Blow the Horn

Sho Tajima, assistant trainer
“The Hanshin Daishoten last out was his first race since he moved from the stable of Eiji Nakano. He raced only after he’d gotten accustomed to the new surroundings and our training routine, and he looked like he was OK staying in tune with the rider. But during the race, he got pretty keen. Still, he was able to finish only a neck behind the runnerup and showed that he has ample strength. Considering that last performance, we changed his bit and are concentrating on getting him cover behind another horse. And we’re teaching him to be patient even when a horse closes in on him from behind. He worked over the course last week and he’s coming along as expected. He will do well over 3,200 meters, and the Kyoto outer course is a straightforward course. I have higher expectations of him than I had for his last race.”

Chuck Nate

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“He came back to the training center on March 27 with this race as our target. He’s not a very good eater, so we’ve continued to give him GastroGard (omeprazole) and take other measures to keep him eating, but he still leaves some of his feed. He weighed 488 kg after work on April 11 and 485 kg on April 18, and his eating has remained the same. I’d like to do the fine-tuning right before the race so we pushed him hard last week and his responses were good. He took the bit and maintained his concentration. And his breathing was good considering how fast his time was. There has been quite a bit of time between races so his coat and body condition are both good. Taking into account the current weather I think he’ll be leaner for this race. He doesn’t have great acceleration but he has stamina and I think this stage suits him.”

Deep Bond

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“I’ll have to admit that having come this far, we can’t very well expect any further growth out of him. After his last race (the Hanshin Daishoten on March 17), I changed his training routine after returning to Ritto. I decided the type of training he was getting just wasn’t working for him, so I switched to more slow work over distance. After entering the course I have him do two full laps. Jockey Hideaki Miyuki rode him last week on the woodchip course and I had him urge the horse on and take the lead. The sheen on his coat is good and he’s looking to be in good shape. It’s gotten warmer now, which I think suits him better. He’s finished second for 3 years in a row and I don’t see that his performances are deteriorating. I’m hoping he’ll try his best.”

Durezza

Tomohito Ozeki, trainer
“The Kikuka Sho really took a lot out of him, so his second place in the Kinko Sho was in part due to the time needed to get him back to his best. He’s still immature physically, too soft in places, too tight in others, so we had to prepare him for the race while being careful he doesn’t tense up. I think his result last race reflected the fact that his preparation had been more for a preliminary race. Even so, it was his first 2,000-meter race in a long time and in the final stage he gave it his all. I think that will definitely stand him well this time out. There haven’t been any repercussions from moving him to Ritto. He’s fully recovered and there’s no more tension or overly soft areas. On April 17 he worked under Keita Tosaki and alongside another horse. That horse could move so it was a good hard workout. He should have improved after that. He is definitely improving as he heads toward the G1. I can’t say the distance is welcome, but with the way he’s looking now, I think he’ll be able to handle it.”

Ryo Terashima, trainer
Her most recent start, the Shorai Stakes (3 wins class, Hanshin) started in the backstretch. She was good in the gate and I could watch the race without getting worried since she did a good job handling the 3,000 meters. She went to the farm after that and there they got her in good shape and she came back to the training center looking good. With the warmer temperatures now, she looks to be in even better shape than before. She handled the heavy ground well last time out and I think she can run well over any ground. The jump up in class will be tough but I’m looking forward to seeing how she’ll do.”

Ryuji Okubo, trainer
“To be honest, I had no idea if he’d do well last time in the open-class Osaka-Hamburg Cup, his first race on turf. We just had to try it and see. But, just where he started to pick it up in the stretch, the lane closed up on him and he wasn’t able to take advantage of his speed. The jockey also said the horse had just picked it up when he got shut down. He would have some hoof pain after the race, but this time he is fine and he recovered from the last race quickly. His performance on grass wasn’t bad and I thought it was good enough that he could take on a Grade 1 challenge. He has a strong heart, and he has stamina. I’m hoping he’ll be able to show us some good racing.”

