Tanabe-san did a good job of getting the most out of Kalliopeia on Saturday, starting at incredibly long odds to come a fighting seventh. Overall, the performance was nothing to write home about, at least on paper, but one could see some effort, and that's all an owner can realistically ask for. The lack of a win signals the end of a JRA career, however, meaning at last we have more NAR horses than JRA ones...
Massabielle ran a strange race, starting second favourite in the G2 event on Sunday but coming close to last! I have a feeling Tosaki-kun didn't try as soon as it became obvious that his line was a lot softer than the ground on the inside, as we can qualify for the Japan St Leger on money won apparently, without the need for a top three finish. If today was simply a way of keeping the horse mentally and physically right, then that's fine, as 'Massa' looked good enough until the last corner. If not, we're in trouble!
PS. The jockey report seems to point to a bad race all-round - a poor start (from the outside), a stifling pace, and the kind of response from a horse that's been on holiday too long at the end. That seems a fair assessment from what I saw, so all we can do now is look forward to seeing a true 'Massa' on the big day over 3000m. The trainer report confirms the other part of my interpretation of the race - that things were taken easy at the end, with the future in mind, and to hear that makes me happy enough to overcome the disappointment of a few hours ago. Let's see how Blacklister can do in England tonight.
PPS. Well, after the England loss against Wales in the RWC, then 'Massa' cruising around, the old adage that bad news comes in threes was proven with a ninth place for Blacklister. Ummm... Apparently, the going simply didn't suit in Epsom, so we'll just forget about this run and look forward to the next outing. Meanwhile, Masterson is set to run on Wednesday with Franny Norton aboard.
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