FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Not only was this one of the best Bond films of them all, I'm delighted to report that we suddenly appear to have picked up a huge audience from Russia over the last couple of weeks. Being an inquisitive sort, I figured it was time to look into the Russian racing scene to see why the blog was picking up so much interest.
A few minutes checking on the internet quickly reveals that Russia is in the middle of a horse racing boom. And why not? It's a beautiful sport, full of passion and colour, and when the backdrop is as grand as that provided by the Central Moscow Hippodrome, it's not surprising that so many people are hooked. I hope the blog keeps entertaining our friends in Russia, and when I get a little more time to do some proper research, I'll do a short piece on Russian horse racing as it stands today, as I want to learn more myself...
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
THE RACEHORSES #12: No.092
This is actually another Gold Allure kid, but this time a filly bought through Carrot Club, and with Agua De Beber as the dam. Having just written about Gold Allure only yesterday, there's little point in going over his details again, but Agua De Beber is a real wildcard, with no race record of her own, and this being her first foal, so nothing to judge her by there either.
However, Agua De Beber can boast Kurofune as her sire (a dirt racing legend, with Deputy Minister as his grandsire, and Roberto and Never Bend blood in the dam's DNA make-up), plus Tony Bin as the damsire. As a dirt racer in the NAR arena, the bloodlines are full of potential, and I like these untried mares, as one never knows what's going to happen - she may produce something exceptional, or something that simply makes up the numbers. But if Agua De Beber gives the world a brilliant performer, you can guarantee her next foal won't be as reasonably priced as this one was, and the gamble will have paid off handsomely...
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see what name people come up with for this little lady, given the exotic moniker of her mother. One thing's for sure, it's bound to be more inventive than anything I'd put forward - my father and I have a reputation for having a distinct lack of imagination when it comes to naming animals!
This is actually another Gold Allure kid, but this time a filly bought through Carrot Club, and with Agua De Beber as the dam. Having just written about Gold Allure only yesterday, there's little point in going over his details again, but Agua De Beber is a real wildcard, with no race record of her own, and this being her first foal, so nothing to judge her by there either.
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| Courtesy Carrot Club |
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see what name people come up with for this little lady, given the exotic moniker of her mother. One thing's for sure, it's bound to be more inventive than anything I'd put forward - my father and I have a reputation for having a distinct lack of imagination when it comes to naming animals!
RACING DOWN UNDER
Other than the exploits of Craig Williams, and only then because of his numerous race wins in Japan, I have to admit to knowing very little about the racing scene in Australia beyond the fame of the Melbourne Cup (coming soon, in early November) and the legend of Phar Lap. However, having just visited the Australian Racing Board website and read through the annual review published by the ARB, I'm more than suitably impressed.
There are closer links with Europe than I'd imagined, with the Australian Racing Board's Fact Book highlighting that Danehill was the leading sire Down Under for many years. With around 13,000 Thoroughbreds born in Australia every year, and what looks like a fair percentage of the country's GDP being bet on the 18,000 or so races held annually in Oz, this is big business. But above all, racing looks well-organized and fun to be a part of, either as an owner or spectator. Indeed, if I can find something like the various ownership clubs that exist in Japan (like Carrot Club or Sunday Thoroughbred Club, for instance), then I certainly wouldn't mind joining in and having a slice of the action.
I've created a fresh link to the Australian Racing Board for anyone interested, and copies of the Fact Book can be downloaded in PDF format from there. One can also access the colourful and nicely-presented sites belonging to the local racing organizations, with New South Wales seemingly the biggest of the bunch. All very interesting...
Other than the exploits of Craig Williams, and only then because of his numerous race wins in Japan, I have to admit to knowing very little about the racing scene in Australia beyond the fame of the Melbourne Cup (coming soon, in early November) and the legend of Phar Lap. However, having just visited the Australian Racing Board website and read through the annual review published by the ARB, I'm more than suitably impressed.There are closer links with Europe than I'd imagined, with the Australian Racing Board's Fact Book highlighting that Danehill was the leading sire Down Under for many years. With around 13,000 Thoroughbreds born in Australia every year, and what looks like a fair percentage of the country's GDP being bet on the 18,000 or so races held annually in Oz, this is big business. But above all, racing looks well-organized and fun to be a part of, either as an owner or spectator. Indeed, if I can find something like the various ownership clubs that exist in Japan (like Carrot Club or Sunday Thoroughbred Club, for instance), then I certainly wouldn't mind joining in and having a slice of the action.
