A NEW YEAR BEGINS...
Despite the white roof scenery first thing in the morning, the sun broke through to deliver a pleasant amount of warmth by the time I arrived at Tokoro. Indeed, having decided to do Jaguar's first mucking out of the year, I was actually quite hot by the time I'd finished getting his stalls cleaned up to a point where even I'd be happy to sleep in them!

Courtesy JRA

After all the muscles had been woken up, Louis took Jaguar around the outer track at a canter, while Sophie managed a nicely-paced fast trot. When he came in to have his saddle taken off, I brushed him down with my hand and asked him if he was in a winning mood again this year - his eyes told he was, so watch out everyone, 'The Difficult Horse' is on the warpath...

Couldn't resist adding this image, sent through by JRA to celebrate the New Year. It's the year of the snake, by the way, which explains the little fella to the left - 2014 will be the year of the horse, so expect some nice ornaments and artwork to come through at that time.

ANOTHER YEAR GONE!
Doesn't seem five minutes since welcoming in 2012, and I just can't believe the blog has been going for 15 weeks. Now, in another half-an-hour, it's time to say hello to 2013...

With Louis already well established in Dressage circles, and a number of racehorses running in JRA and NAR events, the calendar will be pretty full next year. With Sophie's Dressage debut in the spring (the way she was handling Jaguar at a fast trot this morning, it's now a realistic prospect) and Louis adding show-jumping to his activities, the blog will certainly have plenty of news. Please tune in whenever you have time.

Meanwhile, it gives me great pleasure to wish you all a Happy New Year.

A FAREWELL RACE 
Yesterday, at Tokyo's TCK track, despite the freezing cold wind and the threat of rain (snow wouldn't have surprised me!), thousands upon thousands of NAR fans said an emotional farewell to a couple of dirt racing legends - Furioso and Bonneville Record.

Fortunately, the wet weather held off, but because of the forecasts, I'd left all my good camera equipment at home. Armed with the cheapest DSLR in the house, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if it got wet, I got some nice pictures in the daylight, but some pretty mediocre results as darkness started to fall. Then, to add insult to injury, the battery packed up! Louis had his camera, but his chances of being a top photographer are about as slim as the chances of me becoming an astronaut. As such, nothing wonderful to share with you - most of the images will stay stored as data in our tiny brains.

This picture shows Furioso being handled by Koji Kawashima (the youngest of Kawashima-sensei's boys) in the TCK paddock. He was ridden in this last race by Keita Tosaki, who allowed the legendary horse to lead in fine style going into the first corner. The finish - it doesn't really matter, for I wouldn't have cashed-in my betting slip anyway. To have seen him run in front of a huge and excited crowd, that's all that's important. A memorable event...

ANOTHER FACE PACK
I think I've figured out how Jaguar is keeping his youthful looks - he gives himself a face pack at every opportunity!

Do horses have vain streaks, I wonder? For sure, as soon as the pinky-orange stuff belonging to his old owner was replaced with black goods - certainly, a distinctly more butch colour - his attitude seemed to change, and the bright yellow bits and bobs I've been buying, so popular in Keiba circles at the moment, appears to meet with his approval, too.

I SHOULD STOP COMPLAINING! 
I keep moaning about how cold it is here in Chiba - the windchill was pretty rough to say the least yesterday, and today is just plain chilly without the wind assistance - but a piece on BBC World news this morning has suddenly made me think that maybe I shouldn't be complaining.

Courtesy BBC

This picture shows a group of Chinese artists making sculptures from the snow and ice. It's actually something that gets done here in Japan, too, in some of the northern areas, but the subject caught my attention straight away. It really is a beautiful creation, and it's such a shame that it will melt. That doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to warmer weather, though! Ironically, the forecast for the next few days is rain...

BOXING DAY UPDATE 
With gentle training to avoid damage, Fairy Robe seems to be coming along nicely, with all the signs of tiredness in her legs slowly disappearing, so that long-awaited debut shouldn't be far away now. With races scheduled for the first and last week of January at Kawasaki, there are plenty of options if things keep going in the right direction...

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN...
When I left England, I thought I'd also left the days of being freezing far behind me. Well, let me tell you now, the winter in Chiba is not much different to that of ol' Blighty, or at least it feels that way, even if the figures on the thermometer say it's not actually that cold as soon as the sun has been up for a few hours. On saying that, of course, whatever the thermometer may say, there's no disputing that ice still lingers well after midday in shady spots - that tells me it's cold...

Anyway, one thing is for sure, it's time to get out the Newmarket blankets again. And that ear net Jaguar's wearing was fitted as a matter of habit - the flies are nowhere to be seen, but I'm sure Jaguar was glad of it to keep his ears warm!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 
From the frozen wastes of Chiba, here's wishing everyone who tunes into the blog a very Merry Christmas!

Since starting the blog in the middle of September, we've had over 9000 visitors from all over the world, and we're still getting people from new and exotic far-flung places on a weekly basis. In addition to all the regulars, which are mainly made up of Japanese, Europeans, Americans and Russians, this week alone saw folks from Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Mali, Morocco, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China tuning in. Thank you all for your support, and may you all be blessed with a happy and healthy new year to come...

TOKORO PARTY 
Today was the Tokoro RC end-of-year party, but it was also a busy day full of horses. In the morning, it was a show of support for Noriko Mori at Higashi-Kanto followed by a late breakfast. After a morning of training with Jaguar, it was the party, and then off to Higashi-Kanto again to watch some more of the show-jumping. Next up, the all-important Arima Kinen on TV, with all members armed with a betting ticket bought at Nakayama yesterday.

Everyone was in the Christmas mood it seems, even the competitors at Higashi-Kanto. A good day...

NEWS FROM CHILLY CHIBA 
A couple of new reports just come in from Carrot Club: Harmony Fair has returned to the Miho Training Centre, so should be ready to race again soon. Having already got a win under her belt, her return to the tracks is eagerly awaited.

Meanwhile, Quick Bread is still struggling with gate practice, and has failed to get the necessary rubber stamp on his paperwork twice already this week. But he seems a little off form anyway, so it has been decided to give the big fella a rest over the Christmas period. Gate training will begin again in earnest in the New Year...

RAIN STOPS PLAY
You have to feel sorry for a lot of riding club members - they work all week, looking forward to a nice weekend playing with horses, and what does it do on Saturday and Sunday? It rains. And this pattern is happening all too often recently...

It doesn't really hurt me, as I can just get up from the desk whenever I feel like it for a quick break, even if it's only for a few minutes to hand over a cookie or two to Jaguar and the rest of the equine gang. As such, the bad weather has kept me indoors today - the kids have braved Nakayama, but I've decided to work, seeing as a deadline is looming and the ground at Tokoro stables will probably resemble a lake.

