War Chronicle ran a stinker in her comeback race yesterday, to the point where - especially having started as favourite - she was so disappointing I don't even want to talk about it! A lot of the bad run can be put down to race-rust, so hopefully she will run again in the very near future, or you may as well retire her now...
Today, Eclat De Reve ran an awful race, with the jockey as much to blame as the horse's condition from what I saw, giving the nag no chance to shine whatsoever - he was in the wrong kind of position from start to finish. But it was extremely pleasing to see Tenshinramman not only in action, but in the kind of form that made her such a special horse in her early days. I don't think I have seen her run like that since she was in the Classic race qualifiers as a youngster - truly inspiring! As a result, her fourth place (0.1 seconds off the winner) may well allow her a bit of a reprieve, as I for one will be happy to support another few runs rather than call for retirement, which was certainly the option foremost in my mind before this afternoon's performance.
In England, Masterson was fifth, doing well until he was blocked a couple of furlongs from the post. He was cruised home after that to allow the fella to fight another day. Ultimately, he performed a lot better than the punters thought he would, and at this stage (at least with the horses outside Japan, where we have to see early victories to survive another year), the learning process and getting home safely is the most important thing. He should be out again in two or three weeks, while Blacklister is in training again after a pulled muscle (nothing serious), and Lillyput - the third Box 41 horse - should be joining him soon after she picked up a knobbly knee a bit back.
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