Winding Down

Well, 2013 is finally coming to an end. There have been highs and lows - for all of us, I'm sure - although my equine plans for next year are at least starting to take shape. I'd like to do more in England and Australia, if my race budget allows it, as well as throw further support into NAR racing in Japan. I also have to think about Louis' venture into the All-Japan Championships in the dressage category - an exciting prospect.

I'll be winding down the JRA racing side. I wrote a letter to a certain person at Carrot Club on the 21st December, and still haven't had a response, which makes me even less chuffed than I was when I first put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard, to be more accurate). English is certainly not the problem with this guy, so I can only assume that owning shares in a measly 22 horses with them doesn't warrant a reply. If you're not willing to take on what comes with being a figurehead or front man, you shouldn't take the job on.

Courtesy Sunday TC

Meanwhile, I have received a few condition updates on Japan-based yearlings, which all read much the same - training as usual, with trainers gently picking up the pace. Nothing much happening with the JRA two- or three-year olds either, although my one Sunday Thoroughbred Club JRA contender (most of my Shadai Group interest is in NAR horses) is about to start training again after some well-deserved post-race R&R. This is her (Divine Daughter) pictured on the right.

Enjoyed some time at the stables today and yesterday, with 'Jaguar' not really on form this afternoon, but he's allowed a quiet day, as he's had a relatively hard schedule recently. His release in the paddock afterwards seemed to brighten him up no end. As for Tempai, the little bugger gave me a friendly nip, but he was as good as gold straight after, almost falling asleep as I was stroking his muzzle. All is well, with both Louis and Sophie improving all the time - the boy doing a bit of jumping after lunch to keep his hand in.

PS. The number of visitors to the blog passed the 35,000 mark on the 29th December. Many thanks to everyone for your continued support...

RIP

Been a little quiet on the blog here, for which I apologize. All
sorts of things happening in the background on the racing side, although most of them have been put on hold for the last few days, as I've been spending most of my time with the vet over the Christmas break. Alas, poor Dobie (pictured here with me when he was still young) didn't make it, despite everyone's best efforts - he went from super-fit to super-ill in a matter of days, and he's now chasing rabbits in the sky. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few things up on here tomorrow, but at least you know I haven't forgotten you...

Passed!

Phosphorus passed his race test with ease yesterday, with Kota Motohashi reporting a good run along the way. The start was slow, but it was his first time in the gates with other horses, and with Kota being the heaviest of the four jockeys in the test, the finish was pleasing. I have a feeling Phosphorus has a lot more to give, too. Meanwhile, a more lovable character would be hard to find in any stable.

I wanted to get this up yesterday, but the Dobermann is feeling very under the weather. Despite a bright start in the morning, his condition got worse, and most of yesterday was spent at the vets. Off there again in an hour or so, but at least it gives me time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year...

Aussie Update

Just received an update on Raining Dollars from Jo Hassett at JLH Racing in Australia, and it all sounds very encouraging. He's been working on gate practice this last week, and is quite happy with the noise and close quarters, standing patiently as different scenarios are thrown at him in an attempt to get him used to all manner of starting eventualities. With absolutely no signs of mental or physical fatigue, he's on target for a practice race at Townsville on the 8th January, after which, a decision will be made on the next stage in his career...

End Of Year Party

Today was the Tokoro RC end of year party, when we can all get together, do a bit of riding, a bit of grooming, and a bit of eating and drinking before settling down in front of the TV to watch the Arima Kinen.

On the subject of the Arima Kinen, congratulations to Orfevre on a fine final run - he showed what he was truly capable of today, and I'm sure Ikee-san will be wishing he had a few more race chances left after a performance like that. At least he has sealed a legendary status for himself this afternoon, and it will be fascinating to see what the next stage in his life brings.

Weekend Crawlers

The last entry on the blog was entitled 'Weekend Runners', but I think it should have been 'Weekend Crawlers' to be technically correct. Starting with Sophisticate, he began the race well enough, and then did the uphill finish at what seemed like a walking pace. I could have beaten him on my pushbike, even without the help of Lance's special blend of go-go juice.

