Admire Terra

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“He tripped on his second step out of the gate in the Japan Cup, but he was unhurt and we were lucky he came out of the race without any damage. We had him back in work from the following week and he’s been able to do all the things we had for him on his training menu. We clocked him up the hill course on Dec. 11. His hind-legs are well-muscled and he seems to be better at the start than before. I think he’ll be able to do well over the tighter Nakayama course and I’m hoping there will be a fairly strong pace.”

Arata

Ryota Kojima, assistant trainer
“Things did not unfold in an ideal way for him in the Fukushima Kinen, but the jockey made some good decisions so it was still a good race for him (finished fourth.) After that, he went straight to the farm from Fukushima and came back to the training center one month later, as is the usual routine. His metabolism has gotten slower as his ages, which makes it difficult to get him lean. For the past two weeks, I have given him pretty hard workouts and this has made things easier for the final week. Though he’s 8 years old and up against top-level competition, the 2,500 meters on a right-handed track is well within his capability.”

Chevalier Rose

Toshiro Oshida, assistant trainer
“Recently, he had a string of races where he did little more than just follow the others around. His most recent race overseas (the Melbourne Cup), unfortunately, was more of the same. After returning to Japan, he spent time at the farm and returned to Ritto on Dec. 9. On Dec. 17, he worked over the woodchip flat and I think his movement was much the same as it always is. If you compare him to last year, when he won the Kyoto Daishoten and the Stayers Stakes back to back, his performance in his recent races has definitely come up short. Also, with age, he may be getting a bit sour. There’s quite a lineup this time and I’m wondering how much of an effort he’ll give us.”

Cosmo Kuranda

Yoshinori Ito, assistant trainer
“He’s been feeling real good these days. Even though it’s a cold time of year he doesn’t have much of a winter coat and the sheen on his coat is brilliant. He runs looking very content and he puts his energy into his running. Also, since his core body has gotten stronger, he’s gotten better at the break and is coming along very well. He put in an excellent effort in both the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Japan Cup. I think the stage for the Arima Kinen, however, will suit him even better.”

Danon Decile

Shogo Yasuda, trainer
“I had the impression he was pretty on edge the day of the Japan Cup and under way in the backstretch it looked like he got a bit difficult. That may be a problem we still have to work on, but he really ran well in the straight. The top two finishers were very strong. He looked to be his usual self after the Japan Cup. He didn’t seem to have any repercussions from the race and he’s physically solid. Our main objective is to have him able to concentrate well and to get him a bit less emotional.”

Elton Barows

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“Following the Mile Championship, we had him work up the hill course two weeks ago and on Dec. 18 we had him work alone over six furlongs on the flat under jockey Atsuya Nishimura. With the one race behind him, rather than work him hard, we’re more interested in his balance and his responses in the final stage. Even though it looked like the jockey had not urged him on, the horse moved well with a nice spring to his stride and got a good time. He has come along very nicely.”

Excite Bio

Teiichi Konno, trainer
“I had done the needed preparations to get him ready and because it had looked like he wouldn’t make the lineup of the Arima Kinen, I had my eye on the (Jan. 5) Manyo Stakes. He was looking even better than he had before the Kikuka Sho (finished third), and with this coinciding with a growth spurt, he is improving in leaps and bounds. I decided to have him ready to do well whichever of the two races he took on.”

Kiwamu Ogino, jockey
“I am so happy he got into the race and glad that he had been prepared just in case he made the final lineup. I hadn’t ridden up until this week, but I definitely think he has a chance. The Arima Kinen is one of my favorite races and I am so grateful to have been given the ride. It was Dream Journey winning the race in 2009 that made me want to become a jockey.”

Justin Palace

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“It was a shame in the Japan Cup that there were horses bearing in on him from the outside around the final bend, which prevented him from getting a good position. The top finishers were strong, but this horse raced very well at the end. There was some damage from the race, but we’ve gotten him over that. He has made the board in the Arima Kinen before and he can run a solid race. I hope he doesn’t get a position toward the back. Since he is better at the break, I’m hoping he’ll get a good position. This will be his final race and I am hoping he’ll be able to win another big title.”