Matenro Leo

Masaki Kon, assistant trainer
“He has always had a difficult temperament, and last race he had the bit in his teeth the whole way. Still, in his most recent race, the Grade 2 Nikkei Sho (2,500 meters, Nakayama), he just missed third place by a nose. I think he showed his strength. A week out, he had a long workout on the woodchip course. It was a hard workout and he’s switched on now both mentally and physically. He did quite well here last year (fifth place) so I don’t foresee any problems. The gate and the position will, naturally, be factors. It’s hard to tell with him. We won’t know if he’s going to be in a bad mood on raceday and not run. We get him in shape and we’ll leave the rest up to jockey Norihiro Yokoyama.”

Meisho Breguet

Masaru Honda, trainer
“In the Hanshin Daishoten, racing from the 13th position like he did, would definitely make for a difficult race, but as he often does, he showed us some good footwork in the final stage (finished eighth). I think he ran his own race even amid the graded-stakes lineup. I’ve been aiming him here all along. He’s been racing regularly and, most importantly, everything has gone smoothly. Last week as well, he looked good and if he goes to the race in the shape he’s in now, he won’t be lacking. He likes a long stretch, so that’s a plus, and his best venue is Kyoto, so another plus as well. He can pick up speed going down the slope turning out of the backstretch and gain ground from there. The competition is stiff, but he has been improving and things may go in his favor if he can use his long, late speed to his advantage.”

Yutaka Okumura, trainer
“She used the No. 1 gate to her advantage in the Hanshin Daishoten and traveled well to finish in fourth place. And, she didn’t seem to have any difficulties over the heavy track. She went to the farm for a bit after that race, recovered quickly, and last week she completed a hard workout. Looking at her condition, I didn’t see a need to push her hard this week. It’s the first time in a while that her races are pretty close together and I think she’ll show improvement this time out. She wasn’t in bad shape for the Manyo Stakes but I don’t think she went all out. The downward slope out of the backstretch is probably not a plus for her. She’s actually better at Hanshin. But, she’s the type that will try even harder where the others are having difficulties. Key will be how well she can do if it comes down to quick race time.”

Saliera

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“The 3,400-meter Diamond Stakes was her first time over the distance but she gave it a solid run. She had the bit in her teeth in the first half, but she gained ground nicely in the final stage. She had the weight advantage, but the horse that beat her (T O Royal) also won strongly in his next race (the Hanshin Daishoten). She went to the farm to refresh and returned to Miho on April 10. She moved to Ritto on April 11 and worked alongside a horse from another stable on April 17. Everything looks fine. Last autumn, she also prepared at Ritto for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (finished sixth 0.3 seconds off the winner), but this time she’s looking much better. She has kept the condition she had for her last race. It’ll be the first time for Yutaka Take to ride, but he certainly has a lot of experience over the long distance and I think he’s particularly good in this race (Take has eight wins of the spring Tenno Sho). Saliera will be competing against the horse who beat her last out, but I think if she has just a bit of extra left in the finish she can close the gap.”

Savona

Masaaki Shibata, assistant trainer
“He had a tough trip in the Hanshin Daishoten and he wasn’t able to respond as he usually does. It would have helped if he’d had more room to move. On top of that, the ground was worse than expected and that made for a tough race. Two weeks ago, we gave him a hard piece of training working alone and his movement was good. Last week, the jockey rode and had him start far behind another horse and then chase and catch him. For a moment he passed the other horse. It was a good workout and things have been going smoothly. He needed a bit more last race, but the condition of the track was a factor. His footwork is good and it’s best if he has a fast track. It’s a G1 and the members are strong, but I think he’s suited to long distances and it looks like he’ll go to the gate in good shape. I’m hoping for a smooth trip.”

Masaaki Shibata, assistant trainer
“In his most recent race, the 2,600-meter Osaka-Hamburg Cup, he was very even-keeled. And, he displayed good footwork over the final stage. He had had a sharpener for that race and he showed improvement, but he also did run very nicely. He worked up the hill course last week. It was a hard workout and he responds well to hard work. Everything is going smoothly. Looking at his most recent race, I think he’ll be well in tune with the rider and I don’t think the distance will pose any problems. I think he’ll race from toward the back, and I’m hoping the race unfolds in a way that will work in his favor.”

