A T Makfi

Hidenori Take, trainer
“I considered his most recent start to be a prep for this one. However, the pace was slow and he raced near the front, which wasn’t the best position. He was raring to go too and became somewhat unbalanced. He had to carry more weight than he had for the two previous races and the top weight of 58.5kg was a lot to ask. He’d raced earlier on dirt and his movement had been somewhat stiff, but that’s no longer a problem as he always improves with a race under his belt. Jockey Akatsuki Tomita has ridden him in work and he’s been looking good. I think he’ll take well to Chukyo, and if it rains or the ground is badly torn up, it’ll make things more interesting.”

Big Caesar

Hirotaka Hanada, assistant trainer
“He changed stables after his most recent start, the Ocean Stakes, so we kept him at the training center to prepare for this race, his first one after the stable change. We continued with his training while getting him fully recovered from the previous race. Jockey Atsuya Nishimura rode him on March 18 up the hill course. He said he felt that the horse was recovered and that he had felt good and responded well in the final stage. His preparation has gone well and he’s in good shape. We’re still groping in the dark a bit and getting a feel for things, but it’s a graded stakes race and he has gotten good results. The left-handed track shouldn’t pose any problems.”

Danon McKinley

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“In the Silk Road Stakes (finished 15th of 18 runners), the pace was slow and he became unbalanced at times. I think the race just didn’t unfold in a way that suited him. Still, he did cover the last three furlongs in 33-some seconds. After that race, he went to the farm to refresh a bit and, after returning to the training center, things have gone well. He has been looking good from one week out. As he gets older, he continues to settle down more and more. I can imagine that the pace will be quite strong in this race and he did do quite well in the Sprinters Stakes. If he can keep up with the pace, he can quicken in the final stage. He has won over heavy ground at Chukyo and he can handle the left-handed track without a problem.”

Fioraia

Shinpei Koyama, assistant trainer
“She was late away in the Ocean Stakes so she couldn’t race as she would have preferred to. Still, she did well in the final stage and her final three-furlong time was only 0.3 seconds off the top speed. I think she took a lot away from the race and they will stand her well. She changed stables after that, but since she had come out of the race well, she was quickly back in training. She’s a tough horse and that’s her strongpoint. We’ve worked her up the hill course on March 18, 22 and 25 and she is coming along well. She’ll go to the gate in good condition. She has early speed, but if she breaks like she did last race she can find a good position somewhere ahead of midfield and travel there. The competition will be stronger than her last race, but I have high hopes for her.”

Invincible Papa

Daishi Ito, trainer
“He traveled in second position in the Ocean Stakes and he wasn’t able to get a breather. It was a tough trip. And, although his weight hadn’t changed, he may have been carrying too much fluff. On March 18, I put blinkers on him and had him work alone. The rider said he was concentrating so hard andhealmost couldn’t hold him back. So, I think it made for a good workout. I won’t put blinkers on the week before the race, but likely will in the race. When other horses pass him, he tends to stop, so I think it’d be best if he took the lead. Or, if we can’t do that, I’d at least like him to be at the front turning into the stretch. He has gotten good results at Chukyo, so I have my hopes up.”

June Blair

Hidenori Take, trainer
“The Hanshin Cup (1,400 meters) was a bit too long and the venue was not the best for her. The pace was a bit too fast, but her time over six furlongs was good, which should stand her well this time. She hasn’t won a graded race, so I’m looking for a little bit more from her. She has raced over 1,200 meters seven times and has made first or second in all of them. She has shed her winter coat and her condition is better now. Her lineage suggests she should be OK over a heavy track. She has always been a difficult horse to ride, with some trouble staying on the bit. The main objective of her work this week was not the overall time, but getting her to relax. The time was faster than expected and she wasn’t as uptight as usual. But she was keen over the first half, then the rider seemed to have to encourage her over the latter half. Chukyo is an unusual track and the track condition on race day will be key.”

