Aurora X

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“There hasn’t been long between races, so she hasn’t needed to do too much, and she’ll just do some fast work the week of the race. I think after her last race, the distance of 2,200 meters this time will be fine. Previously she’s had slight physical problems, but her condition now is good (there was no damage after her last race), and I think she can take on the strong horses here in this next race. She wouldn’t want the ground to be soft, so a firmer surface would be best for her.”

Bond Girl

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“The jockey (Akihide Tsumura) has been working her in training, and while the horse can pull a bit, she’s moved well, with a final furlong time in the 11 second range. The jockey says she’s running nice and straight right up to the end of her work. The distance of the race this time will be a challenge, and she’ll need to run in a way where she can save things until the end of the race. She has finished second in the Shuka Sho at Kyoto, so I think the track is suitable for her.”

Akihide Tsumura, jockey
“There’s a bit of a difficult side to her, but she’s been running well and knows when to take the bit. In training, she’s been relaxed up to the third corner, and then she’s picked up and has run straight with a fair bit of speed right up until the line.”

Coconuts Brown

Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“After her second place in the Sapporo Kinen, she’s recovered well, and there’s a good feeling about her and the condition she’s in now. She doesn’t need such hard training. I think she has enough potential to take on a race like this. The distance isn’t a problem, and the jockey (Yuichi Kitamura) does well with her. Regaleira’s a strong horse, but I don’t think there’s that much between them. She’ll transport to the track on the day, and that will be one of the keys. She can get restless in the horse box, and then again in the paddock, she can be tense. She won three starts ago at Kyoto, so I’d like to see her overcome those things and win again.”

Erika Express

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“Her hindquarters are a little weak, but she’s improved regarding this, and has done well in training, proving that she’s switched on. There is no big change with her, and because of the short time between races, we’ve been careful not to overdo things. She’s been working on the woodchip course and has done enough. Judging from her last race over 2,000 meters on the inner course, I think she can still run well over 2,200 meters on the outer one, and that the Kyoto track is good for her. She’ll need to get into the flow of the race well, just like she did last time.”

Yutaka Take, jockey
“When I rode her in training before, she was quite straightforward, and she moves well. This time in work, she moved quicker than I thought. She was quite tense before her last race, however. The rhythm she finds in the race this time will be important, particularly with the extra furlong.”

Kana Tape

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“There’s no real change in her condition, as we’ve monitored things with her, and she hasn’t needed to do too much in training, with her times being fast enough. After a recent workout, her weight was 476kg. One of the keys this time is the distance of the race. For her age, she’s still very strong, and has been able to put in some good finishes in her races. I’m not worried about the flow of the race this time, and think that she can adjust well to things.”

Kelly Fled Ask

Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer
“There’s no change in her condition, and I think this race will be a good experience for her as we look ahead to next year with her.”

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“She’s been improving for her races and is in good condition, and that’s been the case since the spring. I don’t see any problems with her settling over the longer distance this time, as she generally finds a good rhythm. She usually starts well and gets a good forward position, so we’ll just have to see how she does over this course and distance.”

Lilac

Ikuo Aizawa, trainer
“Her appetite’s been good, and she’s in good physical condition after her last race. She’s been moving well in training, even though her training partner wasn’t particularly quick. She’ll transport to the track on Saturday, which is usually what we do with her. It’ll be the fourth time for her to take on the race (2022 was at Hanshin), and as a 5-year-old last year, she wasn’t beaten by that much. It’s a race that seems to suit her. With the condition she’s in, I’ll look forward to her run this year too. It’ll probably be her last chance this time, so I hope everything goes smoothly right up to the race itself.”

Lynx Tip

Kazuki Nitta, assistant trainer
“She’s developing nicely, and is in good shape with the work we’ve given her. We’re very pleased with the way she’s moving and the times she’s posted. The outer course at Kyoto is good for her, and with her flexibility, there’s no problem getting into the flow of a race. The course (Nakayama) for the Shion Stakes last time didn’t suit her. Good to firm ground would be best. I think she’s up for the challenge against the strong older horses here. She has the ability to do well, so I’ll look forward to what she can do in this race.”

