Really annoyed with the bills from Carrot Club again - it's a damned good job they're running War Chronicle this weekend, for there's a mad bill for her that could and should have been avoided. In reality, she should have been retired at the beginning of 2015, or at least have stayed in NAR once that route was taken - at least we might have got some action out of the horse instead of feeble excuses for failure or the threat of yet more time off, as if it hasn't had enough already (three races within four weeks in NAR, but only a truly pathetic five races over 24 months in JRA). Rush Attack should have been retired eight months ago as well, for I can't see any meaning in spending out for almost a year (as I predicted, one will remember) to get back a horse than was nothing better than average at best. Yet another exercise in keeping Northern Farm rich with no thought whatsoever given to the shareholders.
Million Ways is on my radar as one that needs to perform very well over the first three months of 2017 (it's supposed to be arriving at TCK at the end of December) to justify keeping it, for the bills are pretty damned silly considering it isn't doing anything constructive - this month's invoice would be for a ridiculous 550,000 yen, and that simply cannot be justified unless it starts clawing it back in a hurry. After a win in March, four dreadful runs is all we've had for our money, so if it does no better than it did in the last three quarters of 2016, it should join Chocolat Sucre and Shine Tiara without hesitation, for it is a drain on finances and nothing more.
Trovao's bills, too, are outrageous - yes, there was transportation fees to take into account, but the club didn't have to buy the bloody truck, which it looks as if it did judging by the invoice we've got. Had Trovao not won, it would have been a serious loss yet again, for six out of nine horses brought in zilch, one got something but nowhere near enough to cover its keep, and two gave a plus sign, with Trovao covering them all. Considering he hadn't run for five months before that, though, he's probably only +/-0 after all is said and done, and needs another exceptionally good result on the 21st just to break even. What's more annoying is those six liabilities will almost certainly pull in zero again next month!
Larressingle should be out again on the 20th, but another win will be needed just to break even for the month - that's right, without two wins within the month at Sonoda rates, you make a loss! And they want you to keep supporting Japanese racing? I'm not happy about the horse going back to JRA, but at least it has more chance than War Chronicle and Rush Attack put all their power and speed together...
After an overly-long period of nothing happening, at least the Shadai TC and Sunday TC stuff has started earning its keep a bit better. Another Door has knocked a dent in its mountain of debt with a big win in the week; Pop Label is due out on the 29th, and Kealoha and Magic Key (both winners at Funabashi this month) are out again in early January. Only Phosphorus is letting the side down now, with bills coming our way for the incompetence of others, and how often is that the case out here? Far too often unfortunately, and, as far as I'm concerned, Phosphorus will have to go if it doesn't come back strong after yet another long break.
Tomorrow, we have races in Australia and then Ireland, and War Chronicle here on Sunday. Let's see what happens...
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