As for Tenshinramman, I don't really even want to talk about it in reality - you wait over four months for a horse capable of a 33.1 second 3F time to start as favourite and finish in 13th! I don't know whether Tanaka was putting on the brakes, but it certainly wasn't the 'Tenny' of old if he wasn't, or even the girl we'd been expecting according to pre-race trainer reports. To be honest, I thought she wasn't comfortable on her right hind leg in the paddock, but the jockey is saying she simply ran out of wind. Right - four months of training for that! A lot of questions need to be answered, that's for sure. In the meantime, I'm trying to decide between bitterly disappointed or bewildered as the summary...

Weekend Runners

Two runners confirmed for the weekend, with Sophisticate out for the 2R at Nakayama on the 21st (1800m on dirt) with Yutaka Yoshida in the saddle, and Tenshinramman, confirmed as okay for the Toji Tokubetsu race - the finale at the same meeting. Please show your support for them both...

Looking Good, Milord

Just seen a video of 'The Avonbridge Filly' on the gallops, and, it has to be said, she looks a real natural. According to The Lord (aka Michael Channon), she "tanks along and has taken to it readily" - you can't ask for more than that from a young filly tackling the gallops for the first time in a long train of horses. Here's a picture of the girl braving the English cold and damp. Can't wait to see her race, as I've a good feeling about this one...

Simply Divine

Courtesy Sunday TC

Divine Daughter from the Sunday Thoroughbred Club is coming along nicely, as you can see in the picture, which was taken a couple of days ago. She's still not as strong as the trainer would like her to be in her hind quarters, but she's definitely getting there. There's no word on her next outing as yet, but her training programme is quite tough now, with double sets of 15-second furlongs uphill. A bit more time and she'll be a very presentable racehorse....

Nothing much happening abroad at the moment, but I was told the 'Avonbridge Filly' and Raining Dollars are both doing well in their new training regimes. They are both still young, so there won't be much to report at this stage.

Not So Good

Courtesy Carrot Club

Agua-chan (pictured) started as second favourite at Kawasaki today, but her tension shot through the roof the minute she left the paddock, with the end result being a disappointing seventh. She should be out again at the next Kawasaki meeting, with a new bit to see if that helps any.

Meanwhile, Tenshinramman will have to wait and see if the race is on or not for the 21st, as 26 horses are trying to slot into 16 gate spaces! Even those that aren't very good at maths will see that isn't going to work, so I guess we will find out on Thursday.

Can't Complain

You can always rely on Tosaki-kun to deliver the goods. He himself is saying he blew the start, but he still came fourth, and a close fourth at that. Who knows, this could be a combination to watch in the future - Tosaki-kun certainly has confidence in Single Cask, and is quite sure that had he got a decent start, he'd have won. Not to worry. At least today we saw a horse with heart ridden by a jockey with the determination to win, and that's all you can ask for...

On the joba front, Jaguar was in fine form today, giving Louis and Sophie a lot of enjoyment as he effortlessly blasted around the outer track. We also have a new technique to get him to move quicker after he's been tacked up - we walk him around 50 yards before mounting up, and that way, he comes out of his dozing mode and is ready to go. There can be few horses on the planet with so many habits to overcome, but what a brilliant way for the kids to learn true horsemanship!
Ultimately, I wouldn't change him for the world.

Racing Roundup

Single Cask has been confirmed for the 15th, along with Tenshinramman for the 21st. Apparently, 'Tenny' is looking good, but I've heard that before - until she crosses the line, I'm not banking on anything. Sophisticate should be out by the end of the month, otherwise all is quiet on the JRA front.

In NAR news, Agua De Vida will run in the second race at Kawasaki on the 17th (1400m - on dirt, naturally), with Seiji Yamazaki holding the reins. Phosphorus is on course for his Christmas Eve test, delivering 56.4 4F and 41.6 3F times without Kota-san applying the whip, and it's good to report that Pop Label is up and about again, with his training resuming soon. For now, he's doing some light work on a lunging rope, but it's a step in the right direction...

