Ikuo Aizawa, trainer
“He passed the test of hauling west in his debut race and did a real good job winning against a strong field. He had a very short rest at the farm after that and has recovered well. Holly Doyle rode his fast work on Dec. 13 and he moved well. She said he felt good and his responses were good too. A week ago, I thought he moved a little bit slow considering the schedule, but I gave him a hard workout again on Sunday (5 furlongs on a fast track in 67.9 seconds). This is a big stage and it was good Doyle got a reading on him.”

Mikio Matsunaga, trainer
“She is getting better at the break and is able to travel from a good position now. I think that’s why she won twice at Kyoto. When the jockey moved her out, she did lose concentration but she had enough leeway for that not to matter. I did send her to the farm for a bit, and she returned to the training center on Dec. 1. Because she couldn’t get into the Zennippon Nisai Yushun, I switched and aimed her here. She gets good times in work just breezing. Her footwork is good and her condition looks good too. She seems to be improving with each race. This will be her first time on turf and I don’t know how she’ll do. It is the last day of the Nakayama meet, so I think it will help her if the track is a bit slow.”

Century Bond

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“In his previous race (the Kigiku Sho over 2,000 meters at Kyoto), I think the ground suited him well. The jockey (Christophe Lemaire) gave him a really nice ride too. The horse went to the farm after that and returned to the training center on Dec. 12. His body is broader now and I think he has definitely gotten stronger. He trained over distance on Dec. 17, working hard and with an eye to his final workout on the weekend, he breezed up the hill course on Dec. 20. With one more fast workout on Dec. 24, I think his preparation is finished. The lineup is strong this time, but I’m hoping he can travel at his own pace and that the race will allow him to bring out his strength, which is his tenacity.”

Di Speranza

Sho Tajima, assistant trainer
“He started well in his last race, the Kyoto Nisai Stakes, but he wound up getting a position way too far back. He showed us some nice footwork in the stretch, but I had the impression it was just too difficult a place to be coming from to do any better than he did. The jockey (Luke Morris) rode work on Dec. 20. The horse is leaner and looks better than he was before his last race. The trip to Nakayama shouldn’t pose any problems, and he doesn’t have any problem racing in amid other horses too. He’s also a horse with good racing sense who moves on his own. If he can travel well keeping up with the flow, I think he’ll handle this race well.”

Gonbade Qabus

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“He came back to the training center on Nov. 24 with this race as our target. For his race in October, he’d had the summer off in order to encourage growth, but he hadn’t filled out much, and the sheen on his coat and his general health were all a bit lacking. It’s the first crop of Bricks and Mortar and I had thought that they were slow to grow. However, this time he came back to the training center a good 20kg heavier. Now I think at the time it wasn’t a matter of growth, but it looks like the intense heat this past summer had even taken its toll with just his routine work. Since returning to Miho, his appetite has returned and he almost always finishes everything, though he still has a lot of ups and downs mentally. He’ll get upset suddenly or lean on the bit, spook at things or lose concentration. The week before last and last week, he still wasn’t looking sharp in trackwork. His breathing was still heavy, so I had Ryan Moore ride him Dec. 21 and give him a hard workout. Still, where he should have responded better he didn’t, but he is slowly improving so I plan on discussing that with the rider. This race should help tie in with the spring races.”

Ryo Terashima, trainer
“He worked alone on the flat on Dec. 14. He has always moved well and I think the workout went as expected (83.9 seconds over 6 furlongs). He’s a Kinshasa no Kiseki colt and he already has a big stride, but I think 1,200 meters is too busy for him. He’s won over 1,800 meters, so we’ll just have to see how far he can go. This time will be his first race with four turns, so it’ll be easier for him to keep something in reserve for the finish. I don’t think the extra distance will be a problem, not if he can find his own rhythm.”

Hiroyuki Nakata, assistant trainer
“His debut was a difficult race and he lost (third place), but in his second start, he met expectations and you could see he had ability. I’m hoping he’ll have a good race here so it can tie it to the ones to come. 

Daisuke Sasaki, jockey
(after morning fast work Dec. 21) “He has a big stride and he uses his body well. He’s very agile and easy to maneuver, so I think he’ll be able to handle the Nakayama 2,000 meters well.”

Yusaku Oka, assistant trainer
“Our hopes were high for his debut race, but he was pretty slow until he got his engine going and I suppose that’s because he hasn’t gotten anything too hard in work yet. After that race, he went to the farm and came back to the training center on Dec. 7. He’s a light eater for a colt and I would like to see him eat more. That said, he clocked 11-some seconds over the last furlong in his two last fast workouts. He can really move. He doesn’t get tense and wired up, so I’m not worried about shipping to the track. Even after a race he doesn’t stiffen up. I’m hoping he’ll do well here so it can carry over into the spring Classic races.

Regaleira

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“She ran solidly to the end in the Ivy Stakes and the winner was amazing in the finish. I think the difference between the winner and this one’s third place was the difference in their positions under way. She raced well, so these results are nothing tragic. I think she was better at the break than before and her performance wasn’t bad at all. She has had three starts, with a bit of time off after each. She has matured both mentally and physically. Between now and her last race, we have upped the intensity of her workouts. She has shown no signs of tiring and has passed all tests with flying colors. She still isn’t strong behind in some places, but we’ll have her ready. She has experienced racing to the right in her debut and the distance of 2,000 meters won’t be a concern. Up against colts in a G1 is going to be a tough challenge but she can do it.”

