I always get worried when I haven't had a report from Northern Farm in a while, especially when a pattern has built up that gets broken... And, let's face it, it's easy to spot patterns when you have so many nags at the bloody place for overly long periods of time. Why? Because the other pattern I've picked up is that no news isn't good news, as the old saying would have you believe, it's usually a problem that they - the perpertrators - hope will have gone away by the time the next report is filed. As such, I'm not looking to seeing what will be said about Kealoha (supposedly going back to Funabashi), Another Door (the legendary "short" break), or Magic Key (supposedly "much better"), which reminds me of magical last words rather than a magical device for opening locks! Phosphorus should be a few kilos lighter and have a higher-pitched voice, but when he will return is anyone's guess, while Pop Label should be back at the end of August or early September, meaning it will have been away for another three months on top of the ten months it had out before...
As for the Carrot NAR horses, god knows what has happened Trovao and, more to the point, what it will be like when it finally returns - another Massabielle? Vertice and Lotus Blossom have still not started their careers beyond false starts; Million Ways might run again soon if we're lucky, as per Chocolat Sucre, while Shine Tiara is far from shining. As for the JRA stuff, naturally they are all on holiday (the worst thing possible according to a vet friend, and a theory proven time after time in the post-break results), although War Chronicle might run one day. After all, that had eight months between its first and second race, and now a four- and three-month break either side of its last, decidedly dreadful outing, so it shouldn't be tired, now should it? The excitement is killing me, and I can almost imagine the post-race excuses for failure without the twits at JRA having to write a word. If anyone is thinking of getting involved in Japanese racing, this lamentable but true story should be enough to put anyone but a madman off the idea.
But not to worry, for Japan - or Yoshida Inc. at least - will survive for the time being, for there appears to be an endless supply of folks with more money than sense, seemingly unaware that they are paying over the odds by gigantic margins. A Deep Impact kid born in 2015 has just sold for 2,600,000 USD, and a handful of others have sold today for well over a million each. Well, all I can say is good luck to the owners, for they'll need it if they're to see even a fraction of their investment come back. There will be a lot of people laughing their heads off tonight, and I dare say a fair few crying in their beer a year down the road. Horses like Buffering at $22,000 in Oz - now that's what real racing is all about, and bulletproof, value-for-money nags like that can be found all over Europe and Australia, which is why my money is staying there in the future. I refuse to encourage the madness and greed that dominates the scene out here.
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