Paradis Reine

Teruhiko Chida, trainer
“She was a bit tired after her last race, where she really showed a lot of power, so she’s had a couple of easy weeks at the stable to recover from that run and get over her tiredness. She looks well enough now, but I wonder just how good her physical recovery has been. I think just some light training is suitable for her at the moment. Regarding the race this time, it’s on the outer course, which I feel makes it easier, but we’ll have to see how she handles the race overall.”

Regaleira

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“She looks well in her coat, and her preparation has gone well. Her reactions have improved as the race gets closer, and she’s done some good work in training, so she should be just right for the race itself. She wasn’t able to get a good position in last year’s race, but it had nothing to do with the course or the going on the day, so hopefully things will go more her way this time.”

Keita Tosaki, jockey
“She’s an easy horse to ride, and the stable staff have reported that she’s in better condition than she was for her last race. She’s won a Grade 1 against male horses, but this time it’s an all-female race, and I want to do my best to make her a Grade 1 winner again.”

Safira

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“The jockey (Atsuya Nishimura) has been working her and thinks she’s a good horse, and she runs with a good rhythm and stretches out well. She is a strong horse too, and manages to maintain her weight. The race distance will be one of the keys. She usually starts well, but it will be better if she races somewhere around mid-division and gets some cover behind other horses. That way, she can save herself for something at the end of the race.”

Sekitoba East

Hirofumi Shii, trainer
“She’s done well since returning from the farm, where she had a short break, and we’ve had her working on the woodchip course, which I think has been good regarding the distance of this next race. She sticks to her task well, and is nice and fresh now. I thought for her last race, with the transportation she might lose weight, but that wasn’t the case. She’s become more mature, and so a change of environment is not such a challenge for her. That gives us a bit of leeway, and she should be in good condition this time. She’s used to racing at Kyoto, and I hope she’ll get into a good rhythm in the race itself.”

Shinryokuka

Masahiro Takeuchi, trainer
“She’s had the same rotation as last year, but returning to the stable earlier, we’ve had a bit more time to get her ready this year, compared to the same race last year, so things have gone smoother with her training, and she’s probably in better condition than last year. She’s been taking the bit well in training. She wasn’t so relaxed in her last race, despite getting quite a good result against strong horses in the handicap, but things didn’t work out for her. A nice steady smooth run is what she needs to be able to show her best.”

Hatsuya Kowata, jockey
“There’s no big change with her, but she’s better now that she’s older, and I have more confidence in her taking on these high-level races.”

Stellenbosch

Sakae Kunieda, trainer
“The horse has been working well, according to jockey Christophe Lemaire, and is in good condition. She shifted over to Ritto soon after her return to the stable from the farm. There’s no problem with her in training, but there’s just a mental side to her when it comes to an actual race, although hopefully she’ll get switched on for it this time. Essentially, she’s a good horse, and hopefully with the jockey who finished second on her in a Grade1 before, she can put in a better performance here.”

Christophe Lemaire, jockey
“There seems to be no problem with her condition and she’s very well. Her reactions in training have been good. As a Grade 1 winner, she has ability, and so I have confidence in her. The distance of the race should be fine.”

Verehrung

Shoichiro Wada, trainer
“She returned from the farm in good condition, but she’s been a bit restless in the time since her last race, so we’ve taken care with her. In training, her times have been good. One slight worry in the race is that she doesn’t know the course, and the undulations from the third corner might prove tricky. She does, however, have a nice big stride and plenty of power, so I think she can overcome these things. I’d like to see her race just in behind the leading horses.”

Vermicelles

Keiji Yoshimura, trainer
“She came back from the farm and has been working well enough in training. She’ll just do a solo piece of work in this last week before the race, and that should be good enough. She hasn’t yet won a graded race. We’ll see how she does among the all-female field this time, and some cut in the ground would be better for her.”

Katsuma Sameshima, jockey
“I think she’s better than she was for her last race. The long homestraight in the race is certainly a plus for her.”