BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 6, 2021

Takumi Nomoto

Yoshito Yahagi

Del Mar Racetrack

Press Conference

Q. Loves Only You, incredible victory in the Breeders' Cup today and Japan getting a victory here must mean so much the connections we have up here today. Can you please ask them about what this means, this victory by Loves Only You. We'll start out with that.

TAKUMI NOMOTO: We had so many horses that ran in the Breeders' Cup and we never done victory to Breeders' Cup. That's why I feel like a challenger to coming here and finally we got victory here.

Q. What was so special about Loves Only You that you decided that she was the one to come over and could really be competitive here?

TAKUMI NOMOTO: You know, after a phone call, after she had a great victory, then we say, Yahagi asked to me about try to challenge a Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare and that time wasn't making decide yet because just depend on how feel and her condition, and after that we decide to coming here.

Q. Yoshito, everybody was talking about how well this filly was training and had really seemed to acclimate here. How did she come up to the race and was it exactly what you had hoped for, the way she came over to America?

YOSHITO YAHAGI: You know, the race seems like a very competitive race. It was very tough race. But before the race we thought our horse is number one. We believed it. But obviously she won this great race and so I have to respect and I like to respect my horse.

Q. Talking about the ride, it was absolute picture perfect ride by Yuga Kawada.

YOSHITO YAHAGI: Of course he rode perfect and we won. That's the result, you see.

Q. Mr. Nomoto, this is a historic accomplishment for Japan. Entering this weekend Japanese horses why 0-13 at the Breeders' Cup. Moving forward, will it be common to see five or six Japanese shippers at the Breeders' Cup world championships?

TAKUMI NOMOTO: You know, we made history. We won the Breeders' Cup. So this is making all Japanese horse racing industry to coming over to Breeders' Cup challenge. I think winning will open it to Japanese racing to Breeders' Cup.

Q. For either of you, you had one race since April and you were second in that race. Why that schedule? Did you miss a race somewhere along the line or was it just your plan to come off the one race?

YOSHITO YAHAGI: You know, when we finished second at Sapporo, I picked that race because the turf track is similar to Del Mar. So we try to test on that ground how she handle and she's not good at using, continuously using, so that's why we need to give a break each races, so that's why we give this rotation.

Q. What does the future entail for her in the immediate and in the next year?

YOSHITO YAHAGI: We got the invite from Hong Kong Cup, so we go to Hong Kong Cup next target and we will stay at Del Mar. After Breeders' Cup we will stay here at Del Mar and prepare to go to Hong Kong, yes.

Q. Beyond being a top horse, are there reasons that she does so well at international racing?

YOSHITO YAHAGI: First time she went to overseas actually she wasn't that good to traveling, but she had every, each time we go traveling she's getting better and better and she gets stronger mentally. That's why.

Before we close this media conference, we like, the owner, trainer, all connections, we like to say thank you Del Mar Race Course and Breeders' Cup, also all connections to help us. We really also like to say thank you to (inaudible) and without them our horse wouldn't be this good condition and so we appreciate all people and thank you all very much today.