Ascoli Piceno

Yoichi Kuroiwa, trainer
“After the Prix Jacques le Marois her recovery went mostly well, much better than after the Victoria Mile. About 3 weeks ago, she went to Ritto where I’ve trained her at times since she was 2 years old. It means we can prepare right up to the race, with little worry. Her physique has gotten much more solid and she gains weight easily. To her fast work and regular work, I’ve had to add two more workouts up the hill course followed directly by a gallop over the flat to get in fit. She’s a Daiwa Major filly and quite stocky. Heavy training used to cause her to lose muscle but no longer. Her breathing and footwork both improved from last week. This will be her first time at Kyoto, but it’s a spacious course and the going should be fast. She should be fine racing to the right too. The only unknown is how she’ll handle the downhill slope coming out of the backstretch. Also, I’d rather she didn’t race from so far back as she did in the Victoria Mile. She won, but my heart was in my mouth the whole time.

Cervinia

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“The Mainichi Okan was a complete loss and I don’t know what the reason for it was. I suppose, looking at the seventh-place finish, I’d have to say she had excess weight (weighed 500 kg, up 16 kg from her last race). She had only a short break at the farm, but this time she came back looking light in both heart and body and I think she’s in a much better place than she’d been for the previous race. The sheen on her coat has improved and she has handled solid daily workouts. I think we’ll be able to have completely fit. As she matures, she has changed in how she’s able to adapt to a race, but I’m hoping that she’ll be able to handle the Kyoto mile. With a jockey that can give her a stronger ride, I think we’ll be able to see some change in her. In her recent starts, she hasn’t been able to keep something in reserve, but if she can, and then unleash her power at the right point, I think we’ll be able to see some different results. I have my hopes up.”

Champagne Color

Tsuyoshi Tanaka, trainer
“In the Fuji Stakes, his footwork was back to where it was at his best but his start wasn’t that good, so it was all he could do to catch up (finished in eighth place). It’s not that he balks at entering the gate or acts up in the gate… In any case, I if he would just break well, he’d do so much better. He returned from the farm on Nov. 7 and the following day we worked him up the hill course, then over the woodchip flat on Nov. 12. He covered the last 2 furlongs faster than he usually does, his responses were good, and there are no problems with his condition. I’ll ship him west to Kyoto directly before the race and there we’ll give him gate practice. I’m hoping that he’ll start well and get a good position and not have to make up lost ground. And, I’m hoping he’ll give it his all.”

Elton Barows

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“This will be his third start since his 9-month layoff and he has improved. After the Mainichi Okan Oct. 5, he had a short time off. This race is the main objective, so I had him working over the woodchip course under Atsuya Nishimura from 3 weeks ago and last week the jockey said the horse was back to his best. This week he worked solo up the hill course, again under the jockey for a final check. I didn’t ask for a time but the last furlong was under 12 seconds Even hard workouts don’t bother him and we’ve given him good sold workouts. I’m hoping he’ll put in a bit more effort to reflect the work he’s been getting. If the pace is slow, I don’t think he’ll be able to have the turn of foot needed in the final stage but with a strong pace I think he can get close. After last year’s second, I was hoping for a win soon after but the problems with his knees demanded a long spell. He’s well prepared and I think he measures up to the others.”

Gaia Force

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“His last race was over the Tokyo mile, the Fuji Stakes. The break was very sharp and the pace suited him. He raced well all the way to the end. After that, he went to the farm for about 10 days and returned looking good, as he had before his last race too. On Nov. 13, he worked under Fuma Izumiya with a focus on the final stage. He clocked 51.6 seconds up the hill course. He’s always gotten good times in work, which is why we focused on the final stage. His movement was good. How he’ll race will depend largely on the break. The most important thing is that he has no physical problems. He has lots of good results over the Tokyo Mile but he also ran second in the Yomiuri Milers Cup so I think the Kyoto course will suit him too. I really would like to see him land a big title.”

