Ai Sansan

Yoshitake Hashida, trainer
“In her most recent start, the Aichi Hai,, the jockey (Hideaki Miyuki) did a real good job bringing her home. In the final strides, she really showed her competitiveness and prevailed. Since she had seven full weeks in between races, she went to the farm for a bit and returned looking fine. She was a little bit filled out but in a good way. Last race, she went wire to wire but this time I’m thinking getting a prominent position would be good. It’s a G1 and there are G1 winners in the field so it’s going to be tough to measure up. I’d say she definitely goes in as the challenger, but she has gotten great results over this course and all has gone well. She’s well-prepared.”

Bond Girl

Takahisa Tezuka, trainer
“In her most recent race, the Nakayama Himba Stakes, the pace didn’t suit her, and she didn’t seem to settle well. With a bit of time off after that, I considered the Niigata Daishoten, but then decided on an all-female race and entered her here. She worked on the woodchip course on May 7 and entered the track in the backstretch. She worked over half a mile. Jockey Yuji Tannai rode and said, ‘She clamps down on the bit over the woodchip course,’ but I think her movement wasn’t bad. In the Kokura Himba Stakes with the long trip to the track, I think she wasn’t on her game. However, in work at Miho, she’s always the same. Her temperament, however, is not one you can rely on but she’s good with Tannai. The field will be strong and she didn’t get good results here last year, but she has more time in between races this year.”

Cervinia

Yu Ota, assistant trainer
“I think the distance of 1,800 meters at Nakayama was good for her and we had blinkers on for the first time. I think they helped. She made a good effort and I think a comeback is in store. She’s more easygoing now in a good way, and she makes a good effort in work every morning. She’s moving very efficiently, almost too much so. If you don’t really crank up the intensity of a workout, it’s hard to get much change. For that reason, we had her train on May 6 over seven furlongs and pushed her hard (for a time of 97.4 seconds). This week, we can see some improvement. If the race comes down to who has the fastest turn of foot, I don’t think a mile will suit her, but I do hope she’ll be able to handle it well enough at Tokyo. I would like to have her to the gate healthy both physically and mentally.”

Coconuts Brown

Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“I gave her ample time between this race and her most recent run (Jan. 24) and she returned to the training center a full three weeks before the week of this race. There has always been an issue with her high-strung temperament and the difficulty to maintain her condition. I can’t say how she’ll handle the trip from Ritto but I am, of course, taking that into consideration in her preparation. I think she’s best suited to a mile. Anything longer than 1,800 meters and she’ll have the bit in her teeth, which leads to repercussions in the final stage. At this distance she can ride the pace more comfortably and bring out more of her potential. If the race comes down to who has the best turn of foot over the long stretch, it should work in her favor.”

Drop of Light

Yuichi Fukunaga, trainer
“In the Aichi Hai, she broke pretty well but her outside gate and the horses around her didn’t help. There was a horse with early speed on her outside that immediately moved in. The winner (Ai Sansan) received a penalty, and that kind of interference can be fatal in a short-distance race. The pace was slow and it didn’t work in her favor too. Still, she ran well in the final stage. This time, it’s 1,600 meters and I think she can bring out her best. She went to the farm for a short time and returned to the training center on April 22. Her preparation has gone smoothly and she has been moving well in morning work. She can also race from the front and is versatile. She set the record over the last three furlongs at Chukyo and is good at left-handed tracks. I have my hopes up as this race is often decided by those coming from far off the front.”

Embroidery

Kazutomo Mori, trainer
“More time between races would be ideal, but I’ll have her largely the same as for her previous race. This week, I didn’t want to push her too much, but last week she had a good hard workout with a training partner, and we’d made sure to have her finish strong. Her overall time and response in the final stage were good. She was a bit tired after that, but recovered quickly and we were riding her again two days later. Last week’s main goals were to see how well she worked with the rider, how balanced she was and how much she had left at the finish. This week was just to breeze her and she matched her training partner’s pace with ease. She was calm and walked at a steady pace afterward and her breathing was good too. She won the Queen Cup last year over the mile at Tokyo. It was a very strong race and I think the course suits her.”

