Communication

'Bugatti' and Louis had a wonderful training session with Kelly Layne today. As one of the best dressage riders in the world, and with a super feel for what the horse is trying to say, the time she gave was a real benefit for Louis, taking on such a raw beast as his new partner. We seem to have found a new cog in his gearbox, although the power he puts down is still in a different league to the other Thoroughbreds at Tokoro, who seem dainty by comparison. But he seems to have the natural elegance of a born athlete, and watching him perform today another step closer to the goal of perfection, it really made me feel quite emotional. OK, we may never win top prizes, but the beauty of a Thoroughbred strutting with conviction and relative freedom - as one with the rider - has to be one of the most awesome sights there is...

On the racing front, there's a chance Pretty Gully is in action in Australia again next week, Porthos should be jumping, and River Spirit is booked for the 5:45 at Kempton on the 15th - a Class 6 RUK Nursery Handicap Stakes race (the 7f 2:30 at Redcar on the 17th has been named as a back-up). A few days later we have the annual 'Ganbatte Kochi' race to look forward to, too.

Pretty Handy Alright

Despite a huge flow of reports, there's very little to report on the Carrot Club front, although it's worth noting that Massabielle has passed the gate test. River Spirit was declared a non-runner yesterday, but River Gully went like a train to pick up a superb second place in Australia this afternoon. This little lady has really come good thanks to the patience of Jo Hassett, with two seconds in her two Open Class races so far...

With bad weather managing to end the hopes of riding with 'Bugatti' recently, tomorrow should be something special as we have a special training clinic lined up. The only other bit of news relates to Porthos Du Vallon, who is booked for the 2:10 at Sedgefield on the 13th, which happens to be a Juvenile Hurdle race. I'm not going to get excited until two o'clock on the day, because the plan will have probably changed ten times between now and then.

PS. Another batch of reports have been filed a couple of days on from the original notes, and we find that all three four-year olds have returned to Miho Training Centre, along with Time For Love. Tenshinramman is not perfect by the sound of things, and Miracle Rouge is nowhere near ready to race, although there are thoughts of running Harmony Fair at Fukushima soon. Time For Love is supposed to be looking really good, so fingers crossed on that one.