Tetsuya Kimura, Trainer
“After the Shuka Sho, she went to Northern Farm Tenei to refresh, and 3 weeks ago she came back to the stable, where we've been taking good care of her.
(regarding this week's final work) Picturing the race, we decided on a number of points that we should focus on, such as keeping her well in hand, keeping her calm in amid the other horses, seeing if she would respond well to the rider's instructions, and if she would pick it up well in the final stage heading toward the finish line.
And, I think she did well on all those points.
Amid a number of concerns, I think we can enjoy a bit of relief regarding her racing at Tokyo Racecourse.”
Yasuo Tomomichi, Trainer
“In this week's work I put a horse ahead of him and had that horse run slowly. I wanted to see if Do Deuce could remain well-balanced. And, I think he ran without tensing up too much. It was good workout.
This year he was really in good shape for the Tenno Sho (Autumn). I didn't think he could get any better, but I now feel that he actually has gotten a bit better and that he'll go to the gate in even better condition than he was for the Tenno Sho.”
Yutaka Take, Jockey
“After his last race, everything has gone really, really well and he's doing good. Last week (Nov. 13), I was told to give him a good hard workout. And, even with the performance he'd just given in the race, there seems to have been very little damage, so I rode and his footwork was extremely good.
This year, a lot of really good horses have gathered for the race and they all want to win, so I don't think it's going to be an easy race.
Yoshito Yahagi, Trainer
(looking back on his two starts in Europe) “I think they took less of a toll on him than I had thought they would. He seems to have gotten a lot tougher mentally. And the experience he gained was in no way a minus. He's still only 3 years old and I think the experience was a huge plus.
I wanted him to have a good, hard workout last week and he moved very well.
(working in tandem this week) I had him chase the other horse quite a ways so I gave instructions to not go for too much of an effort, but just enough that he would hold his concentration to the end.
(regarding his breathing) There's no problem with it.
He's had two starts at Tokyo and both of them were very good performances, so I decided to aim him at the Japan Cup.
The competition is high.
I do understand that it's not easy for a 3-year-old to win the Japan Cup. And I think that he is going in as a challenger, but he's going in in excellent condition and from here on out, I am going to be getting very excited.”
Mizuki Takayanagi, Trainer
(regarding her preparation) “We gave her a good rest and let her get over any fatigue she had and then began her preparation for here. She has a tendency to lean to the right, so we checked how she was doing there. She had a very solid workout last week, so this week I wasn't asking her for too much. Stars on Earth is a really fabulous horse and I'll be looking for her to draw on the talent she has and bring good results.”
Yuga Kawada, Jockey
(regarding last week's fast work) “I think her time was sufficient and the workout itself was fine and she was able to move as she usually does, which in turn, I hope, will see her improve even more.
I hope she'll be able to give a performance that lives up to the fans' expectations and I hope she can race in such a way that will make people realize just how strong Japanese horses are. She hasn't been able to win easily but she is, without a doubt, a fantastic horse, and I hope she'll be able to show just what she's capable of.”