Once I've knocked a hole in this new book, I'll do some more pieces for the blog outside the odd news item. For today, it looks like this is as close as I'm going to get to my beloved horses.

YEARLING UPDATE 
I was just about to apologize for not having done anything (on a roll with the new book) when I checked the Carrot Club homepage and found no less than 11 fresh reports on it - one saying that Mosto Verde had passed his gate test and that training would be done at a steady pace to make the most of his potential, and ten on the yearlings.

Courtesy Carrot Club

The majority of the yearling reports were pretty much full of routine stuff, but at least there are no real problems to report on any of the youngsters. My top choice amongst the newcomers (No.71, out of Celtic Harp by Special Week) is apparently starting to look like a real racehorse, while the trainer has high expectations of No.10 (sired by Zenno Rob Roy, with Top Motion as the dam).

The other report that jumped off the page was the one for No.22 (pictured here), who was sired by Symboli Kris S, with Grand Prix Sophi as its mother. This young colt is apparently shaping up to be another big hope. Fingers crossed...

GOOD NEWS ALL-ROUND
Firstly, the leg problem that delayed Fairy Robe's debut seems to be nothing serious, and may simply have been new shoes not matching perfectly. With luck she'll be able to race at the end of January, when there's another week of racing scheduled for the Kawasaki track.

In spite of yesterday's concerns, Lourdes No Hitomi suddenly came good with the gate training, and passed her gate test first time. Meanwhile, Quadrille has gone back to the Miho Training Centre, and with the gate test already out of the way, all she needs now is a final health check and she'll be ready to race. Everything is moving in the right direction at least...

THE WORD FOR TODAY IS... 
Gate. Three reports have come in from Carrot Club today, and all three horses involved - Mosto Verde, Quick Bread and Lourdes No Hitomi - are in the middle of gate training. In reality, all three are struggling at this stage, too, with Mosto Verde looking the most likely to pass the all-important test, and Lourdes No Hitomi needing the most work. In all fairness, the crack of the gates opening at high speed can be more than a little unnerving, so more time will be the only option...

HORSEPOWER
Just cracking on with the new book, and couldn't resist putting this up on the blog - a page from an old Mercedes-Benz catalogue making good use of the 75 horses under the bonnet as a positive sales point.

The British and Americans always tend to measure engine output in HP (standing for horsepower) or BHP (brake horsepower), while Continental Europe often uses PS (originating from the German word, Pferdestärke) as a unit, which translates into the same thing in English, and is very similar as a measurement, too. And remember the Citroen 2CV - CV is an abbreviation of chevaux, which is the French word for horses.

ANOTHER ADDITION TO THE LIBRARY
Another new book arrived courtesy of Amazon the other day - Her Majesty's Pleasure: How Horse Racing Enthrals The Queen by Julian Muscat. Actually, the subtitle just about tells you all you need to know, other than the page count (256) and cost (a score, or 20 GBP depending on which school you went to). From a professional's viewpoint, it's beautifully printed on nice paper that brings out the quality of the photographs well. With regard to the latter, keen followers of HM the Queen's racing exploits will have inevitably seen some of the pictures before, but there's a lot of new stuff included, and for those new to the subject, it's sure to provide a lot of enjoyment.

AND TODAY'S WORD IS... 
Treadmill. Because out of five reports, four had the word treadmill spring out from them - katakana that even I can recognize from having read a large number of Quick Bread's early updates, which featured 'treadmill' and very little else for several months on end. Thankfully, Quick Bread (a Nijinsky cross) has developed fast since...

Despite the treadmill workouts, Tenshinramman and Harmony Fair may be back on the tracks soon, depending on trainer opinions after an inspection, and Quadrille should be ready to make her debut early in the New Year. It's a shame about Fairy Robe, but with the weather looking as if it could snow at any minute, perhaps I should be thankful I can write this from a relatively warm office, in-between doing bits on the new Mercedes book. Would still like to escape to Kawasaki, though!

THE 2012 ARIMA KINEN 
The runners for the Arima Kinen, one of the biggest races on the Japanese turf calendar, have been announced. They are Beat Black, Daiwa Falcon, Dark Shadow, Desperado, Earnestly, Eishin Flash, Gold Ship, Lelouch, Meisho Kampaku, Nakayama Knight (surely one of the best horse names of all time), Never Bouchon, Ocean Blue, Oken Bruce Lee, Rose Kingdom, Rulership, Sky Dignity, Tanino Epaulette, To The Glory, Trailblazer, and Vertex.

Videos from the last few years can be accessed via this English language link on the JRA homepage: http://japanracing.jp/_news2012/121213.html. Some of the footage has English commentary, too.

As it happens, I've just watched the 2011 edition in English, and it's so nice to hear Jaguar Mail actually pronounced 'Jaguar' by the Aussie doing the commentary, rather than 'Jaggar' as the Japanese say, or 'Jagwaar' by the Americans. Notwithstanding, it was a good race - Orfevre was in wonderful form on the day...

FAIRY ROBE LATEST
Just heard from the Carrot Club offices that Fairy Robe has been withdrawn from her debut race on the 21st. Apparently her legs are showing signs of tiredness, and it has been decided to delay her first outing until she's 100% fit. Of course I wanted to see Fairy Robe run, but I agree entirely with the policy of the Yamazaki Stable - it's better to give the horse its best possible chance, not only at making an impact on her debut, but also allowing her to have a longer, healthier career.

YAMAZAKI STABLE 
The Yamazaki Stable is perhaps better known by the Hiromi Racing name, and the stylish 'HR' symbol worn on the horses from this well-kept Kawasaki-based establishment.

The stable was founded in July 1998 by Hiromi Yamazaki. Hiromi-san was born in 1957, and was a jockey between 1973 and 1997 before turning his hand to training horses instead of riding them. Hiromi Racing introduced a number of interesting things to the NAR scene, such as group training to calm nervous Thoroughbreds (horses are herd animals after all), new methods to encourage heart development, and a number of other unusual techniques, each programme being based on the horse's individual character.

Hiromi Racing was the leading stable at Kawasaki from 2000 to 2002, and had clocked up 300 wins by 2006; the 400 landmark was reached in 2009, and this year the stable moved beyond 500 wins. Interestingly, Seiji Yamazaki (Hiromi's younger son, born in 1984) celebrated 500 wins at the same time, riding alongside Hironori Sato, who was profiled a couple of weeks ago, as the second contracted jockey in the HR team.

