Big Caesar

Yosuke Kinoshita, assistant trainer
“In his most recent race, the Ocean Stakes, he wasn’t moving all that well and he got bumped going into the stretch, but even so he displayed some good footwork in the final stage. I think he really tried hard and being able to get to second the way he did will stand him well in the future. He came out of the race well, with no serious damage, and we were able to bring him back into training right away. There are only two full weeks between races, so this and last week we just gave him some light work. Even with the tight rotation, he’s been able to maintain his condition, and when you consider what a big horse he is, this is probably the best schedule. He got good results with the kind of trip he had last time out, which shows he can still travel well even when he doesn’t get a good position. I think a slightly soft track won’t pose much of a problem and he set a course record over this course as a 2-year-old, so I think he has ample chance of success.”

Champagne Color

Tsuyoshi Tanaka, trainer
“In the February Stakes, he was slow out of the gate and almost lost the race there, but I’d trained him for just such an occasion and he was able to rally and make up a lot of ground. It was his first time on dirt and I think the jockey (Hiroyuki Uchida) also put a lot of thought into the ride. Nonetheless, it was a tough race. With it being a G1 this time as well, I wanted to work him hard last week, but his responses were fantastic and he just blew past his training partner. His breathing returned to normal immediately after work and I have no complaints about his condition. The biggest concern is his unpredictability at the break. As for it being his first time over 1,200 meters, I think that with Chukyo’s long stretch, he’ll be able to use his late speed to his advantage.”

Divina

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“After she won the Fuchu Himba Stakes, she went to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Hong Kong Mile. I think the 2,200 meters of the QEII was long for her. Still, her performance wasn’t bad. As for the Hong Kong Mile, considering the high level of the competition, I think she did a good job. She went to the farm to refresh and then has been prepared for this race. She can hold onto good condition for a long period, and this past two years, she has been doing just that. I think she’ll be able to keep up with the speed of a sprint. In fact, this may be easier for her than the other distances. The jockey (Mirco Demuro) knows this horse very well. This will be her last race and I’m hoping it’ll be a good one.”

Lotus Land

Yasuyuki Tsujino, trainer
“She’s not good at travelling wide, but we unfortunately drew wide (gate No. 18) in the Kyoto Himba Stakes, so I was determined nonetheless to do what we could. I decided to have her hold back at the start and aim for the inside. The grass was badly torn up there, but she still was able to gain ground and draw close to the front (finishing 0.3 seconds off the winner). After that race, she had her first bit of fast work on the flat on March 14. She had stayed at the training center and everything has gone smoothly. I did feel that she had aged from about last fall, but her performances have not fallen off. This will be her third Takamatsunomiya Kinen and afterward she’ll become a broodmare. She has really given it her all through the spring of her seventh year. I’m hoping that the track condition and the way the race unfolds will be in her favor and that she’ll be able to give a good performance.”

Lugal

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“He was in great shape for the Silk Road Stakes and he started well. I think he gave us a strong race. He’s not at his best over 1,400 meters, but his recent races have shown me that he’s becoming something of a specialist over six furlongs, so for now that’s where we’ll aim him. Two weeks ago, his fast work up the hill was very impressive. Last week, even with the bad ground, his footwork was almost too good. He’s still a bit heavy, but I think with one more workout he’ll be ready. It’ll be the last week of the meet and the ground will be torn up. I think it’ll be OK if we only get a bit of rain and I don’t think racing to the left will be much of a problem for him.”

Atsuya Nishimura, jockey
“The G1 is a level up, but if he can run like he did in the Silk Road Stakes I think he’ll get good results. He’s very agile and versatile. The only concern with him is the gate. His training over the past three weeks has been exemplary. Every week he has improved and this week’s fast work was no different. He did go a bit too fast, but I don’t think it was a problem. He was in great shape in his last race and he looks to be the same this time too. There still is some worry about the break, but giving him too much practice can work against him. We won’t know how he’ll handle Chukyo until we try it. He did win over heavy going as a 3-year-old and the track was bad last race, so I don’t think there will be a problem.”

Mad Cool

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“His eighth-place finish in the Hong Kong Sprint was due in part to the strength of the field, but the fact that it was his first overseas excursion and he had lost weight were also factors. The ground was hard and the horses around him were fast and he couldn’t get a good position. He didn’t get the results we were hoping for, but I think it was a good experience for him. After returning to Japan, he went to the farm, then came back to the training center on Feb. 28. He had a somewhat restrained bit of fast work up the hill course two weeks ago and the week after that, and then some pool work. The objective was to get him lean and relaxed. Last week, I wanted him to use his body more so he worked on the flat. His movement and time were both good. The jockey (Ryusei Sakai) rode him this week. Mad Cool has won three times at Chukyo. If the going is too fast, that will advantage some of the competition, so I think it would be ideal for the ground to have some spring to it. I’m hoping he can race from a forward position.”

