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!