Admire Rakti

Admire Rakti (horse, 5)

Tomoyuki Umeda, trainer
(on the draw of No. 6) “Very good!” 

Kiyoshi Shikato, assistant trainer
“He gave us a characteristic performance in the stretch last time out in the Copa Republica Argentina and showed us some nice racing. He had to cover extra ground by going wide but if he shows any hesitation out there it’s still better than getting caught in traffic on the inside. He’s the type that is better when making his move from the outside. He was shouldering quite a bit of weight but I think he ran a strong race nonetheless. There isn’t much time between races and he’s nearly up to peak. On the 14th we gave him a good blowout and then we’ll just need to check his responses in the finishing strides of any work and that should be enough. He’s suited to the Tokyo course and he isn’t getting overly excited now and is able to run nicely. The field is strong but if he can give it his all I think he can run a good race.”

Denim and Ruby

Denim and Ruby (filly, 3)

Masafumi Matsuda, assistant trainer
“Her last race was over the outer 2,200 meters at Kyoto and she wasn’t hurried in the beginning, which is her kind of race. She ran well but she needed to be more forward and going into the final turn she just wasn’t doing it. I don’t know if she’s not good down the slope or she just couldn’t get up to speed. The slow pace and the heavy track, it may have all had an effect. Compared to after the Shuka Sho, she recovered more quickly. We had her weight back to 444 kg on the 13th. And according to the vet check, there was little damage so we decided to run her. The competition is going to be even tougher than her last outing but she is suited to the Tokyo 2,400 meters. And the 53 kg she’ll carry is attractive. I think she has a chance if she can bring her best to the race.”

Eishin Flash

Eishin Flash (horse, 6)

Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant trainer
“He didn’t quite get the smoothest of runs in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) but he did run full out. I’d have to say the winner was just too good. We had to decide on whether to go to Hong Kong or not and after discussing it with the owner we decided to take him here. A week out we worked him on the 15th over the woodchip course and despite it being a sloppy track, he clocked 12 seconds over the last furlong. He looked good. He looks in a good mood and has maintained nice condition. It won’t be good to stay too close to the pace in this race. It’s best if he can keep something to the end and then make full use of his acceleration. It’s the same venue as his winning run in the Derby as a 3-year-old and if he can race in that way he has a chance. (on the draw of No. 4) With an inside draw he’ll be able to keep something in reserve and he’s had good results when he got an inside gate. I think he’ll be able to make a ground-sparing run. Right now, he’s nice and relaxed. We plan to work him up the hill or on the wood chips on Friday.”

Fire

Fire (horse, 5)

Hitoshi Nakai, assistant trainer
“He’s working well with his rider now, but he does not have a nice temperament and if you push him from the start he gets upset. It’s best to leave him alone in the beginning but he can really move out when he wants to. We gave him a little time off and though he had no damage from his last outing it made for a nice rest. If he’s tired he’ll lean on the bit and we haven’t seen any of that. He’s more mature now than he was and he’s OK on turf but the lineup is a strong one so we’ll just see how far he can go. (on the draw of No. 8) I think the draw is just right. He has improved from his last start and he’s more patient. The rest is up to the jockey.”

Gentildonna

Gentildonna (filly, 4)

Sei Ishizaka, trainer
“Her run in the Tenno Sho was just not her. I just can’t be happy with that race. She’s been doing fine in work, with everything going according to plan. On the 13th, I had Ryan Moore ride her and she worked in tandem. She quickened well over the last furlong with no urging from the rider and looked like her usual self. I had no complaints. The jockey said he felt she was a very clever horse and would listen well to the rider and had good responses. He was satisfied. And this week we gave her a nice blowout. We ran her solo and her time was average, which is what I had expected, so I’m happy with it. I think she’ll be better after the one race. Her past three races have all been runs coming back after layoffs, but this time there shouldn’t be anything working against her. I have no worries about her condition. I don’t know if she’s the same condition as she was but she is definitely not any worse. If she can run her race, it’ll be a good one. She won last year and I’m looking forward to the same this year.”