Mention should also be made of the Assistant Trainer, Yuya Yamazaki, seen in black in this picture. Born in 1981, Yuya started his career within the Shadai Group, and went on to learn his trade at various European powerhouses, including the Ballydoyle Racing Stables, with Aidan O'Brien at the helm since 1995. He will make an excellent trainer when his father decides to retire.

On the 21st of this month, a little horse I have a stake in called Fairy Robe will be led out of the Yamazaki Stable. I shall be in Kawasaki cheering for her on her debut, knowing full well that she's been prepared to the highest standards...

LOVE IS... PART THREE
Wanting to keep a image of your friends to look at when you can't be with them!

This is another of the 'finds' - pictures you take, and then forget you have them until you start searching for something else. This shot shows Sophie taking a photo of Tenn-chan (Tempai), who is obviously posing for the camera as all great stallions do.

Tenn-chan represents my first ever shareholding in Nijinsky blood, so he's very special for me, despite the fact that he's tried to put me on a fast diet by biting chunks out of me in the past! He's a beautiful creature and we now have an understanding, so I forgive him. But he was also strong on the racecourse, clocking up seven JRA wins, including victory in the Procyon Stakes. 

WARMER DAYS... 
Just been listening to a beautiful noise that brings back memories of England on a Sunday morning - the sound of Jaguar's brand new iron horseshoes clomping away gently on a road surface. It all seems such a long time ago, being in Blighty, as does the Japanese summer for that matter!

As I was searching for suitable New Year greetings card images the other day, I came across these. They instantly reminded me of the warmth we had a few months back, with Sophie riding Jaguar and Louis busy polishing his new saddle - his 12th birthday present, and a few future birthday presents on account that will take him through to about age 19 in one go! I'm happy to say he is still looking after the saddle, oiling it and polishing it on a regular basis, and avoiding using it in the rain as much as possible. If only he'd learn to treasure his boots in the same way...

LATEST CARROT NEWS 
Fairy Robe's debut has been confirmed for the 21st of this month at Kawasaki - the first of my NAR runners to take to the track. She will take part in the first race of the day, with Seiji 'The Red Baron' Yamazaki in the saddle. For sure, I'll be there...

The Carrot Club homepage currently has a movie called Trainer's Vision on it, featuring the trainer, Tetsuya Kimura, who is looking after two of the yearlings I have a stake in from this year's catalogue - No.10 and No.22 in the list at the foot of the page. All very interesting, and the movie can be accessed regardless of whether you're a Carrot Club member or not.

WELL, I LIKE IT... 
I have a reputation for having little or no imagination when it comes to naming animals. In many ways, I guess I've earned that reputation, calling the Dobermann 'Dobie' for instance, but then I blame it on DNA. After all, in my bloodlines is a father that called his Black Labrador 'Blackie', so what chance have I got of being creative!

Courtesy Sunday TC

However, this time I reckon I've come up with a good one for the Sunday TC No.126 horse. The reason I'm sharing it with you is to settle an argument, for however fitting I think it is, I'm getting the usual eye-rolling in the house.

I like the name 'Kinship' and here's why: The sire is Gold Allure, and gold in Japanese in kin. OK, stick with me, as the dam is De Goddaughter, whose father was De Niro, so there are obvious overtones of The Godfather film. Look up 'kinship' in the dictionary, and the definition is 'a blood relation', which fits in nicely with the image of the movie as far as I'm concerned.

This is the point where I either get deafened with an ocean of applause, or met with a stony silence and more rolling eyes. Which is it to be then?

TAKASHI MIZUNO 
Having made a gentle comeback from injury today, now seems as good a time as any to profile Takashi Mizuno. Known as 'The Prince Of Urawa', Mizuno-san was born in November 1972, the son of a trainer based at the old Takasaki racecourse. As it happens, his twin brother was a JRA jockey who has since become a trainer.

Anyway, having made his debut at the Takasaki track on 10th April 1990, Takashi won his first race on the next day. A further 2060 NAR victories have followed that one, with his win rate standing at 12.6%. In the meantime, he made his first of over 100 JRA appearances in October 1996, riding Dandy Tesio on that occasion - a horse named by someone that's obviously a big fan of Federico Tesio like me.

Takasaki Keiba, where Mizuno-san was leading jockey three times, closed its gates at the end of 2004, and so he moved to Urawa and the Hamamura Stable in the following year. He spent a month racing in Australia in 2007, and now belongs to the Kojima Stable at Urawa.

When not racing, Mizuno-san enjoys spending time on the computer. As with so many of the truly professional riders, he hones his skills in several different ways. To augment his regular training, he uses IT gadgets to record impressions of all the horses he rides to provide a useful reference source, enabling him to quickly remember a mount's characteristics. I wonder how many other jockeys do this, or something similar?

PS. Within three days of making his comeback, 'The Prince' had already made a return to winning form. He then proved it was no fluke by winning again on the following two days...

CONSOLATION PRIZE 
With Miracle Rouge failing to deliver the goods yesterday, my consolation prize (other than a beer to cry in - again!) was finding the Sunday Racing supporter's scarf I wanted in the Turfy Shop. Although made outside Japan, for 1200 yen (like the Shadai version), it represents good value.

It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with Jaguar this morning, who performed like a champ even though the wind was incredibly strong. I have now made a list with the names, bloodlines and racing records of all the Thoroughbreds at Tokoro, which was a rather interesting exercise, as their history has revealed all sorts of things I didn't know before, and much of the information will be new to current owners, too.

Despite the low level of visitors to the blog from America recently (a protest from some of the things I said in the latest book perhaps?), other countries are keeping the volumes steady - another form of consolation prize. New additions to the country list include India, Turkey, Thailand, Holland, Hungary and Iraq, so we really are spreading our wings far and wide. At this rate, we should pass the 8000 visitors mark by the end of the week...

PS. That 8000 landmark has just loomed closer a lot faster than expected. No less than 150 people in France just clicked on the 'Some Of My Favourite Things' piece. Now all I need to do is figure how the rush came about, and whether it's Sophie or Jaguar that's the attraction!

TRACKS LEADING TO TRACKS
Surrounding Tokyo there's a rail line called the JR Musashino Line that must be the ultimate train ride for Keibaholics. It starts close to Minami-Funabashi, which is where the NAR Funabashi track is located, and literally within a few minutes of that station is Funabashi-Hoten, which is the stop for the Nakayama (JRA) racecourse.

If you stay on the train long enough, the Minami-Urawa station is the getting off point for the NAR Urawa track, and completing the circular tour of the Kanto area at the Fuchu-Honmachi station brings you outside the JRA Tokyo course. I'm really tempted to go to Urawa tomorrow to see Takashi Mizuno's comeback, but I really have to do some work, otherwise a certain lady in England is going to give me her 'Stern Editor' look! So from Chiba rather than Saitama: "Mizuno-san - I hope all goes well for you..."

