just be giving her lots of care. I think I can say I have no concerns heading in to the race. She’ll blossom when she’s 3-4 years old and I can imagine moving a lot better then. That said, I think she’s looking better now than she was in the Artemis Stakes. And I see no sign of the stiffness she’d had then. Her mental state should be better.”

Takeshi Noda, assistant trainer
“She won her debut race going wire to wire but last out in the Saffron Sho she raced in with the pack and then pulled away for the win. It was a completely different race from her first one and to have won like that was a huge gain. She has good racing sense. She went to the farm for a bit and then returned with this race as the target. She gets worked up easily but her preparations have gone well and she seems to be well-refreshed. Last week, jockey Ryuji Wada rode fast work on the woodchip flat and urged her on only in the final furlong. I think she moved well. She’s a small horse but she uses her body very well when running and she is versatile, which is a plus. I don’t have any particular reservations about the Hanshin course. The competition will take a sudden leap up and I’m eager to see how well she’ll do with the large field.”

Stellenbosch

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“Her start was good in the Akamatsu Sho but she encountered some interference in the backstretch. The pace was slow and she was keen to race, but somehow stayed balanced. Once she moved out in the stretch her responses were excellent. She made a very good effort and won and I think that win at the one-win level will carry over to the G1. There were only 2 full weeks between races so I carefully considered her condition before deciding to come here. There was only a little damage from her last race. She arrived at Ritto on Nov. 25 and we’ve been clocking her from last weekend. She seems used to the change in her surroundings. She won racing to the left last time but she has no problem racing to the right. I think the long stretch of the Hanshin outer course will suit her.”

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“In her most recent race, the horse next to her moved in on her right after the break and this one fell back. In the stretch the frontrunner (eventual winner Psipsina) was way out in front but this one made a tremendous effort and came within a neck of her. With only a full week in between races I’ve only breezed her. She’s light on her feet as usual and seems in a good mood. Key will be the hill in the stretch. I’m hoping she’ll be able to use what she learned from her last race.”

Manami Nagashima, jockey
“Last race, she was much more settled and listening to me better. We had an inside draw and the pace was slow, so I made my move early coming out of the backstretch. When she tired she lugged in, but gained ground in the final furlong and showed considerable power.”

Toshiaki Tajima, trainer
“She lost in a big way in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes and it was probably to be expected when you go for broke by taking the lead. She came out of the race well though. There wasn’t much time between that race and this one, so I just had her breeze up the hill course on Sunday. On Wednesday she had a hard workout on the flat over 5 furlongs (with a time of 66.3 seconds) and her speed was sufficient. She’s eager to run and this time of year her muscle tone is looking very nice. I wouldn’t say there are any sudden improvements but she’s looking good for her. She has good racing sense and I’m hoping she can use that to her advantage.”