Tokoro Thursday

It's Thursday, which, as a rule, means an early school finish for the kids, and a chance to get some saddle time in. Today, with so many things going on at the stables, Tempai (aka 'Tenn-chan') had been released in the paddock at the same time as 'Jaguar' was providing Louis and Sophie with some enjoyable laps of the outer track.

It's rare to get a picture of these two together, despite me owning them both - all of Mayano Time (aka 'Jaguar') and a bit of Tempai, although I haven't quite figured out which bit yet! Between them, they won 11 JRA races in their day, so they're
a real pair of warriors. They can still shine when they go into competition, too.

Nothing much planned for Tempai at the moment, but 'Jaguar' has a busy schedule coming up, even though Louis will be using a different horse to challenge the All-Japan Dressage Championships. More on that later...

The 'Avonbridge Filly'

Well, my share in the 'Avonbridge Filly' is near enough to being official now, so I've added her to the bottom of the page with all the other horses I have an interest in (as soon as her proper racing name comes through, we can update the list), and the next thing to do is take a brief look at her bloodlines.

Her sire is an English horse called Avonbridge, who was a European champion sprinter, taking the GI Prix L'Abbaye as well as six other races from 22 starts. He also claimed second place four times, and four thirds - this bodes well for the filly, as she's built like a sprinter. Avonbridge's father was an old warrior called Averti, but his sire was Warning - a winner of the coveted Queen Elizabeth Stakes that carried a good dose of Roberto DNA. Imperial Jade was the dam of Averti, with Lochnager as the damsire. On the female side, Avonbridge's mother was Alessia (owned by the same people as Avonbridge), who passed on Nijinsky's precious blood via Caerleon.

The filly's dam is Pooka's Daughter, who won three races before becoming a broodmare. She passes on Danzig blood on the male side, and Statoblest blood (an Irish winner of the King George Stakes) on the female side. There's nothing amazing in the dam lines, but each of the ladies has produced its fair share of winners, with Gaelic's Fantasy and Morning Welcome between them giving birth to no less than 16 winners from 20 foals.

No nice photos as yet, so we'll post this again with a picture once she's been named - it will be easier to keep track of her then with a proper racing name in the search engine...

Fast Canter

Most of today was spent at a fast canter - Sophie blasting around the outside of Tokoro with 'Jaguar' after a lengthy warming-up period, then Louis jumping with 'Heart' (pictured) in the afternoon. I have a feeling Mephisto Waltz ran his race at a canter, too, although not quite as quick as the one 'Jaguar' was doing! I honestly believe that 'The Difficult One' - despite his age - would have done a better job on the track today. Let's face it, he has won four JRA races in the past, and his muscle tone is still pretty damned good. He'd need to lose a bit of weight to be back in winning form, but I reckon he'd show Mephisto Waltz a clean set of horseshoes as he stands.

Funabashi Bash

As always, a wonderful day out at Funabashi - a chance to bump into lots of friends, and see some beautiful horses running flat-out in close formation. Don't know why, but I didn't take that many pictures today. Hopefully you'll like this one, though...

Carrot Confab

All very quiet on the Carrot Club front - most of the horses are on the treadmill, with a few taking some R&R in chilly climes. Mephisto Waltz is out with Miyuki-san on the 8th at Hanshin (due to run in the meeting opener over 1800m of dirt), and Single Cask has been booked for Nakayama on the 15th; Tosaki-san is in the saddle for this one - the 3R, which is scheduled for 1200m on turf. It should also be noted that Sophisticate is ready to run again soon, possibly before Tenshinramman's comeback on the 21st...

Lording It Up

Courtesy Lord Ilsley

You may remember I put up a piece on Mick Channon in early April, outlining how a sporting hero on the football pitch had become a top class trainer in the UK after hanging up his soccer boots once and for all. Well, the latest addition - soon to be added to the bottom of the page - is stabled with him and his team, including his son, Michael, who runs the Lord Ilsley racing syndicate. I'm happy on so many levels (Mick was one of my favourite footballers when I was a kid, which is a bonus one doesn't expect when investing in a racehorse), that all the ill feelings from my recent work problems are slowly starting to drift away. I'll put up a profile on this pretty filly, known for the time being as 'The Avonbridge Filly', later on...

