FIRST RACES OF THE YEAR 
A few reports have started to filter through from Carrot Club, with Quadrille, Lourdes No Hitomi and Mosto Verde having routine training, although the latter has now gone to the Yamamoto TC to build up some extra muscle in the hind quarters. Hopefully, he will also learn to run more aggressively, as at the moment, he likes to run with other horses rather than get to the head of the pack.

The exciting news is that two winners are being rolled out for duty again before the end of the month - Harmony Fair will either run at Nakayama on the 19th (1600m) or at Tokyo-Fuchu on the 26th (1400m), while Tenshinramman has been booked for an 1800m turf race on the 27th at Tokyo with Katsuharu Tanaka already lined up as the jockey.

10,000 AND COUNTING... 
Today, as usual during school holidays, the chance was taken to get some more time in with Jaguar - Louis refining control techniques, and Sophie continuing her canter training. Everyone was happy, including 'The Difficult Horse', who got rewarded with a nice juicy apple at the end. Actually, he will go on a diet as soon as winter has finished to bring back some of that Thoroughbred leanness. For the time being, in this cold spell, a few extra kilos isn't going to hurt. I'm using the same excuse, so can't say anything!

Having started this blog in mid-September last year, with 185 posts now up, the visitor counter passed the 10,000 mark this morning. People from no less than 39 different countries have tuned in, the power of the internet never failing to amaze me!

WIND STOPS PLAY - AGAIN! 
Can't believe how windy it is around these parts nowadays, and bitterly cold with it. As such, when we arrived at Tokoro, it looked like the Mary Celeste, with only a handful of cars parked up to hint at any signs of life. The cookie run was short and sweet, the time being better spent going to the home centre to get some more wood for Jaguar to 'crib' on - pieces of 2x4 used in house building that tend to last a bit longer than regular wood.

The JRA organization keeps bringing out beautiful TV adverts (or CMs as they're called here) one after another to promote horse racing - sometimes specific races, sometimes Keiba in general. The one on the box the most at the moment shows a young horse who becomes stronger after care and training, going on to win and then provide the next generation of Thoroughbreds. The cycle has been the same for hundreds of years, but in this concise form, it sums up the romance of the sport nicely.

ANOTHER BREEZY DAY
The wind wasn't quite as crazy today as it was yesterday, but it was seriously cold. Nonetheless, a lot of the Tokoro RC members turned out to make the most of the last bit of their holidays, braving the chill in the air before having to brave the daily commute back and forth to work.

In our case, it was getting some extra saddle time in before going back to school - the realization of the date also bringing about a rush on homework assignments!

Louis did some jumping practice with Cielo (aka Meisho Shao) in the morning, and then Jaguar (Mayano Time) came out to play in the afternoon, giving both kids a great deal of enjoyment once he'd decided to wake up. It's actually quite funny when he's so sleepy he doesn't really know what he's doing - he follows me around like the world's biggest dog! After about 300 metres, he comes around, and then you can start training...

WIND STOPS PLAY
Well, it makes a change from rain, I guess! We were hoping the morning winds would die down, but instead they just got worse. At least Jaguar and Tenn-chan got a cookie feast and a loving hug, but there was certainly no chance to enjoy riding in today's wild conditions...

This month's copy of Eclipse was waiting in the postbox when I got home, carrying a couple of pictures of Harmony Fair during and after winning her first race, as well as other images of Mistoffelees and Miracle Rouge.

As well as updates on all the yearlings, the magazine also included an interesting article by Noriko Abe on Kawashima-sensei's MK Stable at Funabashi, which should serve as an example for others to follow.

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.