Admire Belle

Yukihiro Kato, trainer
“She’s kept her condition, and we’ve quickened her up at the finish in training, which I think has been good enough. She’s quite switched on, and is better this time than before her last run. The pace was good for her in her last race, and as she doesn’t pull, the distance of 2,400 meters this time should be good for her. I hope she’ll run smoothly in the backstraight, and I think she can adjust and respond to a fast pace. I’ll look forward to her run here, as this has been her target.”

Cervinia

Tetsuya Kimura, trainer
“She’s better than before her last race, and she’s come on for her training, so there are positives with her. I think she’ll get into the flow of the race running left-handed, and the extra distance shouldn’t be a problem. The return of jockey Christophe Lemaire is another plus.”

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“She’s had a good enough workload, working with another horse and running over a distance. She seems a lot stronger now, and in the space of a couple of weeks, she’s done a lot and has responded well. Her footwork’s lighter, and we’ll just keep checking on her as the race approaches.”

Yoshinori Muto, trainer
“She was a bit tired after her last race, so we skipped the Flora Stakes, and so thinking of the Oaks, this has been the rotation for her. She’s been ridden patiently in training, but it’s been good to get her to use her big stride at the finish of her routine. This seems to suit her way of running, and I have a good image of her in an actual race. She’s in good condition, and has already achieved a strong win at Tokyo. Since she was a young horse, I’ve thought of the Oaks for her. Now she’s in the race, I want her to do her best.”

Toshiaki Tajima, trainer
“She’s come along as expected, and has worked on the woodchip course these past two weeks with the jockey (Yusuke Hara). The horse is a lot steadier now after a period of time. She’s not one to pick up speed quickly, but more the type to use her big stride over a distance, so I think the extra trip this time will help her. The Tokyo course should be good for her too. She wouldn’t want too much speed in the race, so any rain on the day to soften the ground would be a plus for her.”

Koganeno Sora

Takanori Kikuzawa, trainer
“She’s been eating well, and came out of her last race with no damage. She’s a tough horse. In training, she’s been moving in her usual way and posting good times, but we’ve also made sure she doesn’t get tired. She’s run well at Tokyo before, and the jockey (Yukito Ishikawa) knows what to do. If she finds a good rhythm in this next race, I think she can run well over 2,400 meters. Being by Gold Ship, some give in the ground would help her. I’ll look forward to how she can run against this strong opposition.”

Yutaka Okumura, trainer
“We’ve been able to keep things constant with her, and one point is to keep her calm, as she does have a difficult side to her, but she’s improving gradually. The top finishers in the Oka Sho are strong, but I feel there’s not such a difference between her and them. Even though she does things in her own way, she does have ability. I don’t worry about the distance of the race, nor the other strong horses, but just want her to show her best.”

Kazuo Yokoyama, jockey
“Talking to the training staff, I’ve managed to get a feel for the horse. We don’t know about the 2,400 meters, with a different flow to the race than her other ones, but she doesn’t give me anything to worry about.”

Lavanda

Naoya Nakamura, trainer
“She’s worked on the woodchip course, and is always a horse that moves well, but we don’t overdo things with her. She’s recovered from her last race, when she had lost weight, and we can look to this one with her. She ran well enough last time over a distance for the first time, and the race is an extra two furlongs this time, but if things work out, I think she can run alright over 2,400 meters, as she doesn’t pull. The start is in front of the stands, and I hope she’ll be fine with that. If she runs in a relaxed way, it’ll be interesting to see what she can do.”

Light Back

Taiki Chaki, trainer
“She’s moved well in her recent training, and her weight is at 478kg, which is about what I would like to see her maintain. I have no complaints about her. She looks more than capable of running over 2,400 meters among other fillies of the same age, but we don’t quite know how the race will be run. It’ll be important for her to be relaxed in the race however things turn out.”  

Mi Anhelo

Toru Hayashi, trainer
“She’s been eating well, and it’s been good to have her calm, as this is important for her. She seems to get better for her races. In her last piece of work this week, she moved very well, so all’s gone according to plan. It’ll be her first time to race left-handed and over 2,400 meters, so they are a couple of challenges for her. She ran a good race last time, and it’s all about her being relaxed, so that she can run in a controlled way.”

Akihide Tsumura, jockey
“She runs smoothly left-handed, and she’s quite calm. I think the extended distance of the race will be fine, but it’s her first time at Tokyo, so we’ll have to see how she does. She has a nice big stride, so I’m not worried about her getting into the race well.”