I've created a fresh link to the Australian Racing Board for anyone interested, and copies of the Fact Book can be downloaded in PDF format from there. One can also access the colourful and nicely-presented sites belonging to the local racing organizations, with New South Wales seemingly the biggest of the bunch. All very interesting...
THE RACEHORSES #11: No.082
This is another so far unnamed NAR runner, this time bought through the Shadai Thoroughbred Club. This particular colt was sired by Gold Allure, with Mejiro Venus as the dam, which provides a promising mix of bloodlines, especially when thinking of a dirt racer.
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| Courtesy Shadai TC |
Gold Allure has won the Japan Dirt Derby in the past (as well as a number of other G1 races), so his blood is valued in NAR circles. Sired by Sunday Silence, and with Nikiya as a mother (bringing together the Northern Dancer, via Nureyev, and Nijinsky lines), Gold Allure rivals Kurofune as the perfect stallion for a dirt competitor.
Mejiro Venus was sired by Tony Bin, the Irish registered horse that we've already mentioned in passing, but the fact he won the L'Arc de Triomphe and the Italian GP del Jockey Club is well worth pointing out. The blood flowing through Tony Bin reads like a who's who of the English racing scene, while the female side seems to have a habit of breeding winners. We shall soon see whether the winning combination has been struck with this horse...
Thursday, October 18, 2012
THE RACEHORSES #10: No.188
It's a shame that we can't identify this horse, or any of the other yearlings born in 2011, by name as yet. Luckily, even though they've been sourced through three different clubs, all the horses I have a stake in (listed at the bottom of the page) have different catalogue numbers, so at least we can use these for positive identification for the time being. Once they've been named, we can publish the newer posts again in an updated form, along with revised details on the nine racers born in 2010 we've already covered to bring things up-to-date. If nothing else, it will act as a useful refresher.
No.188 is a Sunday Thoroughbred Club horse, and if he runs like Orfevre, I shall be a happy bunny. This muscle-bound colt (a good thing for NAR dirt racing) is by Company out of Pop Chart. With luck, he will have the lengthy career of Company (12-4-1), who was winning at top level long after most racehorses have retired, and the fiery DNA of Pops (Pop Chart's dam), which is a combination of Hail To Reason (via Sunday Silence) and Secretariat blood.
Company mixes Tony Bin, Sadler's Wells, Mr Prospector, Secretariat and a good dose of Northern Dancer blood, but winning G1 races at eight years old is remarkable, even for a horse with such noble ancestry. Even the female lines boast some good winners, such as Irish horse, Sun Princess, who claimed the English St Leger and The Oaks.
On the mother's side, the damsire is Afleet (7-4-2) by Mr Prospector, meaning a Native Dancer line, with a sprinkling of Citation (the legendary US Triple Crown winner) ancestry further back, while Pops, as we've already mentioned, has an all-star family behind her. I reckon 'Top Of The Pops' would be a great name for this horse. If it could then live up to the name, life would indeed be sweet...
It's a shame that we can't identify this horse, or any of the other yearlings born in 2011, by name as yet. Luckily, even though they've been sourced through three different clubs, all the horses I have a stake in (listed at the bottom of the page) have different catalogue numbers, so at least we can use these for positive identification for the time being. Once they've been named, we can publish the newer posts again in an updated form, along with revised details on the nine racers born in 2010 we've already covered to bring things up-to-date. If nothing else, it will act as a useful refresher.
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| Courtesy Sunday TC |
No.188 is a Sunday Thoroughbred Club horse, and if he runs like Orfevre, I shall be a happy bunny. This muscle-bound colt (a good thing for NAR dirt racing) is by Company out of Pop Chart. With luck, he will have the lengthy career of Company (12-4-1), who was winning at top level long after most racehorses have retired, and the fiery DNA of Pops (Pop Chart's dam), which is a combination of Hail To Reason (via Sunday Silence) and Secretariat blood.
