Amakihi

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“He won against older horses in the Aganogawa Tokubetsu. He’s not flashy, but he seemed to rise just to the level of the others, then topped them. His time wasn’t that fast, so he likely has something left over. He won during the hot summer, but didn’t seem bothered by it and came out of the race well. He stayed at the training center, got a lot of work, and his muscle tone and definition are good. On Oct. 16, he worked between two other horses. He wasn’t well on the bit and the jockey said he could have still gone up a gear. His time was good enough. He’s not an aggressive runner so I’m not worried about him settling. He rises to the level of the other horses, which is his strength, so I think he’ll be able to do well amid the strong competition.”

Hidenori Take, trainer
“It took him quite a long time to win his first race (on his 8th start) but he had always raced to the level of the other runners. I think he just wasn’t lucky. So, I wasn’t surprised at all that he won his two most recent races. In his most recent race he showed guts when he went into a tight spot and split the ranks. To look at him, he hasn’t changed much, but he has surely matured quite a bit. Joao Moreira rode him last out and he said that he thought the horse could handle 3,000 meters. He’s a steady runner and I have no worries about the distance.”

Coachella Valley

Shogo Yasuda, trainer
“Compared to the spring, I’d felt that he had matured and the small field of six in the Ikuta Tokubetsu last out made things easier for him. And he took advantage of that. Looking at his physique, I would say his best days lie ahead. Though he still has room for improvement, his preparation has gone smoothly. I have no worries about the distance. The big field, on the other hand, does leave room for doubt as to how well he’ll handle it. If he can run at his own pace, I think this will give him a lot of experience that will stand him well in the days to come.”

Energico

Mizuki Takayanagi, trainer
“He ran very well last out (second in the Grade 3 Niigata Kinen). He has a lot of talent and speed and he was able to bring that out. As for the distance this time, he’s able to settle well and even though he hasn’t had any experience at this distance, I think he’ll handle it. After the Niigata race, he also had needed some treatment at the farm. Though I had shipped him to Ritto right away, I could sense he was bothered somewhat by the change in surroundings. He almost went off his feed. Now he’s his usual self. On Oct. 16, I had Christophe Lemaire ride work so he could compare him to how he’d been before the previous race. On Oct. 22, he worked under an assistant over seven furlongs and his work was fine. That he’s only raced to the left is only by coincidence, but his balance isn’t the best. It may be a factor this time, but at the training level you can’t see any difference. I’d prefer ground that isn’t too heavy.”

Eri King

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“Of course, we had the Kikuka Sho in mind when racing in the Kobe Shimbun Hai. He ran well-balanced and had a good turn of foot in the final stage. I think it was an adequate performance. He showed improvement after that race and his overall condition is better too. So, there was no need to push him too much in trackwork. Still, his time last week was better than I’d expected and I think his condition is also better than I’d predicted. On Oct. 22, I rode morning work and I was very careful to not let him overdo it. He was feeling good and it was an even-keeled workout. The time was nothing special, but that’s a good thing. He still isn’t fully mature, but in a test amongst his peers, I think he’s at a good place. I’ll be a bit concerned if the ground is slow. I’m hoping he’ll have firm ground.”

Excite Bio

Teiichi Konno, trainer
“In the early spring, he showed remarkable improvement with each race. And last out especially, he moved out sharply when space opened up. He has really gotten good at racing and he has kept that momentum going and gotten results in graded competition. I did my best to bring him refreshed into the autumn season, but I think he still had a bit of fatigue. However, because he has sufficient earnings I didn’t want to overdo it, so I took him straight to the Kikuka Sho. That does look like it was good decision because he’s looking even more powerful now. We kept an eye on his mental state and his preparation has gone as planned. He’s able to settle well and stay in touch with the rider. He has plenty of power and though he’s untested over this distance, I think he can handle 3,000 meters.”