An Overdue Update

A bit late updating things, as I've been working around the clock on the project from hell for the last four days solid. Thought I'd finished it, but there are still issues to sort out before it can go to the printers. I think I ought to sue for trauma, as well as wasted time when I could be playing with horses!

Anyway, I've just checked on the trainer reports, and there are quite a few of them that have built up. Nothing much to report, though, and even Miracle Rouge's write-up had little to say. The poor thing ran a good race, but came a disappointing 11th at the post - albeit less than a second behind the winner. At least the jockey still has confidence in the girl's ability, noting she wasn't quite herself on the day, so let's hope we can see something good from her again in the near future. In reality, Miracle-chan has been the best 'Bang For The Buck' racehorse I've ever had, with no extreme highs and lows as such, just a dogged performance every time. Perhaps she's fighting a bit above her weight nowadays, though?

It's that time of the year to think up names for the yearlings. I'll have to put my thinking cap on for the Carrot kids, but I've already sent in a proposal for the Vermilion filly (Sunday TC) - Grey Sovereign or Silver Sovereign, due to her colouring. Whether it gets chosen or not is a different matter, but at least I've thrown something into the pot.

One last piece of news - there should be another UK horse coming through soon. Watch this space!

Seeing Red

Miracle Rouge has been confirmed for the 7R at Chukyo on the 1st December - a 2000m turf run, with Matsuda-san in the saddle. Meanwhile, Mephisto Waltz is now for the 1R at Hanshin on the 8th (1800m on dirt), and Agua De Vida will run at Kawasaki - Yamazaki-san wants her to race over 1500m, but the only slots available at Funabashi were in 1200m races.

Picture Exhibition

If you get the chance, pop along to the photography exhibition close to Funabashi train station. It features a wealth of pictures taken by a group of track members and official photographers, taking you behind the scenes in a way few of us will be able to experience any other way. Thoroughly recommended for all racing fans - even a
few shots of the Utsunomiya track thrown in for good measure...

The Beast Returns

The world's most beautiful beast is set to return to the track on the 21st December. Yes, on that day, Tenshinramman is due to run in the Toji Tokubetsu race at Nakayama (1800m over turf), and with 'Kacchi' Tanaka in the saddle as usual. It's been a long time since she's been out, but hopefully her pure class will allow her to shake off any race rust. I've been waiting a long time for this...

In other news, Pop Label is coming along nicely and should be able to go to Funabashi soon to resume his racing career, and hopefully return to his winning ways at the same time. Meanwhile, Beat The Border will be taking it easy for two or three days - she's not injured, just tired after her run on Monday, which is fair enough.

Comprehensively Beat

Poor ol' Beat The Border. She ran her heart out for 900 to 1000 yards, keeping pace with some real fast stock and laying in third most of the way round, and then she just ran out of steam and finished seventh. I don't think there would have been a better race plan - she seems to be a fiery little thing with her own mind. Her size is her main problem at the moment - as you can see from the picture, she is indeed a little thing! She's still a bit immature, too, at this stage, but given time to bulk up, I have a feeling she'll be a force to be reckoned with in the future. She certainly knows what a race is. After a week's break, she can go back into training, and she should be much improved next time out thanks to the experience gained yesterday.

At Funabashi, Phosphorus will be going for his test on Christmas Eve, as planned. Yano-sensei is tightening his hind muscles up nicely, and making him into a dirt racer. It will be fascinating to see what kind of difference a month makes after an intensive training programme...

Shun Beat

Now here's one for your diary: Beat The Boarder's debut has been confirmed for the opener (1R) at TCK on the 25th, with Shun Ishizaki in the saddle. Being a nighter, the race starts at 4pm, so if you're in the Tokyo-Oi area, please show your support for this new pairing...

Racing In Australia

This little article has been in draft form for most of this year - time flies alright! We've all heard of Black Caviar and the big race of the year, the Melbourne Cup, but unless you live in Australia, you probably won't know much else about the country's racing scene. But with a stake in Raining Dollars now, it's time to talk a little about racing Down Under, so things will hopefully make more sense in the future.