Company mixes Tony Bin, Sadler's Wells, Mr Prospector, Secretariat and a good dose of Northern Dancer blood, but winning G1 races at eight years old is remarkable, even for a horse with such noble ancestry. Even the female lines boast some good winners, such as Irish horse, Sun Princess, who claimed the English St Leger and The Oaks.
On the mother's side, the damsire is Afleet (7-4-2) by Mr Prospector, meaning a Native Dancer line, with a sprinkling of Citation (the legendary US Triple Crown winner) ancestry further back, while Pops, as we've already mentioned, has an all-star family behind her. I reckon 'Top Of The Pops' would be a great name for this horse. If it could then live up to the name, life would indeed be sweet...
RAIN STOPS PLAYThe rain reminds me of a typical English autumn day, or an English winter day, or an English spring or summer day for that matter! Yes, it's grey, wet and miserable, and with the training area at Tokoro being renamed Lake Chiba overnight, that puts an end to any hopes of getting any riding in with Jaguar this afternoon. It's a shame, because, as you can see from the picture, he definitely looked in the mood to play...
At least Tenshinramman has been given the OK to race on the 21st, and reports state that Miracle Rouge is moving ever closer to a debut. With 55 seconds for four furlongs (against 51.5 for 'Tenny') there's still some work to do, but she is getting there. Also Quick Bread has moved from Hokkaido to Honshu, which means progress in training for him, too.
News on the yearlings is rare as yet, but the Sunday Thoroughbred Club NAR horse (number 188) has been moved to the Northern Farm Hiyakita facility, meaning his training programme will start soon. Seeing as there is news starting to filter through on this horse, we'll do his profile next, and may as well look at the other two as yet unnamed NAR runners straight after.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
RACING TECHNOLOGY
As a car guy, especially one with a long-running interest in motorsport, the need to reduce weight wherever possible is taken for granted. Old racers from the turn of the last century stripped out everything that wasn't necessary, and then started drilling holes in strategic places in the chassis frames to save a few grammes without a loss of strength. Lightweight materials followed, with aluminium alloys, then magnesium alloys, and now things like carbonfibre. It's all about improving the power-to-weight ratio in the grand scheme of things, and improving response in the details.
It's much the same in horse racing, which is why jockeys are all little fellas or petite ladies. Pick up a Dressage saddle a few times, and it saves going to the gym - these things are seriously heavy, while a modern professional race saddle such as the Selleria Ferro Piuma Evo, with a carbonfibre tree and synthetic covering, can weigh as little as 120g! Granted, the norm is about a kilo without stirrups and straps, but it's next to nothing compared to six kilos for an average Dressage saddle. Add to that the fact that the stirrups are completely different (around 130g each against about four times that weight for a regular stirrup), and the gap widens still further; the straps holding the stirrups are also lighter.
As for improving response, think of lightweight pistons and rods in an engine. In simple terms, the lighter components are, the quicker they can change direction. Watch a horse's leg action and the thought of racing one with traditional iron shoes makes one wince - the extra weight at the extremities of the horse's leg would doubtless blunt performance and add unnecessary stress on the frame. As such, rather than iron horseshoes (400g per shoe), beautifully-crafted 80g alloy versions are employed for racing, allowing the hooves to react faster and more precisely to input, as nature intended.
The lightweight theme is continued wherever you look - felt saddle blankets, flimsy goggles, a rider's silks and boots, and so on - for someone that has been studying weight reduction in racing cars for decades, the similarity between basic race principles and their reasoning, despite the two sports being poles apart, is an interesting aside.
The picture shows a Sprenger aluminium alloy race stirrup and a steel version that has seen service at Funabashi. The steel one is so delicate, it actually weighs 20g less than the alloy model. Also shown is a racing horseshoe, although they're not normally painted gold!
As a car guy, especially one with a long-running interest in motorsport, the need to reduce weight wherever possible is taken for granted. Old racers from the turn of the last century stripped out everything that wasn't necessary, and then started drilling holes in strategic places in the chassis frames to save a few grammes without a loss of strength. Lightweight materials followed, with aluminium alloys, then magnesium alloys, and now things like carbonfibre. It's all about improving the power-to-weight ratio in the grand scheme of things, and improving response in the details.