G T Adamant

Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“He spent the summer in Hokkaido and I chose to give him a prep before the Kikuka Sho and that was the St. Lite Kinen. I had thought the Nakayama course would suit him, but… (finished 11th of 12). He was off his game and I attribute that to returning from time off (five months). I kept him at the training center after that and on Oct. 16, he worked with Rex Novus. Yuichi Kitamura rode and gave him a tough workout over seven furlongs on the woodchip flat course. He seems in good shape. I think he’ll be able to race much better than he did last time. Of course, the distance this time is key. I won’t insist on taking the lead, but he does tend to run a bit too relaxed, so I’m thinking that letting him take the lead might be good for him.”

Giovanni

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“In his most recent race, the Kobe Shimbun Hai on Sept. 21, the distance was 2,400 meters and I watched closely to see if he’d settle well. I saw no problems. He had to wait before he could get a clear run in the straight, but he was good enough for a preliminary (finished in third place). Jockey Kohei Matsuyama believes 3,000 meters will be fine. The horse improved from the last race. He’s calm and has a good air about him overall. His time was good in his work on Oct. 16. He worked over half a mile on the woodchip flat course. He was well-balanced and everything went smoothly. He worked well with the rider. I’d say he’s in his best shape yet, better than his previous best for the Satsuki Sho. He’s able to access his power on any track. He is definitely on a par with the top horses and all he needs is a big win. I hope he’ll give it his all.”

Goltzschtal

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“In his most recent race, the Nihon Kai Stakes, he ran a strong race and he raced to win. I give him high marks for keeping the others firmly behind him. He’s a real fighter and that should stand him well over 3,000 meters. He went to the farm for a bit after that race, and came back looking more filled out, so he’s been easy to prepare. He worked under jockey Ryusei Sakai along with two other horses over the woodchip course on Oct. 16 and things went smoothly. He traveled on the outside and covered seven furlongs. The jockey pushed him hard the whole way. He moved very nicely. On Oct 22, my assistant rode him and he worked with a training partner on the flat, kept one gear in reserve and said the horse felt good. I think he stands shoulder to shoulder with his peers. With his stamina and his fighting spirit, if another horse moves up on him it’s going to work out to this one’s advantage.”

Yasuyuki Tsujino, trainer
“He wasn’t in tiptop shape, but he managed to win two races in a row at Sapporo in August and won them handily. I guess he has matured earlier than I’d expected him to. And because he still had energy to spare, I decided to race him here. In his morning work on Oct. 16, he worked alongside another horse and he was almost not moving enough, which is something we’ll have to adjust. When he moved ahead of the other horse and found himself alone, he started looking around. As usual, his heart isn’t always fully into his work. However, I’ve always felt he had talent and his body tone has improved. Still, he’s weak in places and still immature in some ways. I think the real improvement will come from next year. With a tight course he picks up too much speed and runs toward the outside. I think this course suits him better.”

Koshiro Take, trainer
“He usually tenses up too much in a race, but in his last start (finished first in the Kujukuri Tokubetsu), the jockey just let him go and take the lead. I rode him on Oct. 9, but he was very tense and way too wired. Yutaka Take rode on Oct. 16 and said the horse was raring to go, but he looked good nonetheless. I think that’s a good development and shows that if you let him run in work it lets off a lot of steam for him. This week, I rode him up the hill course and now he looks like he has improved. He has stamina so I’m not worried about the distance. There are some worries as to whether he ‘ll settle well and that will be a key point.”

Takeshi Okumura, trainer
“He had improved after his first win in June over 2,600 meters, so I thought he might be suited to that distance and raced him again at the same distance (in mid August). I think everything came together for him well in that race, including the horses he was up against. The blinkers he had on also helped him get more momentum. He spent time at the farm after that, and his condition hasn’t changed that much. His trackwork has been much better, he has a nice sheen to his coat, and I think he’s in good condition. He can’t do well in a race where the most important factor is speed but he does have stamina. The longer the race, the better. He’ll be competing against his peers again this time, so I’m eager to see how well he can do against other 3-year-olds.”

