Air Shady

Masanori Ito (trainer)
"His time was a little faster than what we expected, but it's because the track was so firm today. The important thing is that he moved really well. We like to think he still has an upside - even at 8. He's been in shape this whole time, but we need it to translate to the race. If that happens, he'll finish high on the board. He showed some life (in the Tenno Sho (Autumn)), but the draw really hurt us. The horse is much younger than his age says he is. Hopefully, he's a late bloomer like Company and his best days are still ahead of him."

Asakusa Kings

Ryuji Okubo (trainer)
"We were planning to work him under the groom, but (Yasunari) Iwata said he wanted to work him. He was still a little sluggish on the woodchip last week, but he looks a lot sharper now. We're hoping the work on the upslope will be the wakeup call he needs and help him get some speed in his legs. He may have the stamina, but he still needs to be able to accelerate when the pace picks up. It'll be an easier race for him at 2,400 meters and like I said, he does have stamina. We're looking for a medium pace here."

Cosmo Bulk

Fuyuki Igarashi
"I rode him for the first time in a long while, but he still has the flexibility and the spring in his steps that he's always had. I just hope I can get the best out of him in the race."

Eishin Deputy

Akira Nomoto (trainer)
"His time was fast (49.9 seconds), even considering the fact that the rider was lightweight. He's never been under 50 seconds before, and it probably means he's in that good of shape. This will be his third race back from the injury, and I think he's pretty close to the form he was when he won (the Takarazuka Kinen). He's never run at this distance before and the field is strong, but I expect him to improve on his last result (ninth out of 18 in the Tenno Sho (Autumn)) as long as he breaks well and grabs good position. The horse from the Hashiguchi stable will probably run with it so we'll be two, three horses behind the leader. We drew an inside barrier which is good and I think the race will come much easier to him this time."

Inti Raimi

Shozo Sasaki (trainer)
"We're not concerned with the space in between races; this race was always a possibility for us. His time today wasn't bad, but he's not giving off his usual intensity. The last race was his first coming out of a break, and he got off to a poor start which makes it tough for him. He was also overweight, which didn't help. He'll have had a week in between races and the travel to Tokyo should get his weight down. We have been given an opportunity here, so we're going for broke."

Meiner Kitz

Sakae Kunieda (trainer)
"He was pretty much race ready as of last week so he just went through the motions today. The movement was good, and he's always been the type to get better the more he runs. The last time he had the excuse of a layoff and 59 kilograms, but he is the Tenno Sho (Spring) champion and he can't be embarrassing himself out there again. The positioning will be really key; he needs good position near the front so he can take over on the straight."

Never Bouchon

Masanori Ito (trainer)
"He got some good work in today. He's been picking it up from a couple of weeks ago and based on his action, I would say he's at least 80 to 90 percent fit. He can be quick to switch on, so I was careful about overworking him. But I think he's right at around where we want him to be."

Oken Bruce Lee

Hidetaka Otonashi (trainer)
"Last year, it would take a lot of time for him to recover after races. He only needed a week of rest this time, and working him has never been easier. That we can work him so hard speaks about the kind of form he's in at the moment. The training he had last week has paid off. The acceleration was there, the breathing was there; the work was very good today. The 2,400 meters will be a plus for him, and all we need now is an average pace. We want this to be a test of endurance. We don't want the race to come down to the stretch; a slow pace will not help him like last year's Japan Cup."

Reach the Crown

Yutaka Take
"His movement was outstanding. He was calm throughout the workout, and I don't have a single complaint today. He'll need to relax during the first half of the race, run the first five furlongs in about a minute. We're not under any kind of pressure this time, so we'll try to enjoy the race. With him, it really depends on the day. Some days he'll settle, some days he won't. He was out of control in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) but in the Derby, he was at ease as soon as the gates opened. The shorter distance is certainly a plus for him. I rode him in all three Triple Crown races and I thought we would win at least one but we didn't. We have nothing to lose any more."

Kojiro Hashiguchi (trainer)
"He was good last week, and he was good this week. He's been in great condition for weeks now, and the best thing about him is that he's learned how to relax. The riding, I'll leave it completely up to Yutaka. The Satsuki Sho is still hard to get over, but we should have never tried to force him into the pace. The best pace for him is the pace he wants to run at, so we'll likely be on the lead. But I don't think it'll be easy for the others to keep up with him."