It's much the same in horse racing, which is why jockeys are all little fellas or petite ladies. Pick up a Dressage saddle a few times, and it saves going to the gym - these things are seriously heavy, while a modern professional race saddle such as the Selleria Ferro Piuma Evo, with a carbonfibre tree and synthetic covering, can weigh as little as 120g! Granted, the norm is about a kilo without stirrups and straps, but it's next to nothing compared to six kilos for an average Dressage saddle. Add to that the fact that the stirrups are completely different (around 130g each against about four times that weight for a regular stirrup), and the gap widens still further; the straps holding the stirrups are also lighter.
As for improving response, think of lightweight pistons and rods in an engine. In simple terms, the lighter components are, the quicker they can change direction. Watch a horse's leg action and the thought of racing one with traditional iron shoes makes one wince - the extra weight at the extremities of the horse's leg would doubtless blunt performance and add unnecessary stress on the frame. As such, rather than iron horseshoes (400g per shoe), beautifully-crafted 80g alloy versions are employed for racing, allowing the hooves to react faster and more precisely to input, as nature intended.The lightweight theme is continued wherever you look - felt saddle blankets, flimsy goggles, a rider's silks and boots, and so on - for someone that has been studying weight reduction in racing cars for decades, the similarity between basic race principles and their reasoning, despite the two sports being poles apart, is an interesting aside.
The picture shows a Sprenger aluminium alloy race stirrup and a steel version that has seen service at Funabashi. The steel one is so delicate, it actually weighs 20g less than the alloy model. Also shown is a racing horseshoe, although they're not normally painted gold!
EVENING NEWS
Carrot Club has just announced that Mistoffelees has been booked to run in the fifth race at Tokyo on the 27th of this month - a 1600m turf race, with Yutaka Yoshida already secured as the jockey. Having had the race booked for the 14th cancelled, this new date presents a bit of a problem - a straight choice between going to see Mistoffelees make his debut, or watching the underdogs in another Dressage competition. Life's never easy, is it...?
Carrot Club has just announced that Mistoffelees has been booked to run in the fifth race at Tokyo on the 27th of this month - a 1600m turf race, with Yutaka Yoshida already secured as the jockey. Having had the race booked for the 14th cancelled, this new date presents a bit of a problem - a straight choice between going to see Mistoffelees make his debut, or watching the underdogs in another Dressage competition. Life's never easy, is it...?
NAKAYAMA RACE TRACK
The latest Dunhill brochure just dropped into the letterbox, with a feature on Sam Waley-Cohen - the English amateur jump jockey who has shown that he can mix life as a businessman (he owns a chain of dental establishments) and a top horseman. Indeed, he's won all sorts of major races in National Hunt meetings, often riding his father's horses.
But as we pass the 2500 visitor mark for the blog, the figure being pushed along nicely by a strong Russian contingent within the last few hours, today we'll talk about my local JRA track, as opposed to the closest NAR one, and that happens to be Nakayama, which is also situated in Funabashi City, Chiba. In fact, the Funabashi NAR facility and Nakayama JRA one are situated only about four miles (6km) away from each other.
Unlike Funabashi, though, where dirt is the only option, the main attraction at Nakayama is the pair of turf courses, augmented by a dirt course, and one of the most demanding steeplechase courses in the country. The turf track closest to the grandstands is notorious for its long rise from the final bend to the finishing line - a true test of a horse's stamina, as well as the jockey's skill in timing the sprint for the line.
Looking back, we can trace the history of Nakayama back to 1907, with the foundation of the Matsudo Keiba Club. However, this was taken over as a military training school, and a new track was duly built closer to the sea. Unfortunately, the huge earthquake and ensuing tsunami of 1923 wiped it out just as the finishing touches were being applied. The project was revived, though, albeit at Nakayama this time, and the first races were held at the new course in 1928.
With the clouds of war darkening the skies, Nakayama looked more like a vegetable patch than a racecourse in the mid-1940s, but racing resumed in 1947, and the JRA took over the administration of the track in 1954. New stands went up in the bubble era, helping give this beautifully-presented track a fresh image for its weekend visitors. It plays host to probably the biggest race of the year - the Arima Kinen, in which fans can choose the field.
The latest Dunhill brochure just dropped into the letterbox, with a feature on Sam Waley-Cohen - the English amateur jump jockey who has shown that he can mix life as a businessman (he owns a chain of dental establishments) and a top horseman. Indeed, he's won all sorts of major races in National Hunt meetings, often riding his father's horses.
