A T Makfi

Hidenori Take, trainer
“There’s a fresh feel to him, and everything’s been fine with him since returning from Sapporo, but I’m aware that this next race is a Grade 1 with strong horses. There’s no problem with the Nakayama track for him, but it will be a plus for him if the ground is a bit soft. There are a lot of quick horses in the field, but hopefully he’ll get a good start and find his own rhythm, after which he can get a good finish in. This will be best for him, and I hope he can do well.”

Akatsuki Tomita, jockey
“He’s trained well, and with just the two races this summer, he hasn’t had to do too much, so his condition is good. It’s not a worry that it’ll be his first time at Nakayama. He ran a good race last time, so I can look forward with confidence to this one.”

Ai Sansan

Shunichi Kinoshita, assistant trainer
“The jockey (Hideaki Miyuki) has ridden her in training and thinks that she has been moving well, despite the track condition not being so good. The horse didn’t run in the Chukyo Kinen, but her condition is better than it would have been had she run in that race. She has plenty of speed and ability to handle 1,200 meters. The Nakayama course is fine for her, and she can get a good position from the start and run well.”

Hideaki Miyuki, jockey
“Her times in training haven’t been too fast because of the ground. In the race itself, I have the image of going forward from the start.”

Black Chalice

Koshiro Take, trainer
“Things have been fine with her after her last run in Hokkaido, and she hasn’t needed so much work. We also have to keep in mind the transportation to the track. She seems bigger and more like a sprinter. She won the Fairy Stakes at Nakayama, so I think the course is to her liking. The race comes a little soon after her last one, but that’s the situation. There are some quick horses in this Grade 1, and she’ll have to run a different kind of race, but I hope she can get a good start and run at a suitable pace for her.”

Flicker Jab

Shota Nishizono, trainer
“In the Ocean Stakes, he didn’t get a result, as he started from a wide gate and the race worked out differently from his usual pattern of racing. He was only 0.3 seconds off the winner, so he still ran well. He was fine after his last race and relaxed. He generally gets off to a good start in his races, and even in a Grade 1, I think he can do well. I’d like an inside draw, and the rise at the finish shouldn’t be a problem. I’m looking forward to what he can do this time.”

June Blair

Hidenori Take, trainer
“Her hindquarters were a bit weak for her last race, but there’s a fresh feel to her now, and things have been good in this last week. She did well in the race last year, so I hope she can produce something similar this year too.”

Kaname Ogino, assistant trainer
“She did well right up to the end in last year’s race, despite things not being easy. She has plenty of speed, but I don’t think that she must go off in front. It’s important that she finds a good rhythm that suits her, and if that’s the case, again this year I think she has a good enough chance.”

Lugal

Hirotaka Hanada, assistant trainer
“His workload’s been good, and I think he’s ready to try another Grade 1 race again. His starts have been better recently, and I think that helps him progress from race to race. He didn’t start well in last year’s race, so he didn’t get a good result. However, he won the race two years ago, so the course is fine for him. Hopefully he’ll get a good start this time and get to run his own race.”

Katsuma Sameshima, jockey
“He’s improved for his training these past two weeks, despite the ground being soft and therefore his times a little slow. Overall, he’s worked well.”

Mama Cocha

Hiroshi Kanetake, assistant trainer
“She hasn’t needed to do too much in training with the short time between races. She had a number of races up until this June, but she was returning from a spell last time, so she looked as if she might need the race and had put on 10kg. That gave us something to work with and she’s much better for that last race. It would be good to see her win the race again like she did three years ago.”

Pair Pollux

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer
“He’s been at Ritto the whole time, so nothing’s been rushed with him, as we avoided the hot weather and a possible run in the Keeneland Cup. He’s been training on the poly track and the uphill course, and the jockey (Yasunari Iwata) has been working on the horse’s finish. He’s been pleased with the horse’s reactions. He’s in good condition and hopefully at his peak for the race.”

Panja Tower

Shinsuke Hashiguchi, trainer
“His workload’s been good and he’s been moving well, running on from behind, so I can say he’s in very good condition. He has a big stride, so a wide course is good for him, together with the rise in the homestraight. He’s a powerful horse, so if the ground is a bit off on the last weekend of racing at the track, it won’t matter. It should be a fast pace, but if he can settle in midfield and save himself for the finish, I think he has a chance.”

Puro Magic

Shogo Yasuda, trainer
“I think the horse has changed since last year. She came back to the stable on September 16 after a short stay at the farm. There was no bad effect after her last race, and she is currently calmer than I expected. She’s been running smoothly without pulling, and right up to the race everything looks good. This last week, she’s obeyed the jockey’s instructions and has remained calm, so I’m looking forward to Sunday’s race.”

Rapier

Masaaki Shibata, assistant trainer
“He’s had a short break at the farm. He’s in good condition since returning, and he’s done everything we’ve expected of him, including his work on the uphill. He’s had a couple of good races, including the one at Hakodate, since returning from a spell, and he did his best in this year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen, where he finished fifth. He had run at Nakayama, so the track is fine for him. It’ll be his first Grade 1 race since the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, but with the condition he’s in, hopefully he can run a good race.”

Red Mon Reve

Masayoshi Ebina, trainer
“We’ve been patient with his gate practice, and there’s no tiredness about him after his last race. He’s been running well with the workload we’ve given him, and I want him to be in the condition he was in when he ran well in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen.”

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“He should be fine going into this next race. With it being the last week of the Nakayama meeting, the ground might possibly be better on the outside, and that should help him get in a good late finish. Hopefully things will go smoothly for him in the race this time.”

Sound Moryana

Hidenori Take, trainer
“Things have been fine with her, and she’s become a lot more relaxed. She’s developing really nicely. The course is fine for her, and it was only in the Kita Kyushu Kinen, when the ground was soft, that she didn’t get a good result. She’s been showing that she has a lot of power otherwise. There’ll be a lot of horses that want to go forward this time, but I don’t think that’s a problem, and I look forward to her performance in this Grade 1, which I believe she has the ability to win.”

Hayato Yoshida, jockey
“She’s started well in training and posted some fast times. She seems switched on, but at the same time easy to ride.”

Star Anise

Tomokazu Takano, trainer
“She’s worked very well on the uphill training track. We’ve been careful about giving her just the right amount of training. The jockey (Christophe Lemaire) has also praised her efforts. Looking at the races in the autumn, she’s likely to be more suited to this one, as opposed to the Shuka Sho, which is run over 2,000 meters. With the ability she has, I think she’ll perform well over 1,200 meters without any problem. Her breeding also suggests this too, so I can believe in her doing well, with the training we’ve given her.”

Win Carnelian

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“He’s in very good order and I’m pleased with him. I can evaluate him highly. He’s shown that even though he’s a 9-year-old, he’s still very well and is a match for younger horses. He was well forward in the race last year, and I think that will be the plan this time as well. If he gets to concentrate right throughout the race, I think he has a chance to win this year too.”

Kosei Miura, jockey
“He feels like he has a lot of power when I ride him. There are a lot of top sprinters represented in the race, but I believe he’s one of them, and I’m not worried about the others.”

World’s End

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“He’s relaxed, so we’re able to work him in a good way. His result wasn’t so good in the Swan Stakes, despite it being a fast pace. Since then, however, I’ve wanted to try him over 1,200 meters. He usually starts well, and it will be different this time to racing over a mile when taking the lead. I don’t think he’s the type that has to lead. The key this time will be finding a good rhythm, and just saving himself for the best run possible over the distance. I think he can do well at any racecourse.”