Danon McKinley

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“His last race was the Hong Kong Chairman’s Sprint, where he finished last among 13 runners. He ran well-balanced and looked good under way. However, he suffered a nosebleed, which means the results of this race can be disregarded. After returning to Japan, he spent time at the farm and then returned to Ritto just short of a month ago. On Sep. 18, he worked on the woodchip course and looked good, which was likely due to his clocking 10-some seconds over the final furlong the previous week. He has never been a high-strung horse, but recently he’s even more relaxed. The two graded races he has won were both over 1,400 meters, but he has the speed to handle this distance as well. He’s talented and he runs solidly in the final stage. Depending, of course, on the way the race unfolds, I think he has a chance.”

Drop of Light

Yuichi Fukunaga, trainer
“The weekend of her last race, there was also the Centaur Stakes, but I decided to take on the Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap (over 1,600 meters at Nakayama), considering that a 1,200-meter event in the first week of a meet with a horse with late speed would be difficult. I didn’t think she’d be able to hold her ground behind the frontrunner, but she did, and the jockey did a real good job. I’d also considered the Swan Stakes, but after looking at other options decided to come here. She was in really good shape after the summer and has maintained that condition. The main thing is that she is in good enough shape to participate in a G1 despite her lack of earnings. The competition is tough, but anything can happen in the Nakayama 1,200 meters, and I think she’ll be able to get a good position at this distance. At Chukyo she clocked the fastest time over the final three furlongs (32.3 seconds in the Grade 3 CBC Sho, which was the fastest final three-furlong time in the history of Chukyo). I’m hoping she can hold her ground.”

June Blair

Hidenori Take, trainer
“In the Hakodate Sprint Stakes, she got squeezed in by the winning horse. And then in the CBC Sho, the winner went wire to wire. She couldn’t keep up with the flow in places when they were coming out of the backstretch. She’s had two starts during the summer and she hasn’t had any bleeding and her recoveries and preparation have gone smoothly. I think her hind legs are much better toned now than they had been for her most recent race. She’s looking well and I think her weight on race day may be down a bit from her last race. The competition is stiff so I’m planning on having her in tiptop shape on race day. In her last two starts, she lugged out a bit turning into the straight. It’s a Grade 1, so I’m hoping we can have that corrected by race day.”

Ka Pilina

Toshiaki Tajima, trainer
“She managed to get a good position in the Hakodate Sprint Stakes and really did well in the final stage. She’s very gutsy for a filly and was able to split the ranks. There was the option of trying to win the Summer Sprint Series, but there was also the concern about overdoing it in the hot weather, so this race became the next target. In the past, she has done well after a rather long spell, so we decided to come here without a prep. Since returning to Miho, all has gone well. Her time was good at Nakayama four starts ago in the Nanso Stakes, which she won. Her best over 1,200 meters is 1 minute, 6.6 seconds, which is the fastest among the lineups. She can handle a fast pace, a fast overall time, and a race that comes down to a fast finish. On Sep. 24, she worked up the hill course under my assistant and we had her chase and overtake another horse, which she did as planned. I think she moved well both in terms of overall time and her time in the final stage. She’s gotten results from an inside draw before and I think Nakayama does favor the inside, so an inside gate would be ideal."

Kangchenjunga

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“The farm did a really good job of getting him recovered and though he did look like he was returning from time off in the Centaur Stakes, he won it. Unlike how he had advanced up the far outside in the Hankyu Hai, in the Centaur Stakes, he split the ranks and gained ground powerfully, which made for a very good performance. He’d given it his all and, naturally, he was exhausted. We gave him ample time to get back on his feet, and he was ready from last week. Since there isn’t much time between races, we did have to push him quite a bit, but on Sep. 18 he went up the uphill without urging and he looked good. Everything is going well. Jockey Ryusei Sakai breezed him up the hill course this week on Sep. 24. The horse has put on muscle, and I have the impression that he’s stronger than before.”

Lugal

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“Last race was his second trip to Hong Kong. He seemed fine and I headed into the race confident that he would be able to give it his best. The jockey gave him a good ride and they were able to finish closer to the front than last year. Last year, he won the Sprinters Stakes after returning from a fracture, and this year I again thought it better to have him race fresh, so there was no prep race. He got a lot of exercise at the farm while enjoying his vacation and didn’t appear to suffer from the heat. Jockey Yuga Kawada rode work on Sep. 18 and they worked alongside another horse so as to get this one a bit fired up. He worked behind the other horse in the first half, and the goal was to get a good overall time and, since he’s back from time off, get him switched on. He looked good overall. I’m hoping for a good break and smooth sailing.”

Mama Cocha

Hiroshi Kanetake, assistant trainer
“When she returned to the training center, she was looking a bit chunky and still at the stage where there was room for improvement. However, in the Centaur Stakes she made good use of the No. 3 draw and traveled well to finish second. I can’t complain. It was a good race, on the same level as a win. There haven’t been any problems since. There were no big changes, but she is looking leaner and looks good. Since there were only two full weeks between races there’s no need for any hard work, so we just gave her a light workout up the hill course over the weekend and this week the same. She looks like she’ll go to the gate in good shape. I’m hoping she’ll be able to quickly get into position like she did for the Centaur Stakes at the start of the meet. She has good racing sense and Mirai Iwata should be up again. I figure she’ll have a similar trip to last time. I wouldn’t want the ground to be sloppy, but ground that’s a bit soft would be ideal.”

