Sayesse was pretty dreadful the other day, missing the jump out of the gate completely. We now know he has picked up an injury, though, explaining a lot of things... Rockwell Lloyd was going well at Lingfield but got bumped out of contention on the run-in. Damn! Much the same scenario for Compton Grace at Windsor on the 7th August, and a cruise in at the back at Bath two days later. Meanwhile, Mirzam has gone, and with mild injuries in the same camp, it means nothing much is happening on the UK front at the moment.
Not sure about The Jazz Singer (he should be out again in three weeks), but a new Irish horse has arrived on the scene. This bay gelding, born in April 2014, is the 65th racer I've had a stake in (25% in this case). The little fella's father is Tobougg (by Barathea, out of Lacovia), meaning the same bloodlines on the sire side as The Jazz Singer, while the dam is the Irish mare, Ivy Lane. She passes on the DNA of Be My Native (more solid than outstanding in his performances), and Native Thistle from the female line. This brings in Ovac from Italy, and some fascinating French blood in the shape of Match and Tantieme. He looks a treat anyway, and should give us some excellent sport in the P2P arena. Will write more after he is named.
I've also made a firm decision on Australian racing following my break from the scene. I've decided to call it a day, as the races are simply too short. This puts too much emphasis on luck for my liking, often wiping out the good work of the trainer. So, goodbye Oz - thanks to a great bunch of folks, especially Jo Hassett and her family, I enjoyed my spell with you, but it's time to move on. The Singapore idea seemed a reasonable one at the time, but my first impression after trying to get a stake in a horse out there wasn't particularly favourable, so having slept on it that's a non-starter - if the feeling isn't enthusiastic before they have your money, what chance is there of a good service after they've got it? As such, we're left with England for flat racing, Ireland for jumping, and the possibility of my own nag in Japan's NAR arena at some stage - the club option, which is nothing more than a complete waste of time and money, disappeared a long time ago...
PS. A disappointing run from Rockwell Lloyd at Newmarket. Only one win away, but that landmark 75th victory looks very far away right now.
PPS. Another bad run from 'Rocky', this time at Goodwood... It looks like the distance didn't suit him on the day, but going for very short races will limit his entries, that's for sure. Not sure what the best way is to go with this one.
PPPS. A few minutes ago, it was noted that Rockwell Lloyd's racing career is over. You get the odd one that looks good but doesn't want to race, and this fella falls into that category. Hopefully he will find a job as a polo pony, as per one of the earlier LIR runners.