Gold Ship

Gold Ship (colt, 4)

Naosuke Sugai, trainer
“He was very ready for his last race but the weather was unseasonably warm that day and that seems to have affected him. He was not in a good mood. And on top of it being a very fast track, he was carrying 58 kg, more than the others. He was drawn wide and the pace was heated from the start so he was forced to run wide and so he was always not quite in gear. It was a tough race and he suffered quite a bit of damage. It was an unfortunate race. We gave him about 10 days off after that race and he came back refreshed and back at the stable he no longer showed any signs of damage. We worked him taking care not to get him too tense or excited and he stayed nice and calm. A week out we put the jockey up and worked him in tandem and he showed the kind of low-to-the ground running style that is characteristic of him. And he showed it again this week. I feel that he’s switched on now. It’s a G1 so the field is a strong one and this is his first time competing against horses from overseas but he is definitely on the up and up. If he can make a clear switch of gears during the race I think we’ll see the strong Gold Ship. I want him to rally.” 

Hiroyuki Uchida, jockey
“In the Kyoto Daishoten it was probably too much to push him from the start like I did and I think that may have hurt his willingness to run. This time I plan to let him run as he wants to.”

Kohei Kitamura, assistant trainer
(on the draw of No. 13) ”I wanted an inside gate but we keep getting drawn wide, but that can’t be helped. Still, we had an orange cap in the Satsuki Sho too and he’s looking eager to run.”

Hit the Target

Hit the Target (horse, 5)

Keiji Kato, trainer 
“In the Tenno Sho there was only one other horse on his inside on the rail and even though he wasn’t right on the rail, he ran nicely settled. He had recovered nicely from his previous run but there were muddy patches on the track and, for that, I’d say he persevered well. Mentally, he is mature now and I think he can handle any JRA race without embarrassment. He worked one week out and everything went as usual. There hasn’t been much time between races but he has managed to maintain his condition. He looked good in the Meguro Kinen and though the most important thing will be the condition of the track, if he settles well I think he’ll be able to run his race.” 

Hirotake Kiyose, assistant trainer
“This week he was relaxed after fast work, but he’s still fresh. Before we gave him some time off, he had been getting ornery. He didn’t want to run in work. But now, we can push him and he’s fine with it. Last time out the going was against him. The turf had been sloppy the day before that race and even though it was upgraded to good by the afternoon there was a lot of difference between the inside and the outside of the track. The inside was dry but there was water further out. The jockey afterward said the horse’s legs were getting sucked in. If the ground had been better, he said he’d have finished in the top five.”

Shota Takai, assistant trainer
(on the draw of No. 16) “I’d been hoping for an inside gate but it can’t be helped. He’s in good shape. We’re leaving for the track on Saturday and plan to work him up the hill on Friday. We’ll leave the racing up to Yutaka and I’m hoping we’ll see some ‘Yutaka magic.’ “

Hokko Brave

Hokko Brave (horse, 5)

Yasutoshi Matsunaga, trainer 
“The Copa Republica Argentina (G2) was his first bid at the graded-stakes level and he put up a good fight. But compared to the race before that, I don’t think he was able to keep as much in reserve as he had then. If he can be a bit more patient, he has a nice closing drive. His last race wasn’t long ago but he’s not tired. He has maintained a good condition. The distance is perfect for him and if the track is a bit slow it will be even better. He’s only just had his first graded race and this time it’s already a G1. And though he’s the kind of horse that will keep up with the others, this may be asking a bit much. But we’ve gotten him ready very carefully and so we’ll see how far he can go. (on the draw of No. 12) It’s better than being on the far outside like we were last time out. I’d like to get him some cover and run about midfield. If we’d been drawn a little bit more inward it would have probably been easier to get a nice position further forward but he’s in really good shape and I’ll leave the rest up to the rider.”

Lelouch

Lelouch (horse, 5)

Daisuke Tsumagari, assistant trainer 
“He broke very nicely last time out in the Copa Republica Argentina and was able to have a ground-sparing run. I think he also moved out at just the right time but the winner was able to slip up on his inside. But, if you think that he’d had a bit of a layoff, I think it was a convincing racing. After that, he has clearly improved and it’s evident in his work. He’s a clever horse and understands how to switch on and off well. He has good racing sense. The Tokyo 2,400 has the conditions he is good with. The lineup will be strong but I’m looking forward to the race.”