But as we pass the 2500 visitor mark for the blog, the figure being pushed along nicely by a strong Russian contingent within the last few hours, today we'll talk about my local JRA track, as opposed to the closest NAR one, and that happens to be Nakayama, which is also situated in Funabashi City, Chiba. In fact, the Funabashi NAR facility and Nakayama JRA one are situated only about four miles (6km) away from each other.
Looking back, we can trace the history of Nakayama back to 1907, with the foundation of the Matsudo Keiba Club. However, this was taken over as a military training school, and a new track was duly built closer to the sea. Unfortunately, the huge earthquake and ensuing tsunami of 1923 wiped it out just as the finishing touches were being applied. The project was revived, though, albeit at Nakayama this time, and the first races were held at the new course in 1928.
With the clouds of war darkening the skies, Nakayama looked more like a vegetable patch than a racecourse in the mid-1940s, but racing resumed in 1947, and the JRA took over the administration of the track in 1954. New stands went up in the bubble era, helping give this beautifully-presented track a fresh image for its weekend visitors. It plays host to probably the biggest race of the year - the Arima Kinen, in which fans can choose the field.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
FUNABASHI RACE TRACK
With our occasional racehorse profiles, jockey profiles, trainer profiles, and so on, we may as well take a look at some of the tracks, too - both the JRA and NAR facilities. My local racecourse is Funabashi - an NAR-run facility with weekday racing on a pair of dirt tracks. As this is the closest to my home, and the one I visit the most, this is where we'll start...
The original track was based at Kashiwa in 1928, hence the big Kashiwa Kinen race, but following the war, plans were put in place to build a new track at Funabashi, with a motorcycle racing facility contained within.
Funabashi track duly opened its gates for the first time in August 1950, with Kashiwa closing down in 1952. In November 1953, Nihon TV made a live broadcast of the meeting held on the 27th - the first ever NAR meeting to be televised.
Yomiuri Land took over the running of the site in 1968, and still administer it to this day. Also in 1968, the motorcycle racing side of the business was separated from the horse racing, moving to its own dedicated circuit situated closer to the port.
The major earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 stopped racing for a little while, as the water table rose causing flooding. Indeed, the land is quite boggy on the inside of the Funabashi Keiba track, which explains why there's a natural lake off to the right as one looks from the grandstands. It also explains why my request for a greyhound track may never go through - it would cost a fortune to prepare the land!
There are no less than 37 racing stables based at Funabashi, along with 32 full-time jockeys listed for 2012. If you can read Japanese, the link for the Funabashi Keiba website can be found to the right-hand side of the page, as well as another link for the track's official blog.
With our occasional racehorse profiles, jockey profiles, trainer profiles, and so on, we may as well take a look at some of the tracks, too - both the JRA and NAR facilities. My local racecourse is Funabashi - an NAR-run facility with weekday racing on a pair of dirt tracks. As this is the closest to my home, and the one I visit the most, this is where we'll start...
The original track was based at Kashiwa in 1928, hence the big Kashiwa Kinen race, but following the war, plans were put in place to build a new track at Funabashi, with a motorcycle racing facility contained within.Funabashi track duly opened its gates for the first time in August 1950, with Kashiwa closing down in 1952. In November 1953, Nihon TV made a live broadcast of the meeting held on the 27th - the first ever NAR meeting to be televised.
Yomiuri Land took over the running of the site in 1968, and still administer it to this day. Also in 1968, the motorcycle racing side of the business was separated from the horse racing, moving to its own dedicated circuit situated closer to the port.
The major earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 stopped racing for a little while, as the water table rose causing flooding. Indeed, the land is quite boggy on the inside of the Funabashi Keiba track, which explains why there's a natural lake off to the right as one looks from the grandstands. It also explains why my request for a greyhound track may never go through - it would cost a fortune to prepare the land!There are no less than 37 racing stables based at Funabashi, along with 32 full-time jockeys listed for 2012. If you can read Japanese, the link for the Funabashi Keiba website can be found to the right-hand side of the page, as well as another link for the track's official blog.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
LADY JOCKEYS IN JAPAN
With Sophie wanting to be a jockey - despite advice against it from a jockey friend! - I couldn't help wondering how many ladies there were racing in Japan (in both JRA and NAR circles), as this is hardly England or America, where the idea of a lady jockey is a lot less novel. Indeed, I remember when Princess Anne won her first race way back in 1986 - she was far from the first to fight the men head-on in Britain, and many ladies have followed in her footsteps since, to the point where we now have female G1 race winners in the UK. And in the States, professional lady jockeys have been around since the late-1960s.
