Birthday Flight

Koichi Shintani, trainer
“She raced over 1,800 meters in her most recent race at the end of September. I’d raced her over a mile, but the mid-distance helps her keep something in reserve and it makes for an easier race. I had planned on racing her in the 1-win class race for fillies and mares over 2,000 meters at Hanshin on Oct 12, but then I thought the Kyoto 2,000 meters would suit her better than Hanshin, so I entered her here. This week, she trained up the hill course starting about 3 1/2 lengths behind a partner. She was well in hand and moved smoothly, gaining ground as she went up the hill. It was a light workout but because she has a strong temperament, this amount of work is fine for her. She can be pretty temperamental, so standing in the gate of a G1 does have me worried a bit.”

Canal Saint Martin

Keisuke Miyata, trainer
“When she returned to the training center in the summer, I had planned to race her in the Sado Stakes at Niigata. There was some trouble with the horse van under way so I had to withdraw her from the race. Then, after a bit of time at the farm, she returned to the training center mid-September and from there we prepared her. On Oct. 8, she worked over the woodchip flat and coming out of the backstretch. She took the bit in her teeth and moved well. She gets better with each workout and is showing signs of maturing from the spring. She is a agile horse so I think she can handle the Kyoto inner course. There is some concern about her getting too upset with the starting gate right in front of the grandstand. I’m sending her to Kyoto Racecourse on Thursday of this week. I hope she’ll be calm heading into the race.”

Dream Core

Hiroyuki Yamazaki, assistant trainer
“We had her at the training farm for a while after her most recent race, the Shion Stakes. She had come back to the training center looking much rounder around her middle. This time, however, her weight may be the same but she’ll have a much slimmer silhouette. In the Shion Stakes, Christophe Lemaire remarked that she was still rather tense. So, we have been working on that and trying to get her more relaxed. I also think that her breathing will have improved from her most recent race. Two weeks ago, her movement was still pretty heavy, and the week after, she was still heavy on her feet in morning work. Her right hind-leg tends to drift outward, and she has a tendency to lean toward the right, both with the bit and with her shoulder. So, I’m thinking a left-handed track may actually be better for her. She’s a big, talented filly, but she’s still not easy to push hard in her workouts. She seems to have a lot of untapped potential.”

Enne

Sho Tajima, assistant trainer
“She suffered from heatstroke at the time of the Oaks, but after that she got through the summer with no problem and was in good condition. We had her in blinkers for the first time for her most recent start, the Rose Stakes. At the start we sent her forward and she was able to get a good position. She lost with a second-place finish, but because her experience until now was to race from the back and move up in a one swift move, this was a whole new strategy. I think she gained a lot from it. After the Rose Stakes, we kept her at the training center, and she hasn’t shown any signs of fatigue. We gave her a hard workout on Oct. 10 and that switched her on. This week, we plan to work her up the hill course. This time, it’s the Kyoto inner 2,000 meters course and, if possible, we’ll probably try to run a race like what she did in the Rose Stakes.”

Festival Hill

Hirofumi Shii, trainer
“The Queen Stakes, her most recent race, was the first time race she was given that had four turns. The track (Sapporo) was also tight, but the jockey did a pretty good job of quickly getting a good position. I thought she looked good until the third bend, but after that she seemed unable to draw on what she had. She has grown since then and is full of energy. Her training is coming along well and she’s in good condition. It’s 2,000 meters this time and I think it’ll be a race that’ll come down largely to the final stage. She’s in good shape and I’m hoping we’ll see a different side of her this time.”

Garavogue

Haruki Sugiyama, trainer
“This horse did a great job in the Oka Sho and finished second. After that, I had aimed her at the Oaks but we couldn’t have her in her best shape, so I withdrew her. With the time off, I had my eye on the Queen Stakes if she improved quickly, but she needed more time, so we’re heading into this race without a prep. Since Kazuo Yokoyama will be riding her in a race for the first time, I had him ride fast work on Oct. 1 and Oct. 7. He checked her over, did some fine-tuning, and got a much better reading on her. She was difficult to hold back in places but she was fine running behind another horse. She didn’t overdo it in the final stage, her movement was good, she was on her toes, and she’s in good condition. She hasn’t raced in a while, so I’ve been giving her gate practice so she’ll learn to be calm. This will be her first time over the distance, but I think she’ll be able to handle it given the right-handed track. She’s able to sustain a long, powerful drive.”

Yoshiaki Sugiyama, trainer
“Two races ago, I think she had an easy run in places and after that she had time off and a good rest. Then, she looked very good in her next race, good even on a JRA stage. She had three solid weeks in between races this time and we’ve been able to bring her slowly up to racing fit with care. I plan to give her a good strong workout on Sunday and just breeze her on Oct. 7. These days she seems more grounded than before. She’s more sure-footed and I think she’s finally becoming more powerful. She does seem to struggle up a hill, so the change to Kyoto with its flat homestretch should be a plus. It’s a G1 and the competition will be strong, but I’ll be happy if she can gain some valuable experience.”

Akishi Higashida, trainer
“In her last race in early September, she was pretty worked up, but since I’d kept her at the training center, she had maintained her condition. At the start of the race, the saddle slipped, so balance was everything. She also lost a shoe. Despite all that, she raced really well and, at points, you could see just how strong she was. After returning to Ritto, we sent her to the farm and then seeing that she was fully recovered, I decided to race her here. I checked her responses and breathing last week and everything looked fine. I’m not worried about her settling during the race, so the distance shouldn’t pose any problems. Key will be her remaining calm.”