Mama Cocha

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
She’s heading into the race without a prep mainly due to the fact that I didn’t see a race that suited her regarding such things as the weight she’d have to carry or the distance. However, she is a horse that does well with a sharpener, so I brought her back to Ritto early and the work she has been getting should be enough to cover for the lack. Last week and the week before, she had her fast work on the woodchip flat course. She did lag behind her training partner, but that horse is a good mover so I don’t think it’s a concern. On the flat she does tend to overdo it, so this week she worked on the hill course. She moved well and I’m satisfied with her condition. I think she’s in the same condition as she was for the Sprinters Stakes. She has won over 1,400 meters but the jockey felt it was a bit tough for her, so I brought the distance back to 1,200 meters. I don’t think the course poses any problems and her condition, not the track layout, is far more important. As for the race strategy, I’m leaving all the details up to Yuga Kawada. I think she can handle the distance. I’m just hoping the weather will hold.”

Yuki Iwasaki, assistant trainer
“In the Hanshin Cup, she wasn’t as agitated as she normally is and she’d been less on her toes in her morning work, which leads me to think she wasn’t quite fully recovered from her Sprinters Stakes run. After the Hanshin Cup, she went to the farm to refresh and then returned to the training center on Feb. 23. She’d lost her winter coat and she was back to her usual unruly ways. I think her movement is much improved from her last race and we have a good chance of landing a fall-spring successive win of a big race.”

Matenro Orion

Mitsugu Kon, trainer
“His most recent race, the Ocean Stakes, was his first time at the distance of 1,200 meters. Though he didn’t have difficulty gaining ground from behind, he wasn’t able to make up enough of it. He did show us some very good footwork in the stretch though. I think the blinkers we had on him were effective and I think, even if just by a bit, it was a better race than his races over a mile. I discussed it with the jockey and, given that it was a preliminary and his first time at the distance, it wasn’t a bad race. He worked up the hill last week for a time of 51.7 seconds over the four furlongs, which is just about where he should be. It’s a G1 and the lineup is strong so it won’t be easy, but I see him running a good race from about midfield.”

Meikei Yell

Hidenori Take, trainer
“She stayed at the training center after the Kyoto Himba Stakes and we aimed her at this race. The jockey (Kenichi Ikezoe) rode her on March 15 and 20. She has her difficult sides, and we were always careful not to overdo it & get her tense. However, this will be her last run and because I wanted to work her hard this week, we gave her fast work only on Friday last week. This week, we worked her on Wednesday, urging her on only in the final stage. She has patiently waited for the rider’s signal and was moving well. After her last race, all went well. She’s in good physical shape and in a good frame of mind. When she’s able to break well, her race goes smoothly. She’s gotten gate practice, so I hope she’ll break well. If she gives it her all she’ll be able to hold her own even in a G1.”

Mozu Meimei

Masanori Tanaka, assistant trainer
“She’d had a bit of time off before her last race (the Kyoto Himba Stakes), so her condition had improved. But, since she was returning from time off, I had the feeling that the race was about a furlong too long for her. Her footwork wasn’t the best in the final stage, but she did run her own race and she looked so good about halfway down the stretch that I got very hopeful. After that, she went to the farm again, then returned to the training center on March 12. She was definitely showing improvement from her last race. She works well and she’s a powerful filly, so I don’t think she’ll be bothered by the condition of the turf on the last day of the meet. She doesn’t need to take the lead, and I’m hoping she’ll race well amid the others and be able to adjust to what the situation calls for.”

Namura Clair

Kodai Hasegawa, trainer
“I think her second place by a neck in the Kyoto Himba Stakes wasn’t bad for a preliminary run. She came out of the Sprinters Stakes last year quite poorly, so I wanted to give her ample time to recover. She ran with ease in the Kyoto Hima Stakes and there was no major damage, so I decided she could handle the preparations for this race. She was at the farm for a week and has now been getting regular work. Two weeks ago, we gave her a hard workout up the hill course and from about last week, the sheen on her coat improved a lot. She is coming along well and we’re able to up the workload. I’d often done the final workout up the hill course, but last week her work was a bit light. Considering she’s being older and more settled now, I thought it’d be good to pick things up a bit, so she worked on the flat Wednesday. I myself rode work and she was extremely relaxed and the overall workout was good. Her G1 results up to now have all been frustrating. She’s older, but her condition is no different. She is more mature, but when she’s urged, she really switches on. She’s very calm though, and I really have no complaints at all.”