Masahiro Otake, trainer
“His performance hasn’t been all that great, and compared to earlier, I don’t have the impression he has changed all that much. In his most recent race, the Hankyu Hai, he got an inside track and gained ground well. And, given that he was 14th favorite, I think it was quite a feat. On March 19, we had him start behind another horse and he covered five furlongs in a time of 63.4 seconds. It was a good hard workout. As usual, he didn’t change leads, but his movement was good and he has maintained his condition. I think this horse has a lot of unknowns about him, which means, he has room to grow.”

Mama Cocha

Hiroshi Kanetake, assistant trainer
“In the Ocean Stakes (fourth place), the horses drawn inside gate going for the top positions. Given that she started from the outside, she did keep up well. The plan was to go to Dubai after that, but we didn’t get an invitation, so we came here. Comparing her present condition to last year’s, I’d say she’s still supple and has good lines. She has maintained her condition. She clocked a good time over the woodchip course on March 18. Her movement has improved and she was looking fine immediately after the workout, so her wind looks good too. I don’t see any difference to last year and no sign of aging. I can’t say that the Chukyo 1,200 meters is a perfect fit, but with the warmer weather recently I think she’ll go to the gate on the up and up.”

Namura Clair

Kodai Hasegawa, trainer
“In her most recent race, the Hanshin Cup, the pace was faster than we’d expected. She was also a bit sluggish. Despite being way off the top at a crucial point in the race, she made a terrific effort all on her own, but missed the win by a nose. (On March 18), I had jockey Suguru Hamanaka ride her. He said, ‘I have the feeling that her hind legs could still improve a bit,’ But he also said there was no sign of deterioration and that her balance was good. So, all is going well. On March 25, I rode her myself and she felt great. She’s in exemplary condition. After discussing it with the owner, we had decided that this would be her final race. So, we have done her best to get her ready to her utmost. We are infinitely grateful to the stable staff and to the fans for their support and that she was able continue to race for such a long time.”

Pair Pollux

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer
“He was slow away in his last start, with pressure on his outside and a horse getting in front of him. At the top of the straight, he was almost all the way at the back, but he found room in the latter stage when the inside opened up. He won nicely and though he did have a ground-saving trip, it was a strong win against strong competition. Up to now he has always raced on the pace, so to have won as he did was huge. We kept him at the training center after that and all went well. Last week, he had a good long workout under jockey Yasunari Iwata on the woodchip course. His movement was good and he’s in good shape. The draw will be a factor. Last year he had the far outside gate, which made things hard for him. I’m hoping he’ll get a starting position toward the inside. Last year he was second in the Ocean Stakes before taking on this race. This year he is coming off a win.”

Panja Tower

Shinsuke Hashiguchi, trainer
“He returned to the training center on March 18. On the 19th, Kohei Matsuyama rode him on the woodchip course and things went as expected. It was raining and the track was heavy, but he moved well. He was able to wait patiently under way, then picked it up nicely in the final stage. He came out of his last race without injury and since returning to Japan, there have been no changes, in a good way. He switches on and off well and it’s evident he has matured mentally. He has fantastic speed, a strong will and a determination to beat the others. He used to be a bit of a handful, but he’s well-behaved now. After seeing his strong win of the Grade 3 Keeneland Cup over six furlongs last summer, I have felt even more strongly that 1,200 meters is his best distance. Rain won’t bother him and if the ground favors those stalking the pace, I think we have a chance.”

Puro Magic

Shogo Yasuda, trainer
“She’s best in the hot months and I think her performance in the Ocean Stakes (finished in last place) had largely to do with the season. Her footwork both at the start and the finish were lacking. However, the aim was to give her a solid workout and that’s why we chose to take the lead. And with that race behind her, I do believe she will have improved. The temperatures will be rising from here on and I’ve gotten her ready picturing some of her best performances in the summer months. On raceday, after the warmup, I’ll quickly have a word with the jockey (Yuichi Kitamura) and decide our strategy.”