Shin Emperor

Yusaku Oka, assistant trainer
“His second start, the Radio Nikkei Kyoto Nisai Stakes, didn’t go as we had expected with him racing from near the back. I was worried watching, but he was able to pull through and win. He did show his youth in places, but being able to run a race like he did is going to be good for his future. He has a lot of potential and it’s not often you get to work with a horse with a pedigree like he has, so I’m feeling the pressure. He’s still very young, full of mischief and quite a handful. After that race, he went to the farm for a bit and then returned to the training center on Dec. 9. He was still weak in places, so when he first got back to Ritto, some work didn’t go as planned. We had to keep postponing some of it, so I am a bit concerned about how he’ll do in the race as he only really had two substantial fast workouts. He worked hard under the jockey on Dec. 20, so we just had him breeze up the hill on the 24th. He may not be quite up to 100 percent. It’s his first time at Nakayama, and we won’t know how he’ll do until we give it a try. He’s still mentally immature, but he has shown a high level of ability and with his European bloodline, I think the tough turf at Nakayama will suit him. He has a lot of power and he should be able to handle the hill in the stretch. He already experienced the trip to Kanto for his debut, so I’m not worried there. I’m hoping he’ll do his best.”

Shonan la Punta

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“In his last race, I could see that he has ability, but the race wasn’t very good. He was fast out of the gate, but he wasn’t able to pick up speed after that. His position turning into the stretch made it hard for him to move up. He has a big, long body and the way he takes the bit should be improved. Also, I want him to be able to accelerate more after jumping out of gate, so he has been getting schooling there. The jockey (Katsuma Sameshima) has taken contact in morning work as well. He has a lot of potential physically, so we’ll try to bring out his ability here.”

Sirius Colt

Yoshitada Munakata, trainer
“After the Fuyo Stakes, he had some time off at the farm, then came back with this race as the target. Last week he weighed 482kg and filled out quite a bit.  For his last race, I thought he didn’t have quite enough muscle, but now he’s much more balanced and looking good overall. Kosei Miura rode work two weeks in a row and the horse’s movement on Dec. 20 was especially good. The jockey said the horse was more in tune with him than he’d been the week before, and though he lost concentration at times, he was cool-headed. He covered the last furlong in 11.5 seconds. He doesn’t need any more hard work so he just breezed up the hill course on Dec. 24. On Dec. 25, I did some fine-tuning and he’s ready. He has a lot of stamina, enough to pass the finish line and continue around to the far side. If he can run a race like he did last out, he’ll do well.”

Masanori Tanaka, assistant trainer
“Before his last race, the Cattleya Stakes, I’d wondered how’d he fares in a dirt race with a turf start to it (first 100 meters of Tokyo dirt 1,600 meters is on turf) and only one turn. He tripped where the turf and the dirt meet and from there his running was unbalanced. Also, I think a mile was just too busy for him. He stayed at the training center afterward and got a good amount of work with this race as our target. He showed improvement from after his last race. This will be his first turf race since his debut in mid-June and racing at Nakayama as well, but the distance will be a plus for him as he will be able to travel more leisurely.  I do want the race to unfold in a way that makes it rather tough, which will work in his favor.”

Masaaki Koga, trainer
“For his first race, I had figured he would need some more time before he’d be strong enough to start showing his best, but he traveled on the outside and won handily. After that, he went to the farm for a while before returning to Miho. He was quite a bit more powerful-looking that he’d been for his first start. On Dec. 13, I had the jockey (Tom Marquand) ride. The horse really puts his everything into running and the jockey understood him from the warmup. Marquand rode him very nicely and I’m glad he was able to understand a lot about the horse. It was a good workout for one week away from the race. I think with a bit of fast work on Dec. 24, he’ll be ready. The colt has quite a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing how he’ll do amid this competition.

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“Kazuo Yokoyama rode his most recent race, the Mochinoki Sho, and he was of the opinion that this horse would also do well over a longer race on turf. The vet checked the horse and said he’s got a strong heart. He debuted on turf (Niigata, 1,800 meters) and finished third there, and it will be his first time on turf again since then. It’s a G1 and I can’t say how he’ll do at this level, so, with an eye to the future, this will be an important test.”

Velociraptor

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“After his debut, which he won wire to wire, he didn’t seem to have any particular difficulties in his second start either. Next came the Nojigiku Stakes, which was a jump up in level, and it was from there I saw that he has a good sense of what winning is about. His racing sense is his strongpoint. He’s still very light-framed, so I’ve been giving him time in between races so he can grow. He gave a good performance last time racing from midfield. He had some time off at the farm after that and came back bigger. We’ve been training him at a 15-15 pace on Wednesday, with Sunday for his fast work, and that routine has gone well. He has matured physically and has good muscle tone. It’s his first time at Nakayama, and I don’t think there will be a problem with the distance. I think he’ll show us what he has. I’m hoping he can find his own rhythm.”

Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, trainer
He had an inside gate in his last start and we had him go to the front so he wouldn’t get blocked in. We couldn’t afford to lose another race, but the most important thing was that he won it well. In the finish, there was a horse coming up on the outside but the jockey (Masami Matsuoka) said this horse still had a lot in the tank. He can also race from further back. He’s getting better with each race, but still has a lot of maturing to do. The jockey rode him on Dec. 15 and he said he’s better than what he was last time. So, in his present condition, I’m really looking forward to seeing how well he can do. He still has more to grow and I’m looking ahead to what’s to come.”