Buena Vista

Yasunari Iwata
"She was working at a nice, easy rhythm and she looks like she's in good shape. She was flying, really enjoying it out there. I think Buena, as intelligent as she is, knew she hadn't won in a year so winning the Japan Cup must have rejuvenated her. You can see it in her eyes now. I can ride her with confidence. I've been saying all along that she's the best horse out there so I was really glad she won (the Japan Cup). That win has taken a load off my shoulders. We're hoping the third time will finally be the charm. We're going back to pick up what we've left behind, and if I ride the race I'm supposed to ride, we should be happy with the outcome. We've got a great field including the Triple Crown winner Orfevre so there won't be a huge margin for error. "

Hiroyoshi Matsuda (trainer)
"Her time was a little faster than I expected but the most important thing is that she'll be going out there with a clean bill of health. There's absolutely nothing wrong with her. With female horses, a lot of them suddenly stop running when they get to a certain age, but not Buena. She runs her heart out every start, and I've got all the respect in the world for it. This is it for her. I know the fans will miss her but I can always see her whenever I go to the farm."

Earnestly

Tetsuzo Sato
"I wasn't too worried about the time but I'm still pleased by how fast he was. Just one crack of the whip to keep him going, nothing too hard. He's in the best condition he can possibly be in. We weren't happy with the way the Tenno Sho turned out (14th), and we're not drawing too much from it. At the same, I don't want to make excuses. I could have and should have ridden a better race, and I hope I can make up for it this time. He was in pretty good shape for the Tenno Sho, but I'd say he's even better now. I don't know if it's because he spent a bit of time at the farm, but he's very focused at the moment. He's in a really good rhythm. My career goal has always been to win the Arima Kinen. The other horses are strong, but I like to think Earnestly is the strongest of them all. I want to prove that through this race."

Shozo Sasaki (trainer)
"When he's in shape, he doesn't drift to his inside when he works. He ran in a straight line today, which means he's in good condition. He's at least as good as he was for his last race. We lost because of the draw last time. This time it won't matter too much where we draw, unlike the 2,000 meters at Tokyo. It should be a pretty fast race but if he can get into a good rhythm, it should be interesting. After his last start, he's worked out five times. Sometimes, he'll refuse to go out on the course but there was none of that this time. He must be in pretty darn good condition. It's a good thing we sent him back to the farm after the last race. He's forgotten all about the Tenno Sho now. We'll be going up against a brilliant field, but we really want this title. The buildup to the race has been perfect and we're counting on Earnestly to run his best race."

Eishin Flash

Christophe Lemaire
"He's in fantastic condition. He's very easy to ride, exactly as you would expect from a Derby winner. He's a strong horse."

Hideaki Fujiwara (trainer)
"He's been in good condition all long. All we need is one good ride by the jockey. Because he raced near the front in the Tenno Sho, he had a hard time settling at the back in the Japan Cup. But I think that experience will count here."

Hiruno d'Amour

Mitsugu Kon (trainer)
"He didn't need to work fast any more. I thought he was ready to go as of last week. Had he raced in the Japan Cup, he wouldn't be anywhere near the shape he's in right now. I thought he ran well enough to win (the Satsuki Sho). It's got nothing to do with his preference for the course. I think our chances of winning here are better than the Japan Cup at Nakayama. But most of all, he's come into his own as a racehorse now; he's finally filled out."

Jaguar Mail

Hirofumi Shii
"Considering that it can be a tricky course, an inside barrier would have been nice. But the situation (post No. 11) is what it is, and we'll just have to do what we can to run as efficiently as possible."

Atsunori Hashimoto (assistant trainer)
"We wanted him to run side by side with a horse coming up behind him before getting the sign to pull away. He's gotten better with each start. We blinkered him because we thought it would sharpen him up a little."

King Top Gun

Ippo Sameshima (trainer)
"He really worked well with his partner today. He's shaped up really well for this race. He looks fit, not the least bit heavy. He's in the best condition he can possibly be in."

Orfevre

Kenichi Ikezoe
"This is it for the year for him so we pushed him to the limit. But he felt very good, really smooth movement. His breathing, his canter have been good like last week. I get the impression he's in even better form than he was for the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger). He's starting to have a real presence, looking very intimidating to the other horses. He was so strong in the Kikuka Sho. It's not easy to win the Triple Crown, which is why there are only seven horses who have done it. But we're not the champion here; we're the challenger. I hope we can keep winning. We've got a horse who's retiring after this race so if we beat her, we can be proud of it forever. I'd like to see Orfevre run a tough race in a field as tough as this. I'm not going to lie, I think about him following in his brother's footsteps. Dream Journey was so strong when he won it, which is why last year (13th) was so hard to accept. I want to come through with his little brother this year. It's my job to get the most out of his ability."