NO MIRACLES 
Went across to Nakayama to watch Miracle Rouge in the fourth race. She was tipped as being one to watch if she cold get out of the gate in a spritely manner, and looked beautiful in the paddock, having lost 14kg. Early betting saw her at 8.7 to one, which looked like a good deal for the punters, I have to say.

Anyway, she got out the gates sharply enough, and motored around at a good pace. However, before the final run-in, she got boxed in, and there was no chance for her to show her devastating finishing speed. Only with the line in sight was she starting to build up steam, and this is a shame, for she still has to get a win-place-show finish on her record. The jockey is saying Tokyo should suit her characteristics. It would certainly be nice to get one in the bag...

PS. The trainer has since added that perhaps a little too much weight had been lost, but no real complaints. Like me, he saw a good racer whose time will come. To be honest, I don't think she would have won today - the horse that was fifth was the fastest finisher, but second or third was a good possibility had she been allowed to run as freely as the jockey wished coming off the last bend.

RACERS IN TRAINING
Mosto Verde has moved to the Saito Stable at Miho Training Centre, while Fairy Robe is looking good in training at her new home in Kawasaki. There were plans to give her a debut run on the 17th, but now it looks like it could be any time during the week beginning the 17th - in other words, sometime during the next Kawasaki meeting. I'll keep you informed.

Courtesy Shadai TC

The Shadai Thoroughbred Club NAR yearling, No.082 (pictured here), is apparently very strong and progressing quickly, with no sign of the skin problem that was present a few weeks ago. The Sunday Thoroughbred Club NAR kids, No.188 and No.190, are also dealing well with training, and although the latter is rather petite, she makes up for her small size via a beautiful running action.

Meanwhile, this month's Eclipse carries no less than four photographs of Tenshinramman in it. The magazine also contains a shot of Miracle Rouge, who'll hopefully make a similar impression in her second race tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

ANOTHER RACE WEEKEND
Miracle Rouge's race on the 8th has been confirmed now, so I'm Nakayama-bound on Saturday. In other Carrot Club news, Lourdes No Hitomi has returned to the Miho Training Centre, her hoof problem apparently sorted. She can now begin gate training in earnest and hopefully get on the road that leads to G1 in the very near future.

Courtesy Carrot Club

Quick Bread has arrived at the Konishi Stable, and everyone is happy. Indeed, Konishi-san feels he looks a lot better than when he last inspected him. After a settling-in period, he's scheduled to have more gate training next week.

And the last item for today, Mistoffelees has gone to the Northern Farm Fukushima facility for some R&R. I've been looking at the data for that last race (in the accompanying picture) and it really is a mystery - he was 4kg lighter, running 200m (one furlong) less, and yet covered the last three furlongs 1.3 seconds slower, which is an eternity at this level. Let's hope things come together in time for the next outing, as he certainly has the potential to be a winner.

PS. I've since watched the race again, and come to the conclusion that Mistoffelees needs to be let go and run at his own pace at this stage. He obviously doesn't like being surrounded, and it was actually a bump with another horse on the final run-in that completely destroyed his rhythm. Had he just been let run, like the first race, that wouldn't have happened. It's easy to say these things in hindsight (it looked like a textbook set-up for an easy win until the closing furlongs), but with horses given so few chances to show what they're made off, it's a waste of potential if allowances aren't made for a particularly nervous character...

FRANKIE DETTORI 
Shocking news from Europe, with Frankie 'Flying Dismount' Dettori being banned from racing for six months due to a positive drugs test. At first, I assumed this was a performance enhancing drug, and after being incredibly disappointed with the Lance Armstrong affair in another sport I love (cycling, and the Tour de France in particular), I couldn't believe the same stain was going to mark a jockey's silks. We all know it's a tough sport, and keeping weight alone needs the hard work of a saint sometimes, but really...

Anyway, it turns out that it was a 'real' drug, with some newspapers citing cocaine. "It doesn't matter what I took or how much," the Italian jockey said. "What I can say is it didn't make me ride any better or make my horse run any faster."

As such, the reputation of the sport is still intact. And to his credit, Dettori is saying he made a mistake at a low-point in his life - he is holding up his hands and taking the punishment handed out to him, knowing that he only has himself to blame. My only hope is that this "one night of madness" remains just that, and he comes back in May 2013 and regains his honour through results in the saddle, just like Lester Piggott did after falling on the wrong side of the law for tax evasion. 

A NEW POINT OF CONTACT
Coming home from the Japan Cup the other day, squashed like a sardine on a train that ironically looked like a giant sardine can, I got talking to one of the other passengers who kindly gave me a travel tip that saved me about half an hour and a great deal of hassle.

Anyway, you can imagine what the conversation centred on, and if you guessed horses and horse racing, you're not far off the mark! The interesting observation made during the course of this chat, at least as far as I'm concerned, was that this gentleman (in his sixties) was a Keiba lover of huge proportions, but he only ever went to JRA meetings, despite his free time allowing him to go to NAR events. I told him he didn't know what he was missing, and while I love JRA races, the special atmosphere of NAR tracks and the characters involved makes it an almost unique sporting occasion in this day and age.

Gone are the days in motor racing when I'd get a knock on the door, and one of my heroes would be standing there on his way back home from the Jaguar factory, dropping in for a cup of tea to break up the journey south. Gone are the days when I could just wander into a racing shop around the corner from my home, and be pulled in by a championship-winning team as an 'official unofficial' photographer for the weekend. Even the 'Brit Club' has come to an end now that my mother has left the States, when she and Derek Bell would nick Johnny Herbert's biscuits when he wasn't looking! It was a tight-knit community, but anyone that obviously loved the sport was made to feel welcome in it. Nowadays, everything revolves around corporate boxes, and enthusiasm counts for nothing unless it's backed up by a thick wad of greenbacks.

This is where NAR racing has the edge. It reminds me of watching the greyhounds with Bill Maynard (aka Selwyn Froggitt) as a kid, the TV star happiest when mingling with the crowd close to the action, or the speedway, when the riders considered it part of their duty to speak with fans after a meeting - the likes of Ole Olsen often left hanging around in the car park for ages until the throng of followers had dispersed. He was a multiple World Champion, but I never once saw him walk away from an autograph hunter or well-wisher. I remember most of the guys loading up their bikes on trailers, with starry-eyed kids not washing their hands for a week because they'd touched a Jawa belonging to a god. Even a lot of the top footballers went to matches on the bus back then!

Now, can you honestly see today's F1 drivers (surrounded by a wall of staff from the pit lane to their air conditioned, tinted-window residence on wheels, a type of open prison with managers, physiotherapists and food advisors as guards) doing what the Funabashi jockeys did yesterday - running a shop for charity as volunteers, outside in the freezing cold, and with absolutely no advantage in terms of personal PR?

