Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) - Comments for Japan-based runners
NOTE: All are 2-year-old fillies
Arma Veloce
Arma Veloce
Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“In her first race, she won wire to wire but in this last race, the Sapporo Nisai Stakes, she raced from further back, midfield, and it was a good race (finished second by a nose). Since she’s still maturing, there are a lot of issues, but I think she performed very well against colts. She has good racing sense and ability. She went to the farm after that race and came back about a month ago. It looks like she’ll continue to improve, and up to now she has followed an ideal growth curve. A week ago (on Nov. 28) she worked under the jockey (Mirai Iwata) on the woodchip course with another horse as training partner. There were no problems with her movement and everything is coming along well. She has given us good results over 1,800 meters up to now and I do think she is better with the longer distance. But, since we do have our eye on the classics, we can’t avoid the mile. I’m hoping she’ll show us her ability over this distance as well.” |
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Brown Ratchet
Brown Ratchet
Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“She’d drawn an inside gate for the Artemis Stakes, so she didn’t have to cover extra ground. She got a good position and displayed a really nice kick in the finish. She got regular work at the farm and came back to Miho last week in good condition. Her body condition and her breathing are both at almost 100 percent, so this week I just breezed her alongside another horse on the woodchip course to check her rhythm. Both her movement and her work were good and since she’s almost at peak physically, I just wanted to check her rhythm. Everything looked good. This will be the first time she hauls to Kyoto and it will be on Fraiday. Being mentally strong, it probably won’t affect her much and likely won’t put her at a disadvantage. She’s very mature and easy to handle. Christophe Lemaire commented that her maneuverability was good. In work, she follows the rider’s instructions and stays calm. For now, there’s nothing that needs to improve. She’s a top-class filly and you don’t find horses like her often. She heads into the G1 with a 2 for 2 record. She’s not that big, but she has a whole lot of power.” |
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Caught Alliciant
Caught Alliciant
Daishi Ito, trainer
“She wasn’t running smoothly in the Niigata Nisai Stakes, and was all over the place. Still, she did get in front at one point and finished second. Her performance had both pros and cons, but I’m satisfied and am once again reminded of how much talent she has. She had enough earnings, so from early on I decided that this would be her next race. She came back from the farm on Nov. 15. She has grown and her weight is up to 450 kg. Keita Tosaki rode her work last week (Nov. 27) and this week again (Dec. 4). He got a reading on a lot of things. Her rhythm is good and I think he was happy with the way she felt. She should be able to handle the course. I’ll have her prepared to the fullest and hope she’ll be in top condition on race day.” |
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Dantsu Elan
Dantsu Elan
Masaru Honda, trainer
“In the Fantasy Stakes, the jockey (Taisei Danno) followed my instructions and he did a very fine job of riding, keeping something in reserve until the very end, and there she really let roar. It was a race just as I had imagined it. Then again, the jockey seemed to have imagined she could win if she’d raced from much further forward. The ground was sloppy, but she found some good ground to run on, but I still think she does better on fast ground. Since then she has been coming along just fine. She had a good solid workout with nice footwork on Nov. 27 over a heavy woodchip course. That said, she always looks very nice in work. The ground is pretty rough at Kyoto and I do wonder if she’ll be OK on that. But there’s nothing to be done about it. I think she has ample chance of giving us a very good race.” |
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Jardinier
Yutaka Okumura, trainer
“In the post parade for the Aster Sho, jockey Keita Tosaki said she’d been acting up a bit. Her sister Highland Lynx was like this too and this horse doesn’t seem to be very straightforward. She’ll suck back right at the decisive moment in a race and I think this does affect things. I do think she’ll be able to improve but… After the Aster Sho, she had some time off at the farm, and returned to Ritto on Nov. 15. There was no big physical change but she did seem mentally refreshed. Being that she’s a difficult horse, I wanted the jockey (Yuichi Kitamura) to get a reading on that, so I had him ride work on Nov. 28. I had her work on the outside of another horse and she finished a bit behind. This week, she was on the inside and the two horses finished together. I’ve been given her different training situations so she can learn to draw on her strength no matter what the situation. Hopefully, she’ll be able to bring that out in the race.” |
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June Eos
Hidenori Take, trainer
“She returned to the training center on Nov. 27 and everything has been going smoothly. She has power and, looking at her footwork, I think she can do well over a rough surface. From her pedigree she’s likely to do well on dirt. But, since she tends to race on the pace, I think she’ll be suited to grass as well. Also, this time of year the ground is pretty rough, which should work in her favor.”