Yasutoshi Ikee (trainer)
"His action was good. I'm counting on him to get by this hurdle, just like he's found a way through every wall he's ever run into in the past."

Pelusa

Katsumi Ando
"I made sure he didn't let up until the very end. Wanted to work on his acceleration today. His time was faster than what I thought it would be, and I think he's in pretty good condition. Physically, he's really matured since the last time I rode him (in last year's Arima Kinen). He's broad now, very impressive. But he still can be a little kid from time to time. He wasn't even serious a year ago; he was fighting it throughout the whole race. He has a very high ceiling, but he hasn't shown it as of late. I want to make sure he gets off to a clean start first of all, and then get him to enjoy the rest of the race. The potential is clearly there. Maybe I ought to just ask him what he plans on doing with it."

Kazuo Fujisawa (trainer)
"The workout went well. He didn't run at all in his last race so he's got plenty left in the tank."

Red Davis

Yutaka Take
"I didn't think I'd have a ride this year so I'm really pleased. I missed the race last year because Rose Kingdom was scratched at the last minute. I hope to make the most of this opportunity. He's beaten both the Triple Crown winner and the Oka Sho champion fair and square. The fans have got to consider him a darkhorse. I thought his would be around 52 seconds so I was a little stunned to hear that he had clocked (50.7 seconds). He's shaken off the rust in his last race, which makes it all the more exciting for me. He's never run at this distance before but it doesn't mean he can't handle it; he just hasn't experienced it yet. And from the feeling I've gotten, he's not a short-distance runner. (Red Davis' last jockey Mirco) Demuro told me the horse has spaced out his races like To the Glory last year (who finished third), and he's just as good. He told me he's an easy ride."

Hidetaka Otonashi (trainer)
"He worked slightly faster than we had planned, but the track was fast in general today so I'm not concerned about him being overworked. He's really taken it up a notch since his last race. Demuro said the distance wouldn't be a problem given his last performance. We'll see how he stacks up against this level of competition. We want him to be around 474 to 476 kilograms on the day of the race."

Rose Kingdom

Hiroki Goto
"He was awesome. He showed all the qualities of a Grade 1 champion today, unlike any other time I've ridden him. I think he had a good workout from a cardiovascular standpoint. I have a good idea how I want to ride him."

Kojiro Hashiguchi (trainer)
"He had good movement today. We're not sure why he lost last time (ninth in the Japan Cup) but physically, he's right where he need to be."

Rulership

Katsuhiko Sumii (trainer)
"I wanted (jockey Ioritz) Mendizabal to get a good feel for him. He seemed very smooth out on the course, and the jockey said he was very easy to handle. We were planning on to race him in the Japan Cup, so he's more than ready. We pushed him these last three weeks and he looks like he's in really good condition. He's not short of work, that's for sure. His potential is incredible."

To the Glory

Yuichi Fukunaga
"He managed to get some really good work in today. This fall, he's had this habit of pulling his head up when I give him the green light. It's something I tried to correct today, making him take the bit harder than usual."

Tosen Jordan

Yasutoshi Ikee (trainer)
"He's at his peak right now. He's finally coming into his own as a racehorse. He's relaxed, and he worked at about 60, 70 percent today just like we wanted him to. He's fit. It's hard to say his last race was good because he finished second, but I would say he's at least in the shape he was in for the Japan Cup - if not better. Buena Vista isn't our only opponent, but I hope we can turn the tables on her this time. I watched the race last year when he finished fifth, but there's no comparing his condition now to what it was back then. He seemed a little tired for about a week after his last start, but my crew really went above and beyond the call of duty to help him recover. He's been so consistent this fall, and he just continues to get better."

Victoire Pisa

Mirco Demuro
"It took him a little while to get his condition back. We asked a lot from him today because this is Grade 1. He was concentrating, and the session went very well. He was 80 percent last time, but now he's at 95 percent. We had a slight accident (in the Japan Cup) at the start, and the slow pace did not help. But he's focusing now, which should make a difference here."

Katsuhiko Sumii
"He tends to let up whenever he pulls away from the pack so I asked the jockey to keep him focused right through the finish. His concentration, his physical condition is improving, and he's showing that he wants to race. Demuro knows him like the back of his hand and hopefully, the race will unfold the way it did last year. It's difficult to compare him to last season when he was racing on a consistent basis, but clearly, he's improved since his last race."