TENSHINRAMMAN V1
I got up at the crack of dawn this morning and made my way from one end of the Kanto area to the other to be at the JRA Tokyo track in time for the first race, as Kota Motohashi was riding, and my daughter wouldn't have missed that for the world! Fortunately, the JR and Keio rail systems did their usual job of making British Rail look bad (whatever happened to the era when you could set your watch by the trains in England?), and we managed to get there in plenty of time. We then found the paddock, and were able to start relaxing at last.

Some support for Kota (he ultimately had eight outings on the day, including one in Carrot Club colours), and then it was a quick dash back to the paddock to see Tenshinramman circling with eight other horses in readiness for the second race. She certainly looked the part, moving nicely, and with high-spirited tension showing through her bright eyes.

In the race, she flew out
of the gate, but the experienced jockey Katsuharu Tanaka kept holding her back until the final straight, and then he let her go. The whip was hardly needed until the last furlong when it looked as if Fete Grande (another Heart's Cry kid, heavily fancied on the day) was going to give her a run for her money, and then she pulled away, seemingly with plenty of power and speed still in hand.

Tenshinramman, justifying her status as pre-race favourite, ultimately won by half a length, with the third-placed nag two-and-a-half lengths down, way out of contention. It was nice to be able to shake hands with a co-owner who'd also taken up a viewing position opposite the winning post, and I hope I'll be able to share the pleasure of a well-deserved win again soon. I have a feeling this is the first of many victories for this fine racehorse...