Phosphorus V1

Courtesy Rika Watanabe

Good ol' Phosphorus came through to claim his first win at Funabashi today, although he still managed to give Kota (the jockey) a heart-stopping moment when he slowed right down as soon as he hit the front! This is where his youth still shows, and it was also interesting to see him after the race - no heavy breathing and a healthy appetite. In other words, he's still nowhere near running flat-out. In fact, apart from a
little bit of sweat and a touch higher tension than normal, you wouldn't know he'd been in a race! This is fascinating to me, because it makes you wonder what he will be capable of if he puts his mind to it - Yano-sensei had him down for a three- or four-length victory. Cheek pieces and/or a shadow roll will help him concentrate, so I think we can expect to see him with some different headgear at the next Funabashi meeting. There are thoughts of running him on either the 7th or 8th April, and I'm already looking forward to it. Meanwhile, time to crack open a bottle to celebrate a win that to me, means the most of them all so far. Hearty congratulations to all concerned - a fine piece of teamwork...