As it happens, there's just one lady registered as a JRA jockey at the moment - Yukiko Masuzawa, or Yukiko Makihara as she was known before she was married. Attached to the Kikuzawa Stable, she has won 34 races so far. Notwithstanding, there are quite a few ladies currently riding at NAR tracks, although none in the Minami-Kanto region, which is probably why my image of Japanese racing being a man-only world exists.
The Nagoya-based Akane Yamamoto (pictured here) caught my attention straight away - she has a fine racing record (a remarkable 270 wins in NAR), recently having completed a successful spell riding in Korea and Malaysia, in addition to a couple of years in New Zealand before that. One thing's for sure, the 29-year old can certainly add another fan to her collection. Ganbatte, Akane!
Meanwhile, Minori Sasaki and Rui Shimomura ride in Hokkaido (with Maya Takegahara in the specialist Ban-ei Tockachi arena), Mai Beppu and Mika Morii are based at Kochi, and Chiaki Iwanaga and Sachika Oyama (a promising youngster featured on TV a bit back when she was making her debut) hail from the Saga track.
Names from the not-so-distant past, when the ladies-only 'LJS' series existed in Japan, include Mayumi Minagawa, Yumiko Gobo, Maki Hirayama, Hitomi Miyashita, Noriko Ikemoto, and Rena Nishihara (ex-JRA). It's not easy to get a jockey licence whether you're a man, woman, or somewhere in-between for that matter, but these ladies have proved that with a bit of hard work you can get one, and compete. Thanks to these trailblazers, Sophie has every chance...
With Sophie wanting to be a jockey - despite advice against it from a jockey friend! - I couldn't help wondering how many ladies there were racing in Japan (in both JRA and NAR circles), as this is hardly England or America, where the idea of a lady jockey is a lot less novel. Indeed, I remember when Princess Anne won her first race way back in 1986 - she was far from the first to fight the men head-on in Britain, and many ladies have followed in her footsteps since, to the point where we now have female G1 race winners in the UK. And in the States, professional lady jockeys have been around since the late-1960s.
As it happens, there's just one lady registered as a JRA jockey at the moment - Yukiko Masuzawa, or Yukiko Makihara as she was known before she was married. Attached to the Kikuzawa Stable, she has won 34 races so far. Notwithstanding, there are quite a few ladies currently riding at NAR tracks, although none in the Minami-Kanto region, which is probably why my image of Japanese racing being a man-only world exists.
The Nagoya-based Akane Yamamoto (pictured here) caught my attention straight away - she has a fine racing record (a remarkable 270 wins in NAR), recently having completed a successful spell riding in Korea and Malaysia, in addition to a couple of years in New Zealand before that. One thing's for sure, the 29-year old can certainly add another fan to her collection. Ganbatte, Akane!Meanwhile, Minori Sasaki and Rui Shimomura ride in Hokkaido (with Maya Takegahara in the specialist Ban-ei Tockachi arena), Mai Beppu and Mika Morii are based at Kochi, and Chiaki Iwanaga and Sachika Oyama (a promising youngster featured on TV a bit back when she was making her debut) hail from the Saga track.
Names from the not-so-distant past, when the ladies-only 'LJS' series existed in Japan, include Mayumi Minagawa, Yumiko Gobo, Maki Hirayama, Hitomi Miyashita, Noriko Ikemoto, and Rena Nishihara (ex-JRA). It's not easy to get a jockey licence whether you're a man, woman, or somewhere in-between for that matter, but these ladies have proved that with a bit of hard work you can get one, and compete. Thanks to these trailblazers, Sophie has every chance...
PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES
All of the paintings and sculptures I have in stock are now listed in five 'stock-list' entries within the Art Pages section to the lower right-hand side of this page. Having redone yesterday's attempt, it now looks half-decent, albeit very basic on the detail front. If anything interests you, don't be afraid to drop me an E-mail via the address in my Profile.