I count myself as extremely fortunate to have known some of the greatest racing drivers of our time. Not only were they amazing on the track, but amazing human beings, too - always accessible, and always down-to-earth. I'm happy to say I've found a new breed of racers that I can say the same thing about. That human element is what makes NAR racing something very special in an age of sterile commercialism. For those who only think of going to JRA events to watch the geegees, you really should give NAR a shot. It's a breath of fresh air...

LIVING LEGENDS ARE A DYIN' BREED 
So the late, great Waylon Jennings once observed, and he wasn't kiddin' either! Those sporting heroes we used to follow religiously - the Lester Piggotts, Jackie Stewarts, Barry Sheenes, Muhammad Alis, George Bests and Ray Reardons of this world - have either retired or passed away, leaving a void in their respective field of activity. Granted, some of the voids have been filled to some extent, but these guys, like Waylon himself, were larger than life.

Thankfully, there are still a few livin' legends in our midst, and yesterday at Funabashi race track, one of them provided me with a personal highlight in what was a day full of happy memories. With apologies to a certain credit card company for using their advertising style: A betting slip - 100 yen. Seeing Masayuki Kawashima looking dandy and smiling, walking purposefully towards the paddock and obviously enjoying himself again after a bout of illness - priceless...

Please see the blog entry from 17th September 2012 to read Kawashima-sensei's profile.

FUNABASHI FROLICS
Another good day at Funabashi today, topped off by a charity goods sale with Yuta Sato, Kota Motohashi, Shotaro Kawashima, Hajime Wakita and Tatsuya Yamaguchi manning the stand. I managed to get the last jacket, and also bought a T-shirt which was duly signed by all five jockeys. This type of event is being planned for each main race day (usually a Wednesday) in the future, giving fans an ideal opportunity to have a chat with their favourite jockeys.

On the Carrot Club front, it's time to name the yearlings at last, and a few things are happening with the two-
year olds, too.

Hiroshi Kitamura - a top class Japanese jockey - is down to ride Miracle Rouge at Nakayama on Saturday, so that should be an exciting race to watch. With luck, she shall perform better than Mistoffelees did last weekend!

Mistoffelees has no damage after his last race, apparently, and that's good. That last outing of his was truly disappointing, especially when everyone was expecting so much from him. However, a little more maturity will doubtless help improve his chances in the future. He's not a bad horse, as his debut outing proved beyond doubt. Indeed, he looks likely to live up to the excellence in his bloodlines in time.

Lourdes No Hitomi is being scheduled for a gate test, and then she can be shipped off to her racing stable. She should be racing soon with any luck, and it's a similar story with Quick Bread. The trainer, Konishi-san, has been to see him in action, and has said he will him soon. At the same time, Quadrille should make her debut in January or February.

OH, DEER! 
Spectators at the Meadows Racecourse in western Pennsylvania recently got a surprise addition to the race card when three deer jumped the outer fence and ran up and down the track just as the horses were about to go out for the ninth race.

Local announcers Roger Huston and Jeff Zidek did a great job of keeping fans amused during the enforced delay by offering commentary on the race between 'Bambi' and 'Rudolph' (there was no name for the backmarker), ultimately declaring Bambi 
the winner as they jumped back over the fence and into the forest. No bets were taken on the race between the deer, at least not officially!

EARLY CHRISTMAS 
On the way back from the racing at Nakayama yesterday, I stopped off at the Turfy Shop and managed to get a yellow 'Shadai Horse Racing' scarf, although the Sunday TC version had sold out! Well, at least I've got something to save my pennies up for next weekend...

Opposite the shop, the huge beer can has been tempting me for weeks now, but I've been coming away from the track early, and thus unable to buy the real thing - somewhat smaller, but filled with amber nectar. This is the limited edition beer, produced each year for the Arima Kinen, pictured on the box of Louis' new Darth Vader riding boots. With Mistoffelees struggling, yesterday was a day for crying in my beer. Hopefully Miracle Rouge will come up with the goods on Saturday, and one of these special cans can be opened to celebrate a decent finish.

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS 
As far as Jaguar is concerned, this includes rolling around in the mud after having just been brushed, and not only knowing what's in the bag, but also knowing he's going to get the contents!

SOPHIE'S NEW JOB
Noel, one of the ten Thoroughbreds at Tokoro RC, has several ailments that tend to come to us all with the passage of time, including dodgy knees and a dicky ticker. As such, not only are his racing days behind him, but also his working life. The need to be extra careful so as not to add any unwanted pressure on delicate areas creates something of a problem, though, as he still needs to have his daily exercise and a certain amount of training to keep him mentally fit.

This is where Sophie comes in - the lightest member in the club, the little tiddler weighing three times less than me. With Sophie taking him around the outer track at a gentle pace, Noel gets the kind of work-out he needs with hardly any stress on his body - I saw horses racing today that had gained Sophie's weight since their last outing! Everybody's happy...

THE MISTOFFELEES MYSTERY 
In years to come, if Mistoffelees ever makes it to legendary status, we shall look back on today with a wry smile and a shrug of the shoulders. It was a textbook race - starting as firm favourite, he came out the gate nicely, Maruyama-san set him up beautifully all the way round, and as the whip was applied in the last couple of furlongs, faced with a clear run to the post, I'd almost started walking to collect my winnings on the little wager I'd placed. And then something weird happened - either he started going backwards, or the other horses started going faster than him, despite him supposedly being in a different league to them...

According to preliminary reports, from both the jockey and the trainer, there doesn't seem to be any explanation for this, which is frankly almost as worrying as an injury given the fine display of speed and power Mistoffelees delivered in his first outing. In reality, it's a whole lot more disappointing than Tenshinramman's defeat, because at least we know what caused it - it was just a bad rub of the green.

It could be simply an off day (we've all had those!), or maybe he was put off by being in unfamiliar surroundings? Or it could be that he doesn't like travelling long distances, and Nagoya was a fair old trek after all said and done. Perhaps he just doesn't like the type of track he was faced with this afternoon? Maybe he should have been given a free rein to run out up front as seems to be his natural desire. Anyway, I hope to have some more details on what happened out there today in the days to come.

If it was just an off day, it could be we have a Jaguar (Mayano Time) type horse on our hands - a victory followed by a disaster followed by a victory, things seemingly dependent on the position of the Moon and stars as much as the ground conditions and the strength of the horses running against him. He'd start favourite and come nowhere, then start the next race as a rank outsider and beat everything in sight. He's still the same now!

