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.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Huge
It has been announced that Shine Tiara will be stabled with Yuya Yamazaki at Kawasaki, which is nice, as I like Yuya a lot - he's a good guy. Trovao should run at TCK in early October, as soon as the condition lost during the long trip from Hokkaido has been recovered. And on the JRA front, Kalliopeia has a last chance shot on Saturday in the 4R at Nakayama, but the big news is Massabielle's G2 run at Hanshin on Sunday. Teaming up with Tosaki-kun for the 2400m 11R, which is a qualifier for the Japanese St Leger. This is a huge test for this horse, as the competition is naturally stiff at this level, and we all want to have a 'classic' runner. Fingers crossed!
PS. Not the best of starts to the 'classic' campaign with an outside (15 of 15) gate draw... Not surprised, as I seem to get the outside on what seems like every other race! Meanwhile, Blacklister runs at Epsom on the same day with Silvestre De Sousa in the saddle. In NAR news, Pop Label looks to be going to stables at TCK, which will help it get entries on a clockwise track, and Beat The Boarder is booked for the 6R at TCK on the 2nd October.
PS. Not the best of starts to the 'classic' campaign with an outside (15 of 15) gate draw... Not surprised, as I seem to get the outside on what seems like every other race! Meanwhile, Blacklister runs at Epsom on the same day with Silvestre De Sousa in the saddle. In NAR news, Pop Label looks to be going to stables at TCK, which will help it get entries on a clockwise track, and Beat The Boarder is booked for the 6R at TCK on the 2nd October.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Bugatti Babble
After 'Bugatti' refused to play ball on Saturday, he made a super comeback on Sunday with a nice L1 performance. There were two areas where Louis and the big fella were marked low, but otherwise they did really well, scoring more than ever before as a team (70.78%), and finished only a gnat's whisker off winning the gold medal.
Today, he was entered in the cross show-jumping event with Louis, just to allow him to refresh his mind from constant dressage training. Again, he was superb, coming second and jumping beautifully, and clearly enjoyed the diversion. Next, Sophie was entered with him in the Gymkhana Grand Prix, which includes a jump at the end. They were great, and finished second - beaten by a far more suitable steed for such events, as 'Bugatti' is a big horse (as you can see from the picture)!
The future certainly looks interesting on the 'Bugatti' front, with a promising dressage career in the making, and the race front, too, as today it was announced that Massabielle has basically found a berth in the St Leger qualifier on the 27th. Trovao has arrived in Tokyo to start a Nankan NAR career, too, so things are definitely looking up. Meanwhile, in England, Blacklister has been entered in the seven-furlong 2:10 at Epsom on the 27th, which should be worth watching; as a back-up, there is the 6:10 at Wolverhampton on the 29th. In addition, Masterson is being lined up for the 3:10 at Nottingham on the 30th.
Today, he was entered in the cross show-jumping event with Louis, just to allow him to refresh his mind from constant dressage training. Again, he was superb, coming second and jumping beautifully, and clearly enjoyed the diversion. Next, Sophie was entered with him in the Gymkhana Grand Prix, which includes a jump at the end. They were great, and finished second - beaten by a far more suitable steed for such events, as 'Bugatti' is a big horse (as you can see from the picture)!
The future certainly looks interesting on the 'Bugatti' front, with a promising dressage career in the making, and the race front, too, as today it was announced that Massabielle has basically found a berth in the St Leger qualifier on the 27th. Trovao has arrived in Tokyo to start a Nankan NAR career, too, so things are definitely looking up. Meanwhile, in England, Blacklister has been entered in the seven-furlong 2:10 at Epsom on the 27th, which should be worth watching; as a back-up, there is the 6:10 at Wolverhampton on the 29th. In addition, Masterson is being lined up for the 3:10 at Nottingham on the 30th.
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