Namura Clair

Kodai Hasegawa, trainer
“In her last start, the Hakodate Sprint Stakes, she was late out of the gate and when you consider that she would already be racing from further back, it was more bad luck and nothing could help in the latter stage. However, we did find things that need work and that’s what we’re working on. We’re being quite aggressive with her preparation, including gate practice. We’re giving her work on the hill and on the flat and pushing her quite hard. The workload is sufficient and her hindquarters are well-muscled. Her movement is good too. She is getting a little bit difficult with age, but she always has been a strong-willed horse. Taking that into consideration, she’s responding well. I think she’ll be in very good shape. There will be a lot of good horses, but the main thing is for her to make a good effort and finish safely.”

Pair Pollux

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer
“In the Keeneland Cup last out, he missed winning by a tenth of a second. He had a perfect run, but was overtaken by a G1 champion (Panja Tower). After that, he returned to Ritto and we did our best to get him fully recovered. I brought him back slowly, with work up the hill course and pool work. Jockey Fuma Matsuwaka rode him on Sep. 18, and the colt’s movement was good. The lineup is going to be much stronger than it was in his last race. He did take part in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen this year, so it’s not his first G1. If he can race his own race the whole way, I’m eager to see just how far he can go.”

Puro Magic

Shogo Yasuda, trainer
“After winning the Ibis Summer Dash, she went to the farm and came back looking quite filled out again. On Sep. 18, she trained up the hill course with only average lap times because we didn’t want her to get switched on. She remained calm so we gave her more work over the weekend, then her final workout on Sep. 24. The jockey (Kohei Matsuyama) rode and they worked together with an open-class partner on the Ritto woodchip flat course. She started behind the other horse, covered six furlongs in 82.5 seconds, and the two finished side by side. Matsuyama said she waited patiently behind the other horse and moved out well. And he said she has matured considerably mentally, and should be able to be patient in the race. Her last two races were opportunities for her to put what she’s learned to the test and she did. Now, I’d like her to not be limited to leading in a race but to be able to hold back. There’ll be turns this time, but I don’t think that will pose any problem.”

Satono Reve

Noriyuki Hori, trainer　
“His two seconds in his recent overseas races were disappointing, but they were both very solid performances. When he returned from England it was June and very hot, so I sent him to Hokkaido and then kept him at Hakodate Racecourse. He was fresh, so we decided to race him here. Joao Moreira rode work on Sep. 19 and Sep. 24 and kept the horse at about 70-80 percent of his top speed. He has more in the tank and didn’t overdo it. As far as last year’s 7th place is concerned, I think it was the combination of a lot of things that went wrong. The horse has a lot more experience now and has developed considerably as a racehorse. I don’t think he’snot suited to the Nakayama 1,200 meters. I think he’s capable of getting good results and proving that he is suited to the race.”

Toshin Macau

Mizuki Takayanagi, trainer　
“He gained a lot of weight in the spring, but won the Grade 2 Keio Hai Spring Cup. After returning he got a lot of work and was leaner. That was reflected in his weight, but his overall condition really hadn’t changed much, and he finished third last out in the Centaur Stakes, just 0.1 seconds off the winner. His footwork in the final stage was good, and he was able to take advantage of the opening week ground with his outside draw. After that, like last year, he wasn't tired at all, so I think he's doing well. His work on Sep. 24 under Takeshi Yokoyama up the Miho hill course went well too. The horse is older now, but shows no sign of decline. I think he’s in fine shape, about the same as he was for the Centaur Stakes. He finished second in the Sprinters Stakes last year only a neck behind the winner. Despite losing, he ran a good race and I think the right-handed track suits him. Since he was so close last year, I really want him to win this year. I think he has a chance.”

Win Carnelian

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“In his last outing, the Keeneland Cup, he finished fifth. He was able to run his own race, but the pressure on him in the first half was tough. Still, he persevered until the end and I think he really showed his true potential. After returning to Miho from Sapporo, I kept him at the training center and started his preparations. On Sep.18, he worked on the woodchip flat with another horse, starting out behind, then catching and passing him. He has always looked good in morning work, but this time he looked like he had a lot more left over and he moved nicely. He also had gate practice. He did lose some weight during the trip back from Sapporo, so I’d gone easy on him for a while. After that, things have been as usual. He weighed 518kg before last week’s work, which puts him nearly back at his usual weight. With workouts over the past weekend and two more this week, he should be just right.”

Yamanin al Rihla

Takashi Saito, trainer　
“After winning the Kitakyushu Kinen, hot weather continued through to his next race, the CBC Sho, and I think he was exhausted. In that race, he wasn’t able to get the position I’d wanted, and he traveled in the rear. The race ended with him never having been able to race as he normally would. Afterwards, he went to the farm and returned looking refreshed. On Sep. 18, I gave him a solid workout together with a training partner and I think that should bring some improvement. After his first win at the end of last year, he really filled out and added a lot of power. The lineup includes G1 horses, but if he can ride the pace and run his own race, I’m eager to see how well he can do.”

Yoshino Easter

Jotaro Horai, assistant trainer
“In his most recent race, the Centaur Stakes, he ran into traffic coming out of the backstretch and his No. 5 draw worked against him. I had the impression he lost not being able to get a clear run. I suppose counting on a good late kick is difficult when it’s the opening week of the meet. Since he still had a lot left over from that race, we can expect improvement this time. I think he’ll do well if his weight is down to about 480-some kg. Since there were only two full weeks between races, I don’t think he needs to have particularly fast times in morning work. The main thing is just putting on the finishing touches ahead of the race. He has two wins at Nakayama and it’s a track that doesn’t demand a lightning-fast turn of foot. Often, the frontrunners hold their ground to the end, so I think an outer gate would allow him to advance quickly up the outside. A bit of rain would be good.”