Hideaki Fujiwara, trainer

“His mental state, physical strength and muscularity all look to have improved. As always, the routine is to work him on the uphill course alongside another horse for his final work and then transport him to Tokyo. As was the case for last week’s fast work, the way I had expected him to move and perform all met my expectations. It was a very good workout.

“My hopes and expectations are that, above all and to the end, Shahryar will work together as one with (race jockey) Cristian Demuro. The real battle is not with the others so much as it is with himself. Without a doubt, he is better than last year, in mind, spirit and body. I expect him to give it his all. And, I think an all-out performance is going to get us the results we want. Please lend us your support.”

Kunihiko Watanabe, trainer

“Changing him to turf this year (the horse had raced only over dirt before) has been a factor in the good results we’ve gotten, but he has also put on muscle just where he needed and has really come into his own. I believe Tokyo Racecourse will really suit him. We had planned initially to go to Hong Kong but after discussing it with the owner, we decided on the Japan Cup.

“Last week we pushed him hard in work, so over the weekend my instructions were to not tire him out, but to go slowly at the start and pick it up only in the final stage. I’d say his time would get passing marks. He picked it up on his own in the finish and all looks to be going well.

“The competition takes a leap up, but with the condition he’s in and the energy he has now, I think he’ll give us a good race.”

Suguru Hamanaka, jockey

“Last week, he worked alongside another horse over the woodchip flat course and the staff had him really pick it up in the stretch. But, his footwork and responses seemed a bit lacking to me, even though it was still over a week out. Because of how he looked last week, I asked if I could ride his final fast work this week, and thanks to the work he’d had the previous week, his responses were much sharper. I am extremely satisfied with him.

“He was on his toes, very alert, and I could really feel by how he held himself that he was taking the bit on his own. He was very light on his feet and I felt dramatic improvement in that final bit of work. Compared to his last start, I think he’s going to be able to use his body much better this time.

“He won the Meguro Kinen and he has gotten good results over 2,000 meters and up at Tokyo. I think the course suits him well. I too am doing my best to prepare and hoping to give a dynamic and exciting performance.”

Noriyuki Hori, trainer

“(Regarding the Tokyo 2,400 meters) He does have problems with his balance but racing left-handed is better for him, and with the big sweeping turns at Tokyo, he should be able to run to the best of his ability. The distance of 2,400 meters will, I think, require some ingenuity.

“Since he was almost at peak condition last week, his final work this week, which was just some fine-tuning and getting the expected time, went well and as planned. I think he feels just as good now as he did before the Tenno Sho (Autumn). My impression is that he hasn’t changed.”