Jantar Mantar

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“After his run in the Fuji Stakes Oct. 18, his heart and lungs had improved. He was just about in tiptop shape for his final fast work on Nov. 19, he just needs a few finishing touches. It was important that we did overdo it or do too little. I gave instructions to get a time of 54-some seconds up the hill course and push him just enough to get a good response over the final furlong. And, that’s exactly what we got. The rider (an assistant) said the horse felt fantastic, so there probably is no need for any fine-tuning. He has raced over the Kyoto mile before (Nov. ’22) , but it was a while ago and at the G2 level. He has talent. The horse knows the course, the jockey knows the course. I think it’ll be fine. I hear that no horse has won all the Grade 1 mile events from 2 years old and that would be great if he could accomplish that. I’d love to see him achieve that. I think he will.”

Kangchenjunga

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“After the Sprinters Stakes (finished 9th), I sent him to the farm and, and since this race was our target, we didn’t let him get too soft. He returned to the training center on Oct. 28. When he was racing only in the 1,200-1,400-meter range he could pull away very sharply, but I don’t know if he’ll be able to do the same at the mile, but I wanted to see and that’s why I entered him here. Jockey Yusuke Fujioka rode him in work on Nov. 12 and even though the horse’s time was good, the jockey said he felt the horse was more suited to shorter distances. I had Fujioka ride again on Nov. 19 and the horse looks ready. With a bit of a push, I think he can get a good position, but since it’s his first mile, he may not have much left for the final stage. I’m hoping he’ll give us his usual race.”

Lavanda

Naoya Nakamura, trainer
“In the Ireland Trophy (G2, 1,800, Tokyo), she not only took well to the slow pace but she raced on the outside. It was a tough race, but she did a good job and won. It was an all-female race and the race conditions suited her, but I’d still give her high marks for her performance. She went to the farm for a bit and returned on Oct. 29. Her earnings were just barely enough so I also registered her for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, but this race was my first choice. Jockey Mirai Iwata rode her on Nov. 13 and he said she felt better than she had when he last rode her. She moved out on her own with no encouragement. In an all-female race, I always thought it was just a matter of time before she won. This time, competing with males, I do wondering how well she’ll be able to do. If she gives it her all in her present condition, I think she can do well.”

Lebensstil

Hiroyasu Tanaka, trainer
“On Nov. 19, he worked solo under an assistant over the woodchip course, the same routine as before the Maincihi Okan. He’d been running well the previous week, so in the final week before the race we concentrated mostly on his rhythm and balance. He’d been returning from a 3-month spell so I do expect to see improvement this time. I don’t think the mile should present any particular problems for him. I’d always wanted to race him at this distance but the Shirasagi Stakes mile followed a 5-month layoff, so it wasn’t a race I had specifically targeted and I didn’t want to write off the mile with just the one race. It will be his first time at Kyoto, but he’s agile and I think the course will suit him. He’s a very serious runner. When he races, he puts his all in it until the end. I’m hoping the jockey will be able to bring out the horse’s talent and that that will translate to good results.”

Long Run

Ryota Kojima, assistant trainer
“With age, he’s getting a bit sour and I admit his preparation for the Mainichi Okan allowed room for the coming months. He’s not that good racing to the left but he did put in a good effort in the final stage to finish in eighth place. I think his performance was better than his placing would indicate. We had ample time until this race, so he went to the farm for a bit and he returned to the training center a month before the race. He has handled all his work well and in last week’s fast work he galloped smoothly with a nice rhythm, much better than he had a week before his most recent race. He hasn’t lost his edge and this being the same stage as for the Grade 2 Yomiuri Milers Cup, which he won, I have my hopes up.”

Magic Sands

Kohei Kitamura, assistant trainer
“In the Fuji Stakes he had drawn the No. 1 gate, so we had him go for a good position, but things got tough for him in the straight. It probably would have been better to let him run his own race as he had two starts ago in the NHK Mile Cup. Since he had just raced, on Nov. 6 we had him let off some steam. So, when he worked with another horse on Nov. 12, he was well enough in hand. This time, we’ll be close to the course and it’ll be his first time to ship in on raceday. We’ll see how he’s doing this week and decide how to proceed. Looking at how he raced two starts ago, I think he can hold his own in a Grade 1. New courses don’t bother him. We’ll just have to what kind of trip he gets.”