Mirai Iwata, jockey
(after her win Oct. 26 at Kyoto)
"We had an inside gate so I went to the front. She pulled away in the final meters and it was a strong race. She does get tense, as fillies tend to do, and that is something of a concern.” |
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Kawakita Mana Lea
Kawakita Mana Lea
Yoshiaki Sugiyama, trainer
“I’m sorry about her result in the Fantasy Stakes, since she was the race favorite, but the draw, the going, and the fact that the pace was slow for a graded stakes race, were all factors. Amid all that, the jockey was very careful taking her over the ups and downs of the Kyoto course, so she still had something left for the final stage. I think she’ll definitely take something away from that for this race. Since there were a full 5 weeks between races, I sent her to the farm for 2 weeks and she came back calm and relaxed, so I think it was very good break for her. The jockey (Katsuma Sameshima) rode her over 6 furlongs on the woodchip course last week (Nov. 28) and everything went well. It being Kyoto, I think the mile will be fine for her. I’m eager to see what kind of race she’ll give us.” |
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Kurino Mei
Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“Before going to the Saffron Sho, and with Orfevre as her sire, I worried about how tense the trip to Nakayama would make her. But she was able to give her all in the race with no problem and she performed well without giving us any nonsense. And for her to have won in such a close race showed me she has guts and is competitive. After deciding to aim her at this G1, things have progressed smoothly. On Nov. 27, she worked over the course. A slow overall time was fine but I gave instructions to cover the final furlong in 11-some seconds. It was a good solid workout. Her best lies ahead and I think she’ll start to shine as the distance gets longer. This time it’s a G1 and the lineup is strong. I’m mainly interested in seeing how well she can do, but if it does rain and softens the track, that will be a plus.” |
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Lily Field
S. Uegaito, assistant trainer
“Once she’s in the gate, she’s OK. She’ll break sharply like she did last start in the Momiji Stake. But she does get stubborn about loading, so there still are issues there. She went to the farm after the Momiji, and when she returned to the training center we prepared her while taking pains to not let her get too worked up. Last week working over the woodchip course, I didn’t overdo it but let her move at her own pace. This time she’ll be loaded early into the gate. There will be more horses in the race and more fans in the stands. If she runs in amid the pack, she tends to get unbalanced, but I think Yutaka Take understands that well and will probably have her travel toward the back and let her rip in the final stage. I do think 1,600 meters is a little bit long and, yes, there are definitely a lot of issues to consider.” |
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Meant to Be
Takeshi Horiuchi, trainer
“In her last race, the Dahlia Sho, I had actually planned to have her stay off the pace and keep something in reserve, but the pace turned out to be too slow so the jockey moved her up earlier than planned. She was able to continue running balanced even at the front and her drive in the final stage was a solid one. The time was slow but it was good race. With the long trip to the track in mind, I had her work hard last week (Nov. 28) on the woodchip course. The jockey (Masami Matsuoka) said she was better than she’d been the week before. I think just light work this week will be fine and things have gone as planned. She’s versatile and can run any race so the course isn’t something to be concerned about. She’s agile, so I think she’ll execute the course well. It’s a G1 and the others are strong so I can’t make any claims, but she’s in good shape and I hope she’ll give it her best.” |
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Mistress
Mistress
Yukihiko Araki, assistant trainer
“After her debut win at Niigata there was only 1 full week in between before she ran in the Artemis Stakes at Tokyo, so we did our best during that time to keep her relaxed and she didn’t lose much weight during the trip to the track. And I think that really helped (finished 2nd). After that, she went to the farm to refresh and returned to the training center on Nov. 19. As usual, she was well filled-out, and hasn’t lost condition. She worked over the woodchip course with an older horse last week (Nov. 27). It was later in the morning and I think she moved well. She has always been a bit of a handful and for a filly she’s a big eater. I think her best racing style is to race from off the pace. She’s gotten good with training in a string and I think that work will stand her well in the race.” |
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Mozu Nana Star
Mozu Nana Star
Yukihiko Araki, assistant trainer
“After the Canna Stakes, she finished second in the Fantasy Stakes. She needed just a little bit more. She really hung in there, going wire to wire and missing it by only a nose. She has also gotten good results when she stalked the pace, and having added another running style to her repertoire is definitely going to be a strongpoint from here on. She had a bit of time off after the Fantasy Stakes and returned to the training center on Nov. 21. I’d never thought of her as being a good mover in trackwork but last week (Nov. 27) I had the jockey (Kanta Taguchi) ride and her time and her footwork up the hill were both good. She’s coming along well. She has done well over poor ground and I think she might even be able to handle dirt. She’s versatile and I think she has a lot of options. The extra furlong is going to be key, but the ground at Kyoto now being pretty rough, so she might be able to take advantage of it to overcome the extra distance.” |
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Run for Vow
Run for Vow
Yuichi Fukunaga, trainer