FAMOUS CARS & HORSES
The first cars were known as horseless carriages, but there was little to identify which make was which in the early days. As such, badges and other points of recognition were duly introduced to help distinguish the various marques as they evolved. Without doubt, when it comes to car badges, the prancing horse of Ferrari has to be one of the easiest to recognize, although few realize how this now-famous trademark came into being.

After winning one particular race in 1923, Enzo Ferrari was approached by Count Enrico Baracca, who congratulated the young racer on his sterling drive. Ultimately, Ferrari was befriended by the Baracca family, and the insignia that the Count’s son had used on his WWI fighter plane (a trophy from one particular dogfight with a man proud of his Stuttgart roots) was adopted by him – a Cavallino Rampante, which Ferrari duly placed on a yellow shield (the colour representing the city of Modena), with the Italian flag across the top.

It's ironic that a German coat of arms should come to symbolize an Italian vehicle, but such is life! The same coat of arms does crop up again on a German car, however, albeit in a later design format introduced just before the Second World War. Look closely at the centre of the Porsche badge, and there it is again, Ferry Porsche using the Stuttgart city insignia as a starting point for the crest he designed whilst talking in a restaurant in the early fifties.

Courtesy Bugatti

My favourite of all the car and horse-related design links, though, is that surrounding the Bugatti marque. 

Ettore Bugatti was notoriously passionate about horses, keeping them himself, and often seen wandering around his factory in riding gear. Not satisfied with a simple badge to show his love for our four-legged friends, coming from an artistic family, Ettore used the image of a horseshoe for his signature radiator grille surrounds, while pre-war adverts and catalogues rather fittingly described the exotic Bugatti creations as 'Le Pur-Sang des Automobiles' - wording that translates into English as the thoroughbred of automobiles.

Tomorrow, it's back to horses proper, as Mistoffelees takes to the starting gate for his second race, lining up against 15 other Thoroughbreds in Nagoya. Watch this space... 

THOROUGHBRED
The latest issue of Thoroughbred has just arrived from the Shadai Group. There's always something of interest in it, but in this edition, the thing that caught my attention is that it's time to try and name the yearlings - over 250 of them, all pictured in full colour. It's a shame I don't have enough postcards to deal with this year's purchases, but knowing how bad I am at naming things, two attempts is probably more than enough!

Also had some updates on the new yearlings from Carrot Club. Expectations are high for No.088, the trainer saying he has the potential to be one of Conduit's best, while No.008 (sired by King Kamehameha) is impressing all those who deal with her. Having just watched the video, I think we can expect a very quick debut for this filly - she looks incredibly mature on the move already.

LATE NIGHT EXCURSION
Still feeling a little jet-lagged from TCK last night, but at least a certain girl called Sophie is pleased she went - even the rain at the end of the meeting couldn't dampen her spirits! 

Because I'd heard there was a good chance of the weather aping that of England, I only had a small pocket camera with me, so the photography isn't great. But at least this gives a taste of the atmosphere. Amazingly, both Sophie and Louis were up for school this morning, despite not getting home from Tokyo until eleven o'clock...

By the way, the scheduled jockey for Miracle Rouge on the 8th has changed. It could be Kitamura-san, but this has yet to be confirmed. I'll let you know as soon as I know something for sure. One thing I can say with a degree of certainty, though - I'll be at Nakayama, and if Miracle Rouge can get out the gate in a spritely manner, I'll be banking on taking a winning post shot, as there's no doubt she has the pace and stamina to be a winner!

FAIRY ROBE - THE RACE CAMPAIGN BEGINS

Courtesy Carrot Club

Yesterday, with Seiji Yamazaki in the saddle, Fairy Robe passed her test with ease, coming first in her group. By all accounts, she loves to run, and if the theories of Federico Tesio are to be trusted (I certainly trust them!), then we have a potential winner on our hands. With luck, she can make her race debut on the 17th December. I'm looking forward to it. Meanwhile, here's a picture of her at the Yamazaki (Hiromi Racing) stables in Kawasaki...

By the way, the scheduled jockey for Miracle Rouge on the 8th has changed. It could be Kitamura-san, but this has yet to be confirmed. I'll let you know as soon as I know something for sure. One thing I can say with a degree of certainty, though - I'll be at Nakayama, and if Miracle Rouge can get out the gate in a spritely manner, I'll be banking on taking a winning post shot, as there's no doubt she has the pace and stamina to be a winner!

FAIRY ROBE'S BIG DAY
Our NAR filly gets to take her test today - an official stamp of approval that will enable her to run at Kawasaki, where she's based, and the other NAR tracks. I have my fingers crossed that she'll make it through - at least the people looking after her and riding her are top class, so she already has that in her favour. However, you'll probably know quicker than me if she passed, as my mobile is an antique version without internet set up on it. As I said before, you're talking to Mr Analogue himself here! I shall be disappearing to the Tokyo-Oi track for the day, and therefore isolated from the IT world...

Courtesy Carrot Club

On the subject on internet, we seem to be able to pull in over 100 visitors a day to the blog with ease nowadays. Yesterday, we had our first person from the Philippines tuning in, which I would lay odds is a jockey friend of
mine living out there - will have to check on that later.
We've also had visitors from Vietnam now.

Did anyone see 'Wild Boy' Yoshimura on the TV last night, taking on Kosei Miura on the track? Ignoring the handicap, which stretched to seven seconds (35 lengths) in the end, Yoshimura did a brilliant job, showing a very high level of control and race awareness considering the short time he had to train (about three months solid). All good fun, and great exposure for the sport we love, too! Everyone from the programme was surprised by the speeds involved.

GENKI MARUYAMA 
Having ridden Mistoffelees to second place the other day, Genki Maruyama jumps on him again on Sunday. As such, while he's already well-known in Japan as one of the top JRA jockeys, now seems like as good a time as any to introduce Genki to English speakers.

Courtesy JRA

Born in Gunma prefecture in October 1990, Genki comes from a horseman's family, with his father an ex-NAR jockey and grandfather a trainer. Attached to the Nemoto Stable at Miho, he can be seen most weekends wearing all manner of silks, as is the norm with JRA riders (NAR jockeys tend to be identified by their personal colours).

Genki qualified for his jockey licence in 2009, with his first ride coming in March that year. Four months later, he clocked up his first win - a slow start compared to some of his contemporaries, but he soon made up for it, even securing G1 rides from the spring of 2011 onwards. This month he won his 200th JRA race. Let's hope he can add another one to his total with Mistoffelees at the weekend.

CARROT KIDS 
In amongst the batch of regular reports, one piece of news caught my attention - the debut of Quadrille is expected to come early next year. How early, it didn't say, but it's an obvious sign of progress, and this majestic creature (a filly sired by Dalakhani, with Sadler's Wells as the damsire) is bound to make an impact in the paddock if nothing else!