Meiner Emperor

Toshiro Oshida, assistant trainer
“He returned to Ritto on Nov. 29. On Dec. 17, we gave him a good solid workout on the woodchips, with him starting behind another horse, catching and passing him (and again on Dec. 20 and Dec. 24). He has always moved well and I think his footwork has been good. The Arima Kinen will be his first race since the Tenno Sho (Spring) and that race was his first G1 (finished fifth). After that, his left front fetlock became swollen and he was treated for that. This time there has been a long time between races, so I’m eager to see how well he can do.”

Meisho Tabaru

Mamoru Ishibashi, trainer
“The pace was slow in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), with the first 1,000 meters run in 62 seconds and it came down to the fastest late speed, which worked against him. Still, he covered the last three furlongs in 33.1 seconds and he traveled very nicely. I hadn’t thought he’d be able to settle that well, so I think he learned quite a bit from that race. His three fast workouts at Ritto, all over the woodchip flat course, have gone well. He has won over 2,200 meters and, if he settles well again, I think he should be able to handle the trip this time.”

Museum Mile

Yuichi Tomomichi, assistant trainer
“He didn’t have early speed in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and ended up traveling from near the rear. That said, his final drive was strong and he settled well even amid the slow pace of the race. I don’t think it being a race to the left mattered much and I think he had gains from that race. He’s grown overall and filled out in various areas. This is his third start of the autumn but there’s been ample time in between races, so he does look fresh. His condition looks good too. The distance is longer this time, but he has gotten good results at Nakayama before. I’m hoping he’ll be able to get an inside track and keep something in reserve for the finish.”

Mystery Way

Shinya Kobayashi, trainer
“He came out of his most-recent race, the Copa Republica Argentina, with less damage than we’d expected. He went to the farm afterward where on Dec. 9, they gave him hard workouts up the hill course. He returned to Ritto on Dec. 11 and he has had two more fast workouts which I think will have him in sufficient shape. The jockey (Hiroki Matsumoto) really did a good job in this horse’s last two starts and the horse didn’t lose concentration or momentum until the end. I think a lot of things came together to help him win the two races in a row. The competition this time is strong, but I’m hoping he can run his own race so he’ll be able to show us some good racing.”

Regaleira

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“Her break was a little bit off in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup last out, but her timing was good, so we were lucky there. She stayed at Miho after that and we gave her more gate practice. Since she doesn’t get tense at the training center, there were no problems, but the question is how she’ll do in the race. She went to the farm after the race and after she returned, but her balance wasn’t the best, so we’ve been working on that. We clocked her on Dec. 10 and she’s showing steady improvement. Last week, she worked on the dirt. Her reactions and responses were still a bit slow, but this week’s work should fix that. Her muscle tone is good, she’s eating well, but the main concern is the gate. The start isn’t in front of the grandstand this time, which should make things easier.”

Shin Emperor

Yukihiro Araki assistant trainer
“He’d drawn the No. 17 gate in the Japan Cup and had to expend a lot of energy until the first turn to get into position. We saw no damage after the race and he has improved. With only three full training weeks, there was no need to clock him and on Dec. 17, Ryusei Sakai rode him on the woodchip course. His time was as expected (81.6 seconds over six furlongs) and his movement was good. He also is good at keeping something in reserve. We don’t have any specific position preferences. His workout Dec. 24 was up the hill course and he went up with ease.”

Sunrise Zipangu

Kyoko Maekawa, trainer
“He traveled in a good position in his most recent race (the Grade 1 Champion Stakes), and he moved up on his own under way, which I think was very good. He ran into some interference at the end. Even if I can’t say it was the best conditions for this horse, he still did a pretty good job. He was really feeling good after that race and his preparation for here has gone smoothly. He’s much more solid now. He’s not bad over grass, but I am a bit concerned about it suddenly being a G1. I think it’s good for him that it looks like there are a lot of runners that will run close to the pace. The course should suit him as well.”

Tastiera

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“He stayed at the training center after the Japan Cup. He has been eating well after the race and his overall health has been good. On Dec. 18, he worked behind two other horses. He was eager to run, was well balanced and he took the bit and really picked up speed over the last furlong. He has been maintaining the condition he had for the Japan Cup and he’s not showing any of the DDSP symptoms (soft palate problems that affect breathing). He weighed 509kg after the work. This will be his third race of the fall, but he’s in good condition, has a good sheen on his coat and he’s well-toned. He’s still fresh, and I think he’ll go to the gate in at least as good a condition as he was for his previous race.”