Rapier

Masaaki Shibata, assistant trainer
“In his race prior to the Ocean Stakes, he’d traveled midfield toward the inside, waited patiently, got out of a tight spot in the straight, and gained ground to finish a frustrating second by a neck. He’s gotten a lot of experience and he’s mentally much tougher now. He stayed at the training center after that and worked up the hill course on March 18. His time and his movement were good. Earlier, he would travel from a forward position, but in his recent races he’s able to stalk the pace. He always gives it his but still is able to come out of the races well. He’s going to the gate in good shape. He’ll be carrying 58kg but he has gotten stronger now that he’s 4 years old.”

Red Mon Reve

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“The blinkers helped him in his most recent race, the Grade 3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai, and he was much better in hand than usual and gave us some good footwork in the stretch. Still, with the distance at 1,600 meters, he had nothing more to give in the final meters. His movement is still good and we’ve had him working with a training partner, and he can now work alongside and then pull away without losing concentration. If he can maintain his concentration over this distance, I think he can give us a good race. But he’s not good at closing amid a high pace. He’s more suited to a slower pace that favors those with a strong late kick. It’d be good if the race panned out in such a way.”

Satono Reve

Tatsuyoshi Kawahara, assistant trainer
“He was in good shape, physically and mentally, for the Hong Kong Sprint last out in mid December. His start was a bit slow and the pace was fast from the start, which did not work in his favor. For his workout this week (March 25) we were careful not to let him overdo it. He looks to be in great shape and everything went as planned. Since he won this race last year, there’s nothing that particularly concerns us heading into the race. The draw and the track condition on the day will be important. Although he can do well over both slow and fast ground, I think he does better when the track calls for more effort. Last year, he gained a lot of experience racing in Hong Kong and in England. He’s much more settled now at 7 years old. I think he’s a late bloomer and he seems to be in his prime now.”

Win Carnelian

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“He was in good shape for the Hong Kong Sprint and he fared well during the trip there, so I had my expectations up. But with the one extremely strong horse (Ka Ying Rising) and the heavy going, the race did not suit him. It does take him longer to recover from a race, but he has been looking good. On March 25, he worked under Kosei Miura over six furlongs on the woodchip course with a training partner. I think it was an ideal workout, not too hard, not too easy and he picked up speed with ease. At 9 years old, he’s still very eager to run, although now’s no longer obsessed about taking the lead. He finished second in the Al Quoz Sprint last year, so we had our sights set on that again, but after discussing it with the owner we decided to switch to here. Considering his age,I don’t know how he’ll fare if the race favors the late speed, but he still is very youthful. Two years ago, he finished in fourth place over a heavy track, but I am hoping for fast going this time.”

Yamanin al Rihla

Takashi Saito, trainer
“He was a bit slow out of the gate in the Silk Road Stakes (finished third), but it was a smoother start than in the Keihan Hai, which was his first race after ramming the front of the gate just before it opened in the Sprinters Stakes. I think the blinkers on him in the Silk Road Stakes helped and he looked good for the first time in a while. The weight he carried was (0.5-3.5 kg) more than the first and second-place finishers had to race under. After the Silk Road Stakes, he went to the farm for a bit and returned with this race as his target. Everything has gone as usual and according to plan. On March 15, he had a tough workout up the hill course and he responded well after that. It’s a G1 and he’ll have to borrow some strength from the others. Unlike the Sprinters Stakes, he’ll have to start well and keep up with the flow.”

Yoshino Easter

Hidemasa Nakao, trainer
“The pink helmet (bracket No. 8) last out in the Ocean Stakes made for a tough race, with him travelling on the outside the whole way. Still, he gained ground nicely in the final stage and was able to just make the board. He was only 0.2 seconds behind the winner. He definitely showed his strength. I think if we’d have had the orange bracket, he’d have finished ahead of one or two other horses. He stayed at the training center and last week, we gave him a hard workout and used the whip to encourage him. His movement was good and I think that will sharpen him up. It’ll be his first time in this race and I don’t think he should be written off. The 1,400 meters doesn’t quite suit him and since he can gain in the final stage, I think 1,200 meters is better. I can’t say that the course itself suits him that well, but he has had been late away and lost shoes before, so he hasn’t really had a good trip.”