Silver Sonic

Yuki Iwasaki, assistant trainer
“We decided not to take him abroad, so the time between races was quite long gong in to the Hanshin Daishoten. I had the feeling that he ran out of wind in the final stage, something that couldn’t be helped. Yutaka Take didn’t overdo it in the finish so the horse was able to come out of the race well. In fact, he’s a little more on his toes than usual. I think we can look forward to some improvement too. He’s never been a great mover in morning work, but even when you consider that, I think he showed us some good speed over the last furlong in his trackwork on April 18 (on the woodchip flat). We’ve always had confidence in his stamina and he doesn’t seem his age at all. I’m expecting improvement this time out.”

Mamoru Ishibashi, trainer
“He’s had two wins in a row, one at the 2-win class, then the 3-win. At Kokura in the race before last, he raced toward the rear, but he had a great run and soon made his way to the front to win. Last race, even though the going was heavy, he displayed a great turn of foot in the final stage. After that, I aimed him for here. I didn’t send him to the farm, and kept him at the training center to prepare. Last week, he worked on the woodchip course in what was a good solid piece of work. This time it’s 3,200 meters, but looking at his last two starts (2,400 meters and 2,600 meters) I don’t think the extra distance will pose any problem. But, he’s moving up in class to a G1 as his first open-class race. The competition takes a huge leap upward. Given his current condition, we’ll just have to see how well he can do.”

T O Royal

Atsushi Obayashi, assistant trainer
“He was raring to run in the Hanshin Daishoten and the jockey had a lot of horse under him the whole way. When he urged him on T O Royal responded with some very solid running. And the rain just before race start didn’t seem to make things any harder for him. Of course, we went in to the race aiming to win but I think that win has given us even more confidence. The horse came out of the race well and didn’t seem tired at all from the next day. He was back on his feet as always. He worked over the woodchip course last week, working alone. We pushed him quite hard and I think the rider got a good reading on him. The horse seems to have improved even more. Everything about his prep has gone smoothly. The competition will take a step up but there’s nowhere this horse comes up short. He has come into his own now. The times have a tendency to become fast at Kyoto in the spring, but I’m not particularly concerned. He has ample stamina and with the condition he’s in presently I think he has ample chance. I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Tastiera

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“From 2 weeks ago, his weight had returned almost to what it was before his last race. He’s on his toes now and we clocked him up the hill course on April 14 in what was a good workout. April 18 was his 1-week-out workout, but it was also his first fast work since his last race. The aim was to not overdo it, but to keep him concentrating and only push him to the point where he still wasn’t overextending himself. Holding him back just a bit, he gave us some good fast laps and when the other horse started gaining on him, this one’s ears went up. In the stretch, he concentrated while running alongside the other horse, and there was no sign of DDSP (dorsal displacement of the soft palate), the intermittent airway obstruction that can occur during high-intensity work. I think his movement has improved. He weighed 502 kg after that workout. Looking at his condition and his body, I still can’t find a reason for his losing his last race. He hadn’t been eating well after shipping west and had left 80 percent of both his morning and evening feed the day before the race. It’s not a venue where he doesn’t run but looking at his last result, I can’t really say how he’ll do. I’ll just keep my thinking cap on as we head in to this race.”

Warp Speed

Noboru Takagi, trainer
“For the Hanshin Daishoten, I really thought he’d travel closer to the front. But, he came out of the gate rather sluggishly and raced from quite far back. He isn’t the sharpest mover but he did get inside at the crucial moment and gained ground from there. He kept on doggedly, gaining over the last furlong, but the winner was too strong. That horse got ahead and this one finished in second, which was in some ways, not to be helped. He stayed at the training center after that. He’s not the flashiest horse in work, but he has come along as usual. Since he’s been able to race over 3,000 meters and up, he’s been much more consistent and I think he has good stamina. I wish he’d be a bit more agile, but Kosei Miura is used to riding him and he has won with him. Although I think the horse can handle bad ground, I don’t want him to have to race on it. I’m hoping for a fast track on raceday.”