Erika Express

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“Up until her most recent race, she’d nearly always led the field, but this time she held back, racing in third position and I think the experience will stand her well. Back at Ritto, she breezed up the hill course on April 29. She has matured quite a bit and is calmer now. She’ll be racing to the left but I don’t see any problems, as her balance is good. The jockey (Yutaka Take) knows her and she’ll be in good condition. I have always thought of her as being difficult to handle, but she was well-balanced in her last race, even in second or third position, and she ran strongly to the end. She has gained muscle and her physique is impressive. The jockey has been riding her in the week of the race. He said she felt fine and wasn’t upset at all. She is exhibiting a lot of maturity, physically and mentally.”

Jocelyn

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“She was about 80 percent going into her most recent race. Still, she made a good effort. Even from the outside gate, she raced well and the jockey (Cristophe Lemaire) gave her an excellent ride. She returned from the farm on May 1 and I had her train with a partner on May 6. It looked easy to the end and her movement was good. Her weight is up nearly 30kg and she’s working up a good sweat. I think a weight gain on race day would be perfect. She has done well at Tokyo and I think it suits her. It’ll be her first time racing over a mile, but with her pedigree, there shouldn’t be any problem. She was weak in areas before, but with continued work, I do feel she has gotten stronger. She’s eager to run, works well with her rider and is well balanced.”

Ka Pilina

Toshiaki Tajima, trainer
“The time may have been too fast for her in the Hanshin Himba Stakes (finished ninth). She won the Hakodate Sprint Stakes in record time so I had thought she could handle a fast time. I think she may have been a bit too careful in places. The horses out in front were really moving, so it was no wonder she couldn’t gain ground. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to show her best. She stayed at the training center to prepare for the race and showed no signs of damage physically or mentally. Her preparation has come along as usual. She doesn’t have the advantage of the weight she’ll be carrying this time like last race. I’m looking for ways to turn things around for her. In any case, I’ll have her in good shape for the race.”

Kamunyak

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer
“She was patient under way in the Hanshin Himba Stakes and advanced nicely in the straight (finished second by a neck). She trained on the woodchip flat on April 30 with just enough intensity to get somewhat on her game. It’s 1,600 meters again and at Tokyo with a nice, long stretch. If she can race like her most recent race, I think she’ll be able to draw on her late speed. Being calm on race day is key and how smoothly she’ll load. Ideally, I’d like a bit more weight, but the increase is growth. She stayed at the training center after her last race. Jockey Koji Nishizuka rode her on May 7. It was a long workout on the woodchip course with a training partner. She was a bit unbalanced but calmer and moving better than the previous week. This week, she breezed up the hill course working alone. She moved well and was calm.”

Kana Tape

Noriyuki Hori, trainer
“After finishing sixth in the Hanshin Himba Stakes, she left directly from the racecourse the following day for the farm. She returned to Miho on May 2, but having suffered a bad case of tying up (severe muscle cramping), there was still evidence of it in her blood test. She worked alone on May 7 and we let her do what she wanted. She ran smoothly and her lap times were fast. I’d say she was moving better than she was in her last race and she looked to have improved. After work she weighed 485kg. Her hooves are her weak point, and her appetite also raises concerns. But the main concern is to not bring on another bout of tying up. Tests show that her numbers are slowly dropping and I’ve been preparing her with recovery as the top priority.”

Kelly Fred Ask

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“Her start was poor in the Fukushima Himba Stakes so she was traveling from the very back of the field. However, she raced well in the final stage and made it to fourth place, only 0.1 seconds behind the runner-up. I think she learned a lot from that race. After spending a short time at the farm, she returned to the training center looking refreshed. The time between races is less this time than for her last race, so we’ve just breezed her last week. She seems to be feeling good and has maintained her condition. Looking at her most recent race, I’d say she has demonstrated her versatility, so the jockey (Michael Dee) can decide at the break. The one turn course is not a problem and I think she can handle the distance well enough.”