PS. High-fives all-round! The visitor counter has suddenly come back to life, albeit minus the 30 or so hits made earlier today. Also worth checking the Links if you haven't done it for a while, as quite a few new ones have been added recently...
All of the paintings and sculptures I have in stock are now listed in five 'stock-list' entries within the Art Pages section to the lower right-hand side of this page. Having redone yesterday's attempt, it now looks half-decent, albeit very basic on the detail front. If anything interests you, don't be afraid to drop me an E-mail via the address in my Profile.
PS. High-fives all-round! The visitor counter has suddenly come back to life, albeit minus the 30 or so hits made earlier today. Also worth checking the Links if you haven't done it for a while, as quite a few new ones have been added recently...
GREMLINS
Having struggled to get one stock-list completed in the Art Pages section last night (the software seems to play up constantly in this area), and even then not really to a point where I'm happy with it, as I can't edit (or rather I can't save what has been edited), I find this morning that the visitor counter has thrown a wobbly, resetting to zero and thus wiping nearly 2300 hits off the tally. This is why I'm an analogue guy!
Also spotted a beauty of a typo - for foal, I'd typed in foul on a couple of occasions in the racehorse profiles. That's what a lack of sleep does for you! In fact, the thought crossed my mind to check in the middle of the night, so I was obviously aware of the mistake subconsciously. Sorry about that, but the correction has now been made. Hopefully, no more foul-ups. And please excuse the pun...
The other bit of news is that I've decided to put a fleeting idea I had of using one of the other Tokoro horses for Louis' competition campaign for a while out of my head. It's a horse that I love (firmly on the cookie roster), and one I've secretly wanted to own for a while, but it all comes back to something I said earlier. Good friends are the hardest things on Earth to find, and I'm not going to abandon Jaguar - he's a different animal because he trusts me as his friend, and Louis and Sophie as his family and training partners. I'm not going to destroy that for an extra few points in the arena. The underdogs will remain underdogs, and we work with the team and tools we have. Period.
Having struggled to get one stock-list completed in the Art Pages section last night (the software seems to play up constantly in this area), and even then not really to a point where I'm happy with it, as I can't edit (or rather I can't save what has been edited), I find this morning that the visitor counter has thrown a wobbly, resetting to zero and thus wiping nearly 2300 hits off the tally. This is why I'm an analogue guy!
Also spotted a beauty of a typo - for foal, I'd typed in foul on a couple of occasions in the racehorse profiles. That's what a lack of sleep does for you! In fact, the thought crossed my mind to check in the middle of the night, so I was obviously aware of the mistake subconsciously. Sorry about that, but the correction has now been made. Hopefully, no more foul-ups. And please excuse the pun...
The other bit of news is that I've decided to put a fleeting idea I had of using one of the other Tokoro horses for Louis' competition campaign for a while out of my head. It's a horse that I love (firmly on the cookie roster), and one I've secretly wanted to own for a while, but it all comes back to something I said earlier. Good friends are the hardest things on Earth to find, and I'm not going to abandon Jaguar - he's a different animal because he trusts me as his friend, and Louis and Sophie as his family and training partners. I'm not going to destroy that for an extra few points in the arena. The underdogs will remain underdogs, and we work with the team and tools we have. Period.
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LAZY SUNDAY Today has been spent framing up a few prints, as well as pricing up new stock items, and watching Louis and Sophie riding Jaguar. Plus, of course, feeding apple-flavoured cookies to the favourites at Tokoro - at the end of the day, it's nice to feel wanted!
Three Jacqueline Stanhope prints done by the afternoon, and they all look superb. Russian Rhythm you saw earlier, but with its black frame and mount it looks even more impressive, while a New Approach portrait and old school Pivotal painting make up the numbers for the day - cream mounts surrounded by a classic dark wood frame on the latter pair. As soon as the new mounts (or mats) arrive, I can get on with some more. It's time consuming, but the results are worth it.I'm going to create a stock list within the art pages in a little while, so if you want to see something at the Tokoro shop at Funabashi Keiba track, you can let me know which day you will be there (you can use the E-mail facility in my profile), and I'll make sure it's packed up. Another option is a COD delivery within Japan via one of the carrier services...
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