Schwarz Kaiser

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“His 13th-place finish in the Ocean Stakes last race was unexpected. There hadn’t been that much time between races, and his preparations had gone as usual and had no problem on his condition too. He’d been patient in the gate and he had quickened nicely in the race, but the slightly heavy going, which he’s normally OK with, must have worked against him. He came out of the race well and I had him work lightly up the hill course last week, and this week he worked on the flat. I think he’ll show improvement with the one race behind him. He has no problem training toward the left in morning work and I think he’ll be able to use his experience last time to his advantage this time. If the going is bad, I think things may get interesting.”

So Dazzling

Masanori Tanaka, assistant trainer
“Her most recent race, the Kyoto Himba Stakes was her first time over 1,400 meters, but she handled it well and I think that helped her get the final kick that clinched it for her. Part of the reason we decided to take on an even shorter race was because the jockey (Yutaka Take) thought it would suit her. Of course, we won’t know until we try it, but every time we’ve shortened her race, she’s given us good results and I think that overall the shorter distances make things easier for her. We gave her a bit of time off after the Kyoto Himba Stakes and she came back to the training center on March 9. She worked alongside another horse last week, and she clocked 51.4 seconds over the four furlongs at a time of morning when the surface was rough. She is in full bloom now. Yutaka Take rode her up the hill on Wednesday for some fine-tuning and she had pool work the next day. She has a great turn of foot and I’m hoping she can race on a fast track. It’ll be her first Grade 1 since the Yuchun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and I’m looking forward to seeing how well she can do.”

T M Spada

Kazuyoshi Kihara, trainer
“She was able to run her own race last time out in the Silk Road Stakes, but it was her first race after a layoff and she still had excess and she wasn’t able to hold her ground. Because there was a bit of time between that race and this one, I gave her some time off at the farm. Since returning, things have gone smoothly. I did feel she was still a bit heavy, so she worked over the woodchip course last week. It was a long workout and her movement was satisfactory. She seems to have improved this workout. We worked her up the hill course this week. I don’t plan to have her race from too far back, but just hoping she can run her own race. If she can travel with saving something left for the finish, that would be ideal.”

Toshin Macau

Mizuki Takayanagi, trainer
“He was looking much more filled out when he returned to the training center from the farm. Some of it was his having matured, but he did seem to have some excess too. On the day of his last race (the Ocean Stakes on March 2) he was a bit heavy still, but the outside draw allowed him to get a good position without any interference and he gave it a solid run to the end. He came out of the race better than I thought he would and he has come along well since. This time, there will be only two full weeks between races, so his final workout this Wednesday should be sufficient. I think he’s a bit leaner now too. He’s better racing to the right than to the left, so the switch to Chukyo is not a plus, but I think if the ground is not horrifically bad as it was last year, he should be able to handle it. He has grown and added power and I think he has a chance if things come together well for him.”

Win Carnelian

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“Last year at the Breeders’ Cup, we’d also been looking at a 1,000-meter race, so after discussing it with the owner, we thought we’d change direction and try a 1,200-meter race. After his last race, the Tokyo Shimbun Hai, we gave him a bit of time off and he returned to the training center looking very full of life. He’s had two workouts a week, and even though he has now turned 7 years old, with his relatively easy race schedule, he’s looking very energetic. Last week’s fast work was on the woodchip course and it was a hard one, so this week I wanted to lay off him. This will be his first start at 1,200 meters and I am a bit concerned, but he has good speed and if he at least breaks well, I know I can count on him to do his best. It’ll also be his first time at Chukyo, but he has raced at a lot of tracks, including overseas, so I’m not worried. He has always been a bit slow away, so the break will be key. He hasn’t had much experience with a poor track condition, but he is powerful and I think he’ll be able to handle it.”

Win Marvel

Masashi Fukayama, trainer
“In his last race, the Hanshin Hai, he had a gate relatively to the inside. I was a bit concerned about how he’d start with the heavy ground, but he broke well and got a good position. Also, even with the heavy going, he gained ground nicely. I had the impression that he was showing more strength than he ever has before. Since last fall, he has been working more in tune with his rider in morning work. e He has matured mentally, and with that, his overall training has improved. He stayed at the training center after his last race and I saw nothing to raise concern. He was being ridden from the weekend right after his last race. This week, he worked on the woodchip flat with another horse. His workout last week was pretty strong, so this week, keeping the trip to the track in mind, I didn’t want him to overdo it. Even so, without overdoing it, he was able to get a good time with a final furlong of 11.2 seconds. Since it’s only 1,200 meters this time, the start, draw and the track condition are all going to be key factors. Last year, a number of factors, such as the weather and the draw, didn’t work in his favor. I’m hoping the track will be at least somewhat better.”