Lavanda

Naoya Nakamura, trainer
“In her most recent race, the Hanshin Himba Stakes, either her heart wasn’t in it or the overall pace was just too fast. To be honest, I don’t really know what went wrong. She returned to the training center on April 29 and seemed to be her usual self. Her weight was over 500kg but there seems to be no excess. Jockey Mirai Iwata rode her in morning work on May 7 and she covered six furlongs on the woodchip course in a time of 83.5 seconds. If you ask her, she’ll move, but we didn’t push her too much. I think she moved quite well. Last year in January, she didn’t do well over the lefthanded track at Chukyo, but the going was slow and I think she got bogged down. The long stretch at Tokyo and the distance will suit her.”

Ma Puce

Ryota Kojima, assistant trainer
“In her most recent start, the Aichi Hai, she had the No. 1 gate, and she raced up the inside and couldn’t move at the crucial time. She needs to be able to make her move early on, so she wasn’t able to give it her best. The race also unfolded in a way that didn’t really suit her. As is the usual routine, she went to the farm, then returned to the training center with ample time to get her ready. Her movement was somewhat dull in the early days, but on May 6, she worked on the woodchip flat under jockey Francisco Goncalves. He pushed her hard and she moved well. Her time was very fast, 78.6 seconds over six furlongs. I think that will have her switched on. She’s probably not going to quite measure up at the top level, but my expectations are high with Goncalves in the saddle.”

Nishino Ti Amo

Yuki Uehara, trainer
“She needed just a bit more in her most recent race, the Nakayama Himba Stakes. But she really gained ground well, racing from far off the front in the final stage. Fifth place was quite an accomplishment. She has power and knows how to use it. Everything has gone well since. Last week, her weight showed a 10-kg gain and she wasn’t quite switched on yet. That said, the horse she trains with is quite good, so she has gotten good, hard workouts. I think her wind needs to get a bit stronger. As for the distance, jockey Akihide Tsumura said that if you consider 1,800 meters to be the baseline, shorter would be better than going longer. She looks to be quite versatile and I think she’ll be able to show her strength here. I’m looking forward to it.”

Paradis Reine

Teruhiko Chida, trainer
“I knew she was in good shape for the Fukushima Himba Stakes, but she was sweating heavily from the parade ring, and I think she was tired out from before the race. She’s the type of horse that picks up speed slowly, so I think in the end the tight Fukushima course didn’t suit. Things have gone well since, and I think the race took off some of steam. Ryusei Sakai rode her work on May 6 up the hill course and she looked better than her time would indicate. She has won over 1,800 meters at Kyoto and this will be her first time racing over a mile, but I think the wide-open Tokyo course will suit her. She finished third in the Shuka Sho and second in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, so it’s clear she can do well at the top-level. She didn’t do well in her last race, but I have my hopes up again.”

Queen's Walk

Mitsumasa Nakauchida, trainer
“I had jockey Atsuya Nishimura ride on May 6 and May 13 to get a reading on her condition, quirks, and overall feel. In the first workout, she worked with another horse because I wanted to up the intensity and I had the rider push her quite a bit in the final stage. Her time was good. This week was just a light workout up the hill for a fine-tuning. The rotation is the same as last year, from the Kinko Sho to the Victoria Mile. She was in good condition last year and this year she has stabilized, so she should be in good shape for the race. Her weight should be about the same as it was for her previous race (542kg). She has consistently performed well against male horses, and her desire to “go all out” in her races is her strongpoint. She did well her last year (second by a neck) so I don’t have any worries about the course or trip itself.”

Wide Latour

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“She has had experience in races that are decided on the fastest late speed, but she’d never experienced a race that was won wire to wire, the way the Keio Hai Spring Cup was (finished 7th). She kept gaining until the end though. There was only one full week between races to train, so we kept her at the training center. She wasn’t exhausted, so we were able to get her race-ready again. This week, the plan is just to breeze her and that should have her ready. She’s gotten good results recently over 1,400 meters, but I don’t think a mile will be out of reach. She was competed against males well, and when she’s really concentrating, she has some excellent footwork. Her weight was up for her last race, which shows her feed is going to good use. With the right trip, I think she has a chance.”