Koichi Shintani, trainer
“She’s been fine since returning from the farm. She’s only a small filly, but I don’t worry about that. We’re thinking to just drop her in behind horses in the race this time, as she doesn’t have to lead. The distance shouldn’t be a problem, but she’ll need to find a good rhythm that matches her breathing.”

Queen’s Walk

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“She didn’t get to run so well from an inside gate in the Oka Sho, but this has been her target race since the spring. Her condition’s good, and so too her balance when she runs. The transportation to the track isn’t a worry, and I want to believe in the strength she has to run a good race.”

Taku Fukunaga, assistant trainer
“She recently weighed 524kg, but by the time of this race, she should be about the same as she was for the Oka Sho. She’s traveled over to Tokyo before when she won the Queen Cup, so everything should be smooth traveling over again. We won’t know about the 2,400 meters of the race this time until we try, but I want her to show her best.”

Safira

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“She’s filled out more since coming back to the stable. She’s worked on the woodchip course, and in this last week, a steady gallop on the uphill track should be enough. Her footwork’s nice and light, so she’s running well. All the horses in the race are trying 2,400 meters for the first time, but it’ll be good if she handles things well. Hopefully she’ll manage the long transportation to the track, and as a precaution we’ll get her there a day early.”

Kohei Matsuyama, jockey
“She runs straight, and it’s really a question of how she’ll do over 2,400 meters, and whether she can get into the flow of the race.”

Shonan Manuela

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“The jockey (Yasunari Iwata) did a good job in her last race. We’ve kept the horse at the stable for all three of her races this spring, and she improves gradually. We’ve worked on her running with a good rhythm in training, and have also given her some gate practice to try and keep her still in the gate. In this next race too, I’d like to see her get to the front and run with her own rhythm, which is the best for her. She should be fine racing left-handed.”

Stellenbosch

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“The race jockey (Keita Tosaki) has been getting used to riding her, and reports that she’s easy to ride and has been moving well. Her appetite’s good, and her weight should be about the same as the last time she ran. She has good muscles and looks sharp, and her rhythm is good. I’ve always thought a race over a longer distance would suit her. I don’t have to worry about anything with her. She’s by Epiphaneia, so she’s quite relaxed, and with the race at Tokyo this time, where she has already won, I look forward to a good run from her again.”

Keita Tosaki, jockey
“Riding her for the first time, I wondered what to expect, but she’s an easy horse to ride, and feels light. I don’t think the distance of the race is a problem, and I can decide on tactics from the way she starts, as I think the draw doesn’t really matter. I really want to do my best and get a result with her.”

Koichi Shintani, trainer
“She’s been at the stable since her last race, and has done well in training. The jockey last time said she could get further in a race, and I don’t worry about her finding a good rhythm when she runs. She transported a long way for her last race, and she didn’t lose weight, so she’s in the clear on those points. Her preparations generally go smoothly before a race, and she’s able to do things well herself, with the condition she’s in. The way to ride her will be the key this time, and I hope things work out for her in the race.”

Sweep Feet

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“She’s better now she’s a 3-year-old. We haven’t overdone things with her, bearing in mind she has to transport over to Tokyo. She’s looked good in her recent work on the uphill training track. It’s all about seeing out the 2,400 meters this time, and until we try, we won’t know, although the jockey said at the time of the Oka Sho, she would be able to get further. On her breeding, the distance should be fine. It would be good if she could use her closing speed like last time in the Oaks.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“She ran a good race in the Oka Sho, even if it took just a little time for her to get going. No other horse in the race has run over 2,400 meters, but I think the long Tokyo straight will suit her, and I hope she’ll find a good rhythm in the race.”

Tagano Elpida

Takashi Saito, trainer
“She recovered well after her last race, and we haven’t pushed her too hard in training, but she’s in the condition I would expect, and she’s been closing well at the finish in training.  She’s from a pedigree where horses with the same bloodline have run well over long distances, so I don’t think 2,400 meters, or how the race is run, will be a problem for her. She generally starts well, doesn’t pull, and knows how to race. She’s a horse that will improve more from now, but I’m interested to see how she can perform at this current stage of her career.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“She’s switched on, but at the same time is an easy horse to ride. She also has good racing sense.”

Masaaki Koga, trainer
“She had a break at Northern Farm Tenei after her last race, which she came out of well. She’s in good shape after returning to the stable, and there doesn’t seem to be any change with her. There are strong horses in the race, but Pure Brise (her dam) finished second in the Oaks, and her mother was a winner too, so I want Windstille to do her best as well.”