The Australian Racing Board, established in 1998, oversees the racing business, which is basically split into eight regions to make logistics that much easier - after all said and done, it's a big country! As such, we have New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Southern Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Northern Territory each having its own administration.

Raining Dollars is in the Queensland area, with Brisbane (with its prestigious Eagle Farm and Doomben facilities), Toowoomba (Clifford Park), Caloundra (Sunshine Coast), Gold Coast, Ipswich, Cairns (Cannon Park), Mackay, Townsville and Rockhampton as the main racecourses, augmented by an awful lot of smaller facilities. If one goes through the whole list of tracks for all of Australia - and there are several hundred - one will notice that lots of tracks have the same name as English racecourses, which is obviously a throwback to the colonial days, as is the racing itself, I guess...

Raining Dollars

It's official - a stake in Raining Dollars has been secured, so we now have a racing interest in Australia, as well as Japan and England. This has sort of been on the cards for some time, but the right horse has come along at the right time (need something new to balance the intermittent waves of extreme boredom and stress caused by work), and the JLH Racing equip is a nice outfit to take the plunge with.

Raining Dollars is a gelding blessed with some interesting blood, being sired by Changeintheweather - an American horse with five wins behind him (including a G1 victory), as well as four seconds and two thirds from 15 races. He was fathered by Gone West from the highly-successful Mr Prospector line, mixed with a measure of Secretariat blood just for good measure. His damsire was perhaps even more impressive, though, as it was Pleasant Colony - a horse that was winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and third in the Belmont Stakes. Doubtless, his speed was inherited from the great Italian stallion, Ribot, who was his grandfather.

The two-year old's dam was Mindmaster by Mind Games, the latter being an English champion sprinter. Mindmaster was a winner herself before becoming a broodmare, with truly international blood on her dam side, sourced from Australia, France, New Zealand, America and Britain, as well as Canada a bit further back. Noalcoholic, as the damsire, was remarkably successful on the track, so the bloodlines point to a horse that may well be capable of living up to its wonderful name...

PS. Raining Dollars was born in September, which seems odd until you think about the southern hemisphere location. Interesting!

All Quiet

Other than routine training on both the racing and dressage fronts, nothing much happening in reality, although Raining Dollars is getting closer to being a part of the family. We've also learnt that Miracle Rouge should be in action at Chukyo on the 1st December (in a 2000m turf race), and Agua De Vida might be ready for the Funabashi meeting at the start of December, but should be at Kawasaki a couple of weeks later if not. I'll be sure to keep you abreast of entries as soon as they are confirmed. Tomorrow, though, I'll be checking out horsepower of a rather different kind at the Tokyo Motor Show...

Bad Day At The Office

Sophisticate had a mediocre run after a good start, and finished a disappointing 13th - the promise shown in his first outing failed to shine through when the final spurt for the line was asked for. As for 'Misto', there was a good deal of shenanigans at the gate, his tension rocketed, and that quickly put an end to any hopes of a decent result. An eighth is hardly worth writing home about! Indeed, it has to be said that there has been a distinct run of poor results on the Carrot Club horses recently, which makes me very dubious about sinking a lot of money into them next year...

PS. Dinner Bell was dreadful on Sunday (how can a horse not have enough stamina for a 1200m race?), so I really am starting to rethink next year's programme. Not winning is fair enough, as long as you can be competitive - to simply make up numbers is no fun whatsoever!

GP Update

Just heard from Ilka in Newmarket, which is always a pleasure. Looks like Godiva's Pride is slowly but surely transforming into a racehorse, with gate training and speed work on the agenda now that his muscle tone is reaching the required levels. It will be wonderful to see this handsome little fella in action, presumably early next year. I'll keep you informed of progress whenever something comes through...

Excitement Building

Three JRA runners confirmed for the weekend, with Mistoffelees and Sophisicate out tomorrow, and Dinner Bell competing on Sunday. Mephisto Waltz should be running in a 1800m dirt race at Hanshin on either the 30th or the 1st December, while Miracle Rouge will challenge a 2000m turf race at the Chukyo track in Nagoya.