“In gate practice, she breaks well, but in her debut race and the second race she was slow away and wasn’t able to keep pace. Finally, in the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes she was able to start well and give us what I knew she had. Her early speed was good, but she was a bit lacking in the finish. It was a performance that did show me where her limit was as far as the distance goes. From the beginning, to look at her, to ride her, I feel that her best trip would be about 1,400 meters, maybe even 1,200. But, her maneuverability is excellent and that makes me think she can handle 1,600. And, she won a G2 amid colts with a good performance and is maturing nicely. She is a bit difficult but not as far as her ability to maneuver goes. In her second start, she moved out from the inside and won and that was a very good experience for her. She stayed at the training center after her last race and we haven’t pushed her much. Her times and the quality of her footwork have been good. This week we just did a final check, but she got a better time than expected. And she did that easily, so I think we may see improvement from her last start. I never thought I’d be winning graded races and aiming for a G1 the very year I opened my stable. To have met a horse like this was a great good fortune. Her win over the same course is a strongpoint and I’m hoping to finish in the top spots.” |
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Shonan Xanadu
Shonan Xanadu
Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“In her last race, I think there was quite a difference in the ground between the inside and the outside. Her position was further back than I had expected, but she ran well in the final stage, which, considering the races to come, should stand her well. I think the Kyoto mile on the outer course will suit her. All has gone smoothly in her preparation and she really moved well in fastwork last week. Her time over the last two laps was 11.8-11.8 and the jockey riding (Kenichi Ikezoe) said she was better than the last time. She has definitely improved with that one sharpener after she returned from time off. She has measured up well in a graded race (the Artemis Stakes) with little difference (0.2 seconds) between her (third place) and the winner. Also, this time the trip to the Kyoto track will be much shorter than her last race, which is a plus.”
Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey:
(after finishing third at Tokyo Oct. 26)
“The experience of a long trip to the racetrack was good for her and her footwork in the post parade was nice. I was reminded of what a good horse she is. She has a difficult temperament and she got worked up behind the gate. She did settle well midfield, but the switch to the B Course and the pace both served to give the inside the advantage, while she was gaining ground up the outside. If she can calm down a bit more she has the power to do well.” |
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Sourire Mignon
Sourire Mignon
Atsushi Nishioka, assistant trainer
“Drawing the far inside gate in the Fantasy Stakes was not a plus. She had to race where the ground was the worst. And, just as she was starting to settle down, she turned out of the backstretch and met with Kyoto’s downward slope. It was difficult getting her well in hand. The pace was slow and I don’t think the results reflected her ability. Last week on Nov. 28, she worked with a training partner and had the jockey, Manami Nagashima, ride. When the rider signaled her to pick it up, she responded immediately and moved ahead of the other horse. She and the rider worked well together and, compared to her last race, her condition seems to have improved a bit. We had already decided to aim her at this G1 when she won the Kikyo Stakes (Sept. 14). Key will be how well she can settle over 1,600 meters. I think her having to wait patiently in the Fantasy Stakes was a very good experience for her and I hope she can draw on that experience this Sunday.” |
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Teleos La La
Teleos La La
Toshiaki Tajima, trainer
“In her most recent race, the Hagi Stakes, there was no waffling, she ran straight and true and won and that was the biggest gain. I think it was a much better race than when she’d won the maiden. At the farm, things went along well and when she returned to Miho, her movement looked fine. A week ago (Nov. 27), she worked over the woodchip course with another horse. Her time was slower than what I’d asked for, but Mirco Demuro got a good reading on her. I have no concerns about her condition. This is her first mile and I think she’ll be able to handle it. It will also be Kyoto’s second meet in a row, which means the times probably won’t be that fast, which is a plus. How she’ll do racing in amid the other horses is more a concern than the distance. There will be horses that have raced over shorter distances and if she’s positioned behind them, I don’t know how that will pan out. The final 3-furlong times of the past two races have been fast and her responses are not that fast, so her footwork is going to be key.” |
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Vip Daisy
Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“In the Shigiku Sho, the pace was slow and she was a bit impatient in the early stages, but unlike her debut race, she made good headway and ran well all the way to the end. I think it was a good performance. She has never moved all that well in trackwork, and last week (Nov. 27) I had her work with a training partner and that horse beat her to the end. This one got a good workout though and this week we worked her up the hill with a bit of encouragement at the end. She’s been eating well and I think her physical condition is about the same as it was for her last race. Then she was impatient, but it’s 1,600 meters this time, the pace should be stronger, so I’m not worried. She can race from any position, so I’m looking forward to seeing how she’ll do.” |
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Sources: Keiba Book, Netkeiba, Gallop, Radio Nikkei
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