TEMPAI
You'll see from the list at the bottom of this page that I have an interest in another retired racehorse in addition to Jaguar - I have a small, ten percent stake in a beautiful stallion called Tempai, known by the nickname of 'Tenn-chan' at Tokoro RC.

Born in 1993, Tenn-chan won seven races (including the Procyon Stakes) as a youngster, and even had a G1 outing. Looking at his blood, I guess it shouldn't be that surprising that he had class, with Jade Robbery as his father, and Seresa as his mother - a mare that won six races, which is actually four more than Jade Robbery achieved. The only difference, of course, is the American horse won a noteworthy G1 race in France before going to stud duty!

The story of how Jaguar came to be in my possession was related earlier. But why the interest in Tenn-chan, as I've hardly ever ridden him? Well, first and foremost, apart from the fact that he's a stunningly beautiful horse with great proportions and a noble look, there's a certain horse in the great-grandfather line - Nijinsky! Other classic winners in his more recent bloodlines include Tosho Boy, Nashua, Native Dancer, Northern Dancer and Swaps, while going back five generations kicks in several track heroes from Britain, as well as a few more from the States and Canada. Actually, it's interesting comparing the family trees of Tenn-chan and Jaguar, with the latter having far more British DNA.

Having had a bad case of colic the other day (which would have seen the end of him had it not been for a timely phone call from Megumi and the sterling work of my favourite vet, Ken Noguchi), it made me realize how old Tenn-chan was - with his soft, shiny coat and spritely manner, you tend to think of him still being a young horse. Hopefully, now he's back on form, he'll continue to provide a great deal of pleasure for all the members at Tokoro for many more years to come...

As it happens, you can ride him in your own house, as he's featured in a Nintendo Wii game!