Laurel Guerreiro

Mitsugu Kon (trainer)
"He was ready to go last week, so there was no need for him to work fast this week. He will be racing under 59 kilograms and the 1,200 meters at Hanshin is a first for him, so there are a few concerns. But I don't think he'll disappoint us. He had dropped about 20 kilograms when he came back to us; it's possible he doesn't handle the summer very well, but he still had his appetite. He's the type of horse to feed off his emotions, and he should be just under 470 kilograms on race day. He's a Grade 1 champion so we do have some pride at stake here. We want to be able to move on to the next race with our heads up. I think Sleepless Night is the one to beat among sprinters, but I don't think our horse takes a backseat."

Maruka Phoenix

Masahiro Matsunaga (trainer)
"He was pretty poor in his last race (9th place, Grade 3 TV Nishinippon Corp. Sho Kitakyushu Kinen), even considering the fact that it was his first race back from a break. We worked him against another horse hoping that it would wake him up, but it's really tough to say how he'll come around in time for the race. Physically, I think he's there, but we can only hope for the best."

Melissa

Shigetoshi Saruhashi (exercise rider)
"She's lively, as always. She had her moment the last race (5th place, Grade 3 TV Nishinippon Corp. Sho Kitakyushu Kinen), and we found out she can compete at this level. Her action's been really good, and she's in form right now. I hope we get the breaks we need to win this thing."

Sandalphon

Mikio Matsunaga (trainer)
"He has no issues whatsoever at this point. We pushed him to the limit last week, and we just wanted him to go through the motions this week. His movement during the workout was outstanding, so we'll just have to see how he measures up against the rest of the field. We've been sending him out to Daisen Hills (training farm) fairly regularly and I think that's been working for him. He'll be going up against a much tougher group of horses this time - some of them Grade 1 champions - but we want him to finish at least second so we can take a shot at the Sprinters Stakes."

Sleepless Night

Kojiro Hashiguchi (trainer)
"She looks a little bit plump before her first race of the season, and I think she'll weigh in about 10 kilograms more than what she weighed in her last race. She's not lacking in work, and has come along so far without a single hitch. Based on her time of three furlongs today, she probably would have run a 51.5 over 800 meters. In the spring, she would break out with a rash every time we tried to work her hard, but that's no longer the case. I know it's her first race back, and it won't be a walk in the park at 57 kilograms. But it's a Grade 2 race and we can't embarrass ourselves out there as Grade 1 champion. We're dead serious because there's a title on the line for us. Sleepless Night is shaping up fine, but she'll hit her peak at the Sprinters Stakes."

Soldier's Song

Kastumi Ando
"I don't know how the fast turf in the opening week will affect him, but his condition has definitely improved since his last race. The only reason he didn't win last time (3rd, Grade 3 CBC Sho) is because he didn't start well. He wasn't the quickest down the stretch today, but his overall time was good so I think we can look forward to the race."

Suzuka Causeway

Mitsuru Hashida (trainer)
"He's been working well as of late, and his movement was superb today. I don't think anyone can complain about his form right now. He was sharp in the spring, but he looks just as sharp even though this will be his first race back. He's always been an over aggressive type of horse, so I'm not worried at all about racing at 1,200 meters. We just haven't used him at this distance before, but I definitely think he can handle it. If we race well here, we're on to the Sprinters Stakes."

Ultima Thule

Masashi Okuhira (trainer)
"We wanted to let her unwind in the workout today, and if she can post a time like this on her own, I don't think we have anything to worry about. Both the horse and jockey (Masami Matsuoka) won't be under any pressure, so if she can just handle the travel to the race track, I think it could be interesting. The (Grade 2) Hanshin Himba Stakes clearly favored the outside draw (finishing 10th), and the rain was pounding until noon before the (Grade 3) Ibis Summer Dash (3rd). The turf should be in great condition this weekend, and everything appears to be falling in place for her. We're excited that she has an opportunity to go up against a pair of Grade 1 winners, and we're praying the weather holds up."