La Belle Scene

Yuichi Shikato, trainer
“She performed well above expectations in her last race in early August and the fact that she won so easily (by a 2-length margin) was really a plus. I think it was a very strong race. Last week, she looked really good working on the woodchip course with a partner, whom she caught and passed. Her footwork was fantastic. Compared to the spring, her physique has really improved. But she also improves with this one workout. This week, the plan is just to breeze her, which should be enough. We’ll ship to Kyoto on Thursday and go through screening. It’s 2,000 meters and especially over the inner course there should be no problems. Key will be her temperament on the day. If she can stay calm, I believe she is more than capable of performing well."

Ryo Terashima, trainer
“She finished in fourth place three starts ago over 2,000 meters at Fukushima and her time was good at 1 minute, 58 seconds and change. After her most recent race at the end of August, we sent her to the farm. Last week at the training center, she was a bit keen but she didn’t overdo it. The times are fast at Kyoto now but, surprisingly, looking at what she can do, I think that the track will suit her. She has only one win to her name but she is a skillful racer and should make for a good ride.”

Master Soarer

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer
“She had filled out at the time of the Shion Stakes, but that was all growth. She was calm and collected in the pre-parade ring and in the warmup, both of which were crucial. The heavy ground tested her but she showed us some very good footwork and won the trial. We kept her at the training center after the Shion Stakes and concentrated on getting her fully recovered, then slowly bringing her up to peak. We kept a close watch on her tension levels, and things have all gone well. I think she’s in great shape. Everyone is excited about Yutaka Take riding and I hope they’ll have a good run. This will be her first time to have a long trip to the race, so we’ll have to see how that pans out. I think she has what’s needed to do well on fast ground.”

Monroe Walk

Hiroyuki Uemura, trainer
“She had lost condition from the trip back from Hokkaido. Leading up to the Rose Stakes, we had been dealing with getting that condition back. She wasn’t 100 percent, but it was the best we could do. In the race, she showed us that she had even more ability than we’d imagined. She’d done well on the type of grass at the Hokkaido tracks. But after seeing her win the Rose Stakes, I’d have to say she is better suited to the fast grass and can bring out her sharp turn of foot. There was no damage and she stayed at the training center after that race. She has had two fast workouts over the course and two up the hill, the same training menu as before the Rose Stakes and I don’t see any need to push her harder. As long as she can maintain her condition, the results will follow. She is a compact horse and only weighs about 450kg. She’s light on her feet and has a big stride.”

Daisuke Takagi, assistant trainer
“She was travelling well in the Shion Stakes up to the top of the stretch. She has a beautiful stride and, in the end, I had the feeling the heavy ground finally took its toll on her. She came back from the farm on Sept. 29 and everything has gone smoothly since. Jockey Yasunari Iwata (who rode the Shion Stakes) spoke extremely highly of her. We’re going to send her to the gate wearing the hood of the Tamura stable (her previous trainer Yasuhito Tamura passed away at the end of June). I feel it’s somehow fated that the last race wearing the hood will be a Grade 1. Of course, it’s racing, so we never know what will happen. I’m hoping for a good race.”

Something Sweet

Daishi Ito, trainer
“I used to have the impression that she was a big-striding horse able to sustain speed at length. However, after her two most recent races I’ve seen she has a very sharp turn of foot and is also good at maneuvering in tight places. I had also thought she wouldn’t come into her own until later, but recently she has improved very quickly. On Oct. 7, she worked over the woodchip flat course and her movement was already quite good despite the early date. She has a huge appetite so there’s no concern about her losing condition. It also means we can push her hard. Two races ago at Chukyo, she also showed me she’s the kind of horse that maintains her condition even after shipping, so I’m confident we can send her to the gate in good shape. The competition will be stronger this time, but she’s good over the Kyoto inner course, so it should be interesting. Looking at her results in her last two races, an inside draw would make things even more interesting.”

Sweet Happiness

Hitoshi Nakai, assistant trainer
“I had the impression that the 1,800 meters of the Rose Stakes (finished seventh) was a bit too short for her. A course with just one turn demands a very sharp turn of foot and that doesn’t suit her. Also, having had to travel on the outside gate made things even tougher. Aferwards, we kept her at the training center and, as the days got cooler, she became much more on her toes. She worked on the woodchip course last week with a training partner. She didn’t look like she was well on the bit but she got a good, hard workout. This time with the right-handed course over 2,000 meters, the extra distance should be a plus. She has gotten good results at Kyoto (two wins and one second from three starts). Still, getting a good position will be key over the inner 2,000 meters and she’s not quick away. An outside gate would be extra ground to cover. I hope she can secure a good position on the inside.”

Takatoshi Miyaji, trainer
“After her last race (Aug. 8) I set the Shuka Sho as our target. She came back to Ritto from the farm with more condition. Working over the track on Oct. 7, she moved nice and straight despite the bad ground. She’s looking good. There can be troubles with her appetite but I think it’s nothing we can’t deal with. Her best distance is a mile and I do think that 2,000 meters may be a bit too long, but I think we can make adjustments that will compensate for that. She’s an easygoing filly and easy to prepare. Key will be getting her to the gate in a good mental state.”

Taisei Vogue

Takeshi Matsushita, trainer
“She always holds her position coming into the stretch, but in her most recent race, the Rose Stakes, she had nothing left. It was her first race since returning from a fracture and she had been moving well in trackwork. I was a bit disappointed as it was her first race in six months. After that, she went to the farm for two weeks and returned on Oct. 1 looking well recovered. On Oct. 7, jockey Atsuya Nishimura rode her on the woodchip course. She got a better time than I thought she would and even had a lot left in the tank at the finish. She moved very nicely, as she usually does. This will be her second race after returning from a long spell and I think she’ll be fine over 2,000 meters. It’s a G1, so I hope she can make a comeback.”