Red Bande

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“In his most recent race, the St. Lite Kinen, the horse in the gate next to him charged into the gate door and had to be reloaded, and the commotion got this one worked up. He was just barely able to settle enough to start. We had walked him once through the gate for practice so he was able to calm down. Under way, he’d gotten ahead of the eventual runner-up, but after the top of the hill the other horse gained ground, got around and this one finished behind him in third place. He has good stamina. Jockey Daisuke Sasaki rode work on Oct. 16 and his time was about where we’d wanted it to be. The horse’s movement was what we had expected and I think he’ll show improvement before raceday. Looking at his last race and his training before that, we knew he had stamina and that a longer distance might suit. Also, he did well in the Aoba Sho against older horses, so I’m hoping in the Kikuka Sho he’ll be able to bring out that stamina.”

Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“Considering his potential, I’d say the two wins at Hakodate were just what we’d expected. If he won the most recent race (the Akanko Tokubetsu at Sapporo on Aug. 17), the plan was to take him to the Kikuka Sho. He went to the farm after that, and there’s quite a bit of time between races, but I think he got some much-needed rest. His preparation after that has gone smoothly. On Oct. 16, he worked over the woodchip flat course with the jockey (Kazuo Yokoyama) up and he pushed him hard. The horse has filled out and he’s a lot bigger than he was in the summer. I think he’ll go to the gate in good shape. The competition is going to be very different from what he has experienced before, so I can’t make any claims. He usually settles nicely and I think he’ll be able to handle 3,000 meters. He used to be timid around other horses and didn’t like racing in among the pack, but he has matured mentally and is much stronger.”

Right Track

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“Three starts from his debut, he was in a graded stakes race (the Kobe Shimbun Hai) and the fastest late speed clinched the race, which made it tough for him. That said, he didn’t lose by much (fifth place, 0.5 seconds behind the winner). Since then, his preparation for here has gone well. On Oct. 16, he worked with two other horses on the woodchip flat. It was at the time when the track condition was pretty bad and he got bogged down a bit, but his movement was good. His body tone is good and I can see he’s improving. Around his debut, he would spook a lot but he rarely does that anymore. He does get somewhat nervous when he’s chasing a horse, but once he’s in amongst them there’s no problem. The distance is longer this time but I think he has the build for it. He has great stamina and if the race comes down to the horse with the most stamina, he has a chance.”

Shohei

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“The Kobe Shimbun Hai was his first race of the autumn and he went all out. However, the way the race unfolded worked more for the horse that won. Jockey Mirai Iwata, who’ll be riding this horse in a race for the first time, rode trackwork earlier this month and then rode again on the 16th, working along with another horse. I had the jockey pay special attention to this horse’s balance. His responses were good and was eager to run. The previous race has sharpened him up. This week, he worked alone under an assistant and breezed over the polytrack. He looked fresh and eager. I didn’t really feel his power this time, but he is mentally tough and doesn’t give up. His competitive spirit is his strongest point. I’d admit that 3,000 meters is a bit long for him, but I’ve been working him behind another horse to help him be better able to handle the distance. Competing against horses of the same age, I don’t foresee any problems. It shouldn’t be a problem if the ground is a bit slow, but I would like the pace to be fairly strong.”

Yamanin Bouclier

Mikio Matsunaga, trainer
“He was able to sit quietly and race very well on the inside in the St. Lite Kinen. He did almost too well in places, and finished within 3/4 length behind the winner, who won the Satsuki Sho. It shows he has gained strength. I kept him at the training center after that, but let him take it easy for about a week. He worked alone on Oct. 9 running relaxed and stretching out nicely. On Oct. 16, we pushed him a bit and he’s moving well and showing improvement from his last race. Earlier on, he’d race from either the front or from the back and he had a lot of such extremes in his racing. But now, he’s able to keep something in reserve while racing somewhere in midfield. The competition is stronger this time and the distance is longer, but he has good stamina and if can bring out his strongpoint in executing the course I think he’ll be able to do well.”