Courtesy Carrot Club

The larger volume of traffic through the blog today, at least for this time of the day, is largely due to Hiromi Kobayashi - a lady Keiba enthusiast living in Hiroshima, who, like me, is extremely disappointed to hear that the Fukuyama track is threatened with imminent closure. Hiromi is using all manner of IT outlets to raise awareness of the problem, and what closing the gates will mean to fans and workers alike. Please support her and others in any way you can to try and save this charming racecourse, by all means through me if you like. Ultimately, I want to help in any way I can.

On the subject of traffic volume, we shot past 6500 so quickly I forgot to mention it. We're now at the 6600 mark, meaning an average of about 87 visitors a day since we started, including a new group of racing fans from Poland.

ARIMA KINEN
After the heartbreaking news from Fukuyama, it's probably a good time to brighten things up a bit by mentioning the Arima Kinen. Ultimately, time is running out if you want to vote for the horses running in it.

Of the three forms submitted by this house, about half of the ten names are the same, with the other half all different - a result of passion versus Louis the Keibaholic's clinical approach to selection. Some early signs of a decent trainer showing through already...

FUKUYAMA
The official announcement has been made regarding the closure of the NAR Fukuyama track. According to people on the scene, there was a hollow apology and very little chance to appeal against the decision. This doesn't sound right to me, and is totally out of character with the many friends I have in Hiroshima thanks to my car activities.

Closing a racecourse may be a simple way of balancing the books on paper, but there will be a lot of money lost indirectly as a result. Trainers, jockeys, grooms, track staff, drivers - they've all lost jobs, and won't spend in the local shops as a result. In this current financial climate, where else will they go? Add in the breeding trade, feed suppliers, vets, maintenance staff, et cetera, and the knock-on effect is huge. There's a lot more to it than a simple plus and minus on a balance sheet. Besides which, what will happen the land afterwards - taxes will have to be paid on something not being used!

Not so far down the road from Fukuyama is a company that was once called Toyo Kogyo. The men in the factory there were tempted to give up on a daily basis trying to perfect a new type of engine - to all concerned, there were times when it seemed an impossible task. They didn't give up, though, because they could see they had something special. In the end, the 47 Samurai assigned to the project gave the world the Mazda rotary engine - one of the finest power-units ever made.

Going back a bit further, Hiroshima rose from the ashes of war to fight back and become reborn as what I feel is one of the most beautiful cities in Japan. It is a twin city with my hometown, Coventry, because that was also badly bombed in WWII - indeed, the word 'Coventrated' was added to the dictionary to symbolize something that has been completely destroyed.

But ultimately, Hiroshima and its people have a history of overcoming the seemingly impossible. Where is that fighting spirit in the local government today? If those behind Urawa can turn a loss-making track into one that now makes a profit, despite the poor economy, surely it can be done at the picturesque Fukuyama track with a little innovation...

A FOUR-LEGGED SUPERCAR
There are a lot of my old car friends that struggle with the image of performance when trying to compare a road vehicle with a racehorse. Well, out of interest, kick a Thoroughbred in the guts, and the 0-40mph time (40 miles an hour being the equivalent of 65 kilometres an hour) is about 2.5 seconds, which is roughly the same as a well-driven Ferrari F355 on a perfect road surface is capable of. The feeling of effortless torque is phenomenal - a bit like a V12 Jaguar, the 'steering' is accurate and full of feedback (sometimes!), the 'brakes' are truly remarkable, and the feeling through the 'seat' is second to none. Not so good on fuel consumption, but who cares... Jinba Ittai!

URAWA RACE TRACK
Today we'll take a look at the last of the four Minami-Kanto dirt tracks run by the NAR organization - the rather quaint Urawa racecourse in Saitama...

Before the war, there was a track at Omiya, but this was abandoned after the conflict. For a short time there was racing at Kasukabe in the immediate post-war years, but with the upheaval on governing bodies caused by the disbanding of the Japan Racing Society, the decision was taken by the local government to open a new facility at Urawa. The site officially opened in October 1947, with the first meeting taking place six months later.

Although the Noda Training Centre takes pressure off the site, the anti-clockwise Urawa track itself (and the paddock that goes with it) is a small one, making the start for 1600m races, which takes place off the third corner, notoriously difficult. On saying that, the limited size makes you feel closer to the action! The main races of the year are the Urawa Kinen, which I went to the other day, and the Sakitama Cup.

The facility was losing money for many years after 'The Bubble' burst, but it's now firmly back in the black, with a park inside that can be used on non-race days, and even a heliport - useful if ever I get a helicopter licence! There is also a radio station called FM Urawa, used to promote race meetings and other events held at the track.

A SEA OF PEOPLE 
Made a last minute decision to allow myself to be dragged across to Tokyo-Fuchu today - Louis had been pestering me to go to the Japan Cup for weeks, but I'd managed to resist the pressure well until this morning. When a meeting failed to materialize and a black joke about going (but not going!) was met with the kind of disappointment that only a mature 12-year old boy can show - no tantrums, no words other than "Hidoi," but the kind of doe eyes that compete with those of the cat in the Shrek series, it suddenly seemed like a good idea! 

Considering the huge amount of people there (in excess of 110,000 according to the TV report), including some friends that had also ventured out for the day (getting up at 3am!), the transport system held up well, and there was only a minimum of waiting at the various facilities once inside. Full marks to JRA on the logistics, and the racing was just as good.

In the end, the main event turned out to be a two-horse race won by Gentildonna, with Orfevre coming home in a close second - a battle between the sexes and Triple Crown winners (Gentildonna had won the the filly equivalent), and a triumph for the Sunday Thoroughbred Club, with its horses filling the top three places. A good day out, but having fought my way across what feels like half of Japan, and waded through a sea of people, it's time to jump in the bath and then down a little nightcap...

HORSES IN THE JRA HALL OF FAME 
There are quite a few 'Hall of Fame' organizations in Japan, such as one for baseball, and even an automotive one that I myself was involved with for a while. However, the one that interests us today is the one found in the museum at the Tokyo-Fuchu racecourse - the JRA Hall of Fame.

These are the horses that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame so far, listed in the order they were accepted for entry: Kumohata, Tokino Minoru, Kurifuji, Tokitsukaze, Tosa Midori, Haiseiko, Shinzan, Hakuchikara, Tosho Boy and St Lite (1984), Grand Marches and Seiyu (1985), Mr CB (1986), Mejiro Ramonu and Symboli Rudolf (1987), Maruzensky, Speed Symboli, Meiji Hikari, Kodama and Ten Point (1990), Oguri Cap (1991), Mejiro McQueen (1994), Tokai Teio (1995), Narita Brian (1998), Taiki Shuttle (1999), Takeshiba O and TM Opera O (2004), Deep Impact (2008), and Vodka (2011).