Off Trail

Keiji Yoshimura, trainer
“He stalked the pace and made nice headway in the Swan Stakes last out. The break was a bit slow but he moved up gradually in the backstretch and was able to get a good position and win. He’d done the same in his previous race, the Sekiya Kinen. He was able to travel well, not too far back, and I think he does well under this jockey, Akira Sugawara. He went off to the farm for a short while and returned to Ritto on Nov. 1. He’s had 5 full training weeks between the Swan Stakes and this race, so it was easy to get him prepared. We’ve been able to give him a lot of work. He’s good over the Kyoto outer course, so I think he’ll be able to handle the extra furlong. On top of that, having the same jockey up is a big plus. I’m hoping for a good race.”

Soul Rush

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“After returning to the training center he had a fast workout every week for 3 weeks in a row, including this week. That is the usual routine and everything has gone well. On Nov. 13, he worked over the woodchip flat course, and I was happy with his time and I think his responses and overall movement have improved. His balance was excellent. His final workout was solo up the hill course, under an assistant rider and I think his responses and overall movement are better than last year. I think his condition has stayed pretty much the same from last year. At Tokyo, the long gradual upward hill makes it hard to switch gears. When the stretch is flat, such as in Dubai or Hong Kong, he does well. At Kyoto, with the downward slope out of the backstretch, he’s going to pick up speed. Since, at times, he has trouble getting his engine revved and can get left behind at the crucial moment, the Kyoto course may help him.”

Toshin Macau

Mizuki Takayanagi, trainer
“After returning from time off, he’d raced in the Centaur Stakes and was on the up and up heading in to the Sprinters Stakes. He got a good position in that race and the pace favored the horses on or close to the pace. But, in the final stage, he had nothing left and couldn’t gain ground. He ended in 10th place from 16 runners, a totally unexpected result. Taisei Danno, who has the race Sunday, rode work on Nov. 13. His movement and balance were good. The jockey said he got a good impression from him. He won the Keio Hai Spring Cup in record time over 1,400 meters in a very good performance, but I thought, at his age, it might be good to give him a bit more ground, so I aimed him here. I’m hoping he’ll bring some good results racing over the mile to the right.”

Water Licht

Mamoru Ishibashi, trainer
“We kept him at the training center after the Fuji Stakes to prepare for this race. Two weeks ago, he worked up the hill course and covered the final furlong in 11-some seconds. Last week, he worked on the woodchip flat course with another horse and he moved well. His time in his last race was 0.1 seconds faster than his winning time in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai and, in his last four starts he has run well, covering the final 3 furlongs in 33-some seconds in all. This time it’s the Kyoto outer course and I have the impression that those stalking the pace are doing well. I’m hoping for a bit of pace in the race so this horse can bring out his strongpoints.”

Wide Latour

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“She was able to keep something in reserve for the final stage in the Swan Stakes and did well up against the colts and older horses to finish in second place. She even broke through in the stretch and gained ground. It was a solid race and her time was fast too. She had only a short time off at the farm after that but I think it was a good refresher. Last week we breezed her up the hill course and the week before too she’d gotten a good time. She’s looking good in work and her preparation has gone smoothly. She’s good over the Kyoto outer course and although her best results have come over 1,400 meters, I think she’ll be able to get cover and do well at this venue over the mile. The lineup is quite strong but I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do if she’s able to run her own race.”

Win Marvel

Masashi Fukayama, trainer
“In the Swan Stakes, he broke well and traveled from a good position, but the race turned out to not favor those in front. I had hoped he’d hang on a little bit more, but he finished in fourth place. It being his first race in a while was also a factor. He had about a week off at the farm after that and he had a lot less damage that I’d expected he would, so we were able to start him back right away. All has gone smoothly. Kohei Matsuyama rode him in work on Nov. 12 and his time was slower than I’d expected, but his responses were good and he moved well in the final stage and the jockey thought he the horse was in good shape too. His balance has improved since his last start and, if things come together well for him in the race, I think he has a chance.”