Nakayama Knight

Nakayama Knight (horse, 5)

Yoshitaka Ninomiya, trainer 
(on the draw of No. 2) ”I always say it, we have no choice but to race from where we’re drawn. He’s in good shape and we’re doing our best to keep him relaxed until raceday. We’ve raced at Tokyo a number of times and that will be no problem. After work his weight was up but that’s not a problem either.” 

Kenji Miura, assistant trainer
“The Tenno Sho was his first race since the Takarazuka Kinen and I think he handled the trip nicely and gave it his best in the stretch. I think, considering that he was coming back after a layoff, that it was a good race. He recovered from that race well and his heart and lungs are stronger. The improvement is evident. I think he’s back to where he was when he won the Nakayama Kinen. I have no worries about whether he can settle well or not and I think he can run a nice balanced race. The competition is stiff but he is in excellent shape right now. I’m looking forward to seeing just how well he can do.”

Smart Gear

Smart Gear (horse, 8)

Shigetoshi Saruhashi, assistant trainer
“Last time out the jockey said that because the horse had a hold of the bit he wasn’t able to accelerate the way he usually does in the finish. But with the bad track in his last race, I’d say he wasn’t that bad compared to the others. The loss was nothing to get upset about. He’s not tired. He’s come along well and this is his third race since his layoff and he’ll be going to the race in good shape. We’d raced him before in similar conditions in the Copa Republica Argentina but he wasn’t able to run his race. If he’s able to use the ability he has in the finish, we’ll see just how far he can go.”

Tosen Jordan

Tosen Jordan (horse, 7)

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer 
“We gave him a rest after the Sapporo Kinen and he came back from that with some muscle loss on his hindquarters and there just wasn’t enough time to get that muscle back before the Tenno Sho. His muscling was not the same as it was in his best times and I also felt his wind was a bit lacking too but it couldn’t be helped. He’s gotten muscle back and he has improved with that last race but I’d have to say that he hasn’t improved as quickly as he used to. The jockey rode him for fast work a week out over the woodchip course and pushed him hard. He didn’t look bad. It may be due to his age, but he’s putting muscle on slower than he used to. He may have less strength due to his age but that can’t be helped. I’ll put my trust in his other abilities.” 

William Buick, jockey
“This week on the woodchips he looked super. And compared to last week he was much more forward, much more on is game.”

Uncoiled

Uncoiled (FR) (colt, 4)

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer 
“If it had just rained on the day of the Tenno Sho, he would have done even better but even so he was able to keep up with the pace of a G1, which just shows how much stronger he’s gotten. We did give him a bit of a rest after that but he recovered quickly and he’s in nice shape. He’s improved since the start of the autumn. In fast work we had him work together with Grand Prix Boss, who took the lead and we had him move smartly from the start. The track wasn’t very good at the time but he ran powerfully. I had thought of running him in the Kinko Sho (G2) but he’s looking good so I decided to go to the Japan Cup. He handled a fast track better than I thought he would, but of course, the competition is a bit different this time out. I’m wishing for a bit of rain. (on the draw of No. 3 in the No. 2 bracket) I was hoping for an even number bracket but this horse can run any kind of trip. I was hoping to be able to show off his talent with an inside draw.”

Verxina

Verxina (filly, 4)

Yasuo Tomomichi, trainer 
“After the Queen Elizabeth II Cup the jockey said she was just way too settled and that there just wasn’t anything when he asked for more. In the saddling enclosure before the race she had seemed unusually quiet, different from her usual self. And after the jockey mounted she was quiet too. And on that day, her weight was up a bit more than we had expected it to be. That’s the only thing I can think of for what might have gone wrong, but I can’t see any clear, specific reason. Since she hadn’t really had much of a run, there was no damage coming out of that race and we were walking her in hand from the Wednesday after the race. She was working back up the hill that Friday. There’s not been much time between races but I don’t see a problem there. She just needs to access her power, that’s been the only problem.” (on the draw of No. 1) She’ll be able to run in a forward position so I think it’s a good number. I hadn’t thought of taking the lead but it may turn out that way. Her weight was 468 kg and that’s more than last race but with the trip we should record less on raceday.”