One wonders if a certain chestnut, favourite for the Japan Cup today, will secure a place in the Hall of Fame as soon as he's allowed to qualify? The rules are such that nothing is guaranteed if several exceptional horses are present in a given year.

Anyway, there are also a number of jockeys and trainers that have been inducted, but we will deal with them at a later date. For now, at least the names of the horses are available in English, as this part of the JRA website is in Japanese only.

As an aside, you may be interested to know that the blog is now pulling in over 100 visitors a day (175 is the record so far), the audience coming from just about everywhere - all the continents have been covered, leaving only the North and South Pole to go. With modern communications, you never know! Even research scientists get free time...

AUTUMN COLOURS
Although it's seriously cold, the autumn leaves and golden light of the late afternoon always provide a spectacular backdrop for Jaguar, his colouring - passed on by Sakura Yutaka O - showing up to best effect at this time of year.

With his niggling leg problem behind him, Jaguar was back in top form, ready to race again if you'd have shown him a starting gate I reckon! Louis was smiling a lot, but reported that he was getting tired constantly trying to rein in the power. Didn't stop him going round and round the outer track at a cracking pace, though...

After Jaguar, the chance was taken to ride another Thoroughbred - Machikane Ukon, the full brother
of Hishi Amazon. 'Ukon' is an option for Louis' show-jumping debut, depending on who's riding what and when, as being an experienced campaigner, he'd give the boy a somewhat gentler introduction into his latest equine adventure. Despite the wet rather conditions, all went well - no injuries, and not even any dented pride.

JRA, NAR... WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
With no 'translation team' around again, I was trying to figure out what I could write about Japanese racing with material either coming from within my head (not much in there!), or being easy to research. Luckily, I'd done some useful work already for a book proposal, and the thing that springs to mind should help visitors to the blog from abroad put things into perspective - today, we'll look at what's behind the JRA and NAR initials...

Horse racing has been around in Japan for 150 years now, but in the early days, it was largely the British contingent living in Yokohama that was responsible for the meetings. The sport flourished during the Meiji Era, and had already become quite professional by the turn of the century. In 1923, 11 clubs were formed to handle racing, which duly came under the control of the Imperial Racing Society. This, in turn, was merged with the new Japan Racing Society in 1936, bringing about the birth of modern Japanese horse racing.

Naturally, the war threw the racing world into disarray, but a batch of new laws passed in 1954 led to the formation of the JRA (Japan Racing Association), established as a new controlling body, continually investing profits from gambling to further improve the sport and the numerous JRA facilities spread throughout the country.

Interestingly, racing conducted by local government bodies was left largely to its own devices. However, new legislation passed in 1962 led to the creation of the NAR (National Association of Racing), allowing all local government events to be run under the same rules, with a nationwide standard set on all manner of things, from those allowed to qualify for trainer and jockey licences, through to the registration of owners.

The Sapporo and Chukyo tracks are shared with the JRA, although there are no less than 17 racecourses run solely by the NAR, namely Tokyo-Oi, Funabashi, Kawasaki, Urawa, Nagoya, Kochi, Saga, Sonoda, Himeji, Morioka, Mizusawa, Kanazawa, Kasamatsu, Obihiro, Mombetsu, Arao and Fukuyama.

Sadly, the future of the Fukuyama facility is in doubt, and support is needed at all the local tracks to stop others going the same way. It's time people started to realize that horse racing is a fun day out, full of special characters, and not just about betting. If you've never been to a racecourse before, try it! With JRA racing at weekends and NAR events usually scheduled for weekdays, there's no excuse for not being able to go...

FAIRY ROBE NEWS
Today, Fairy Robe had a run alongside a three-year old at the Kawasaki racecourse. The jockey, Seiji Yamazaki, reported that he was pleased enough with the horse's action, although a little more gate practice will be needed before the official test on the 29th. All being well, Fairy Robe should make her debut at the Kawasaki Keiba track on the 17th of December. If so, I'll be there...

PS. In other news relating to Yamazaki Stable, I've just heard that Hiro Sato isn't feeling too good. I'd like to take this opportunity to say 'Get Well Soon'! There are certainly a lot of people looking at his profile, including new visitors from Hong Kong, so I'm obviously not alone in wishing him well.

FORGET ANY THOUGHTS OF MICKEY...
Even at Disneyland, the kids can't stay away from horses for long. This is Sophie pictured yesterday with a couple of new friends. And yes, Louis jumped on another horse on the same ride!

With the weather reminding me of an English winter, I think I'll forget going to the stables today (I went yesterday for cookie and brushing duties) and concentrate on framing a few more prints up. Supposed to be a much better weather outlook tomorrow, so for now, working on something in the warm sounds good...

HIRONORI SATO
Now my 'translation team' is back on the scene, we can continue our series on Japanese jockey profiles once more. Today, we'll take a look at Hironori Sato...

Based at the Kawasaki Keiba track, Hiro was born in Yokohama in June 1979. Hiro's father was a horse racing fan, so he was exposed to Keiba from an early age. He clearly remembers being inspired by an NHK TV programme on racing, but his high school era was dominated by studying electrical engineering and playing rugby.

Courtesy Shinsuke Ogawa

Things started to come together after he became bored with studying and told his rugby coach he wanted to be a jockey. As it happens, the coach was a friend of Hiromi Yamazaki's. The pair tried to sway him away from the game, telling him how hard it was and that he was better to continue with his studies, but he came away even more determined to ride - he wanted to be in the photos on Yamazaki-san's wall, just like his heroes.

After shedding no less than 7kg in a short space of time, he entered jockey school, and ultimately made his debut in October 1998 with the Nakajima Stable. His first of 454 wins (so far!) came five months later, and in 2000, he moved to the Yamazaki Stable following the retirement of his former boss.

Dedicated to honing his skills, there was a time when he would take out 20 horses in a morning, with image training and visits to the sports gym on days off. This led to him being held up as a young star at Kawasaki at the turn of the millennium. Still not satisfied, he has now moved into the Joba arena, further improving his level of communication with the horses he rides.

In the picture, we can see Hiro's wife, Satomi, who is well-known in the equine world, and his son, Shoma, who's already making an impression in the Jockey Babies series, looking set to proudly wear the white/blue silks made famous by his father for the next generation of Keiba fans. He's not keen on the idea of his daughter Miku becoming a jockey, but I wouldn't rule it out just yet - with horses running this deep in the family bloodlines, you never know!