In the meantime, it has been announced that Phosphorus will be taking his NAR race test on Christmas Eve. Yano-sensei was hoping he'd be ready for next week's one, but he's not, so the December test it is. I think I'll pop along for that if I can...

One final bit of news before I get some desperately needed beauty sleep. I've befriended a few racing folks in Australia over the last year, and I've decided to take the plunge on a horse Down Under. With luck, it looks like Raining Dollars from the JLH Racing equipe will be added to the bottom of the page soon.

Ganbatte, Kochi!

I've been meaning to put this up for a couple of days now, but time keeps flying away, and before you know where you are, another 24 hours have slipped by unnoticed. Anyway, Postman Pat kindly brought me a nice selection of goodies to commemorate the 'Ganbatte, Kochi!' race that I'd sponsored earlier in the month, including a selection of racing papers and a signed picture of Nakanishi-san at the winning post. I sincerely look
forward to doing something similar next year...

Haunted Mansions

For some reason, my lunchtime chat today got around to spooky feelings, and the strangest I've ever had was about 16 years ago when I first visited Yokohama. I got to a certain spot close to China Town, and had an extremely strong sense that I had been there before - this felt like home. I'd never had it before and never had it since, and rarely believe anything that science can't prove. But wouldn't it be amazing if such a thing as previous lives really do exist, and I was one of the people that brought horse racing to Japan? Enough weirdness for one day - back to the real world in the next entry, that's a promise!

Damage Report

They say bad news always comes in threes. Well, Divine Daughter is showing signs of very tired legs after her last race, so may be released from training for a while, Joyful Step has picked up a chipped bone, so will be released while the vets decide on whether to remove the suspect piece or not, and Pop Label has also damaged a front leg bone. He will be out of action for three months, meaning a three month delay on his trip to Funabashi...

Less Than Divine

Courtesy Sunday TC

It's taken me until now to read the race report on Divine Daughter - I simply couldn't face it before! Well, in a nutshell, it seems like she had a bad start, and never recovered. Both the trainer and jockey knew she needed to get out of the gates ahead of the pack to be in with a shout, so nothing was expected of her as soon as she tucked behind the bunch going into the first corner. It means more gate training will be needed, and then a bit of luck. She does look nice, though, as you can see in this picture...

Kawasaki Debut

Well, nothing amazing to report regarding Agua De Vida's debut at her new home - she started as third favourite, but finished fifth. But this wasn't a good race for any of the favourites, it has to be said, and Agua-chan still has to settle into her new home. In addition, Seiji-san has to get used to her, as she's a temperamental little beast that likes to have her own way on the race pace - this is something we found out when she was running in Hokkaido during the early part of her career...

In other news, Joyful Step has successfully passed her gate test, and Phosphorus (the magnificent creature pictured here, courtesy of the Shadai TC) is settling in nicely at Funabashi. Kota Motohashi, my daughter's favourite jockey, has been training with him, and Yano-sensei is aiming to put him through his test later this month. Whether he'll be ready for that monumental step remains to be seen. There's certainly no hurry at this end.

PS. In an additional report on Agua-chan, filed a little later, it states that she seems fit and full of life after the race, so should be out again in the next Kawasaki meeting in the middle of December. She showed great speed in the final straight, so the trainer has high expectations of her next time around.

Mission Accomplished

Although Divine Daughter ran awful in her race today, 'Jaguar' made a fine show-jumping debut winning a gold medal and the blue ribbon that comes with it, and Tenn-chan (Tempai) was magnificent in the gymkhana - first with Kumagai-san, and then myself. Having been out of any sort of competition for the best part of a year following his near-death experience (he had a severe case of colic that very nearly claimed his life), he was in high-tension mode being back in the arena. More than trying to ease him back into competition, today was more about creating a nice memory - that was certainly achieved, with the two blue ribbons he picked up being a real bonus. A more noble animal would be hard to find - a handsome Stakes winner (he won seven JRA races in his day), and a beautiful mover that reacts to the slightest input. Yes, my back hurts like hell. But I really don't care...

Leaping Horse

You will probably be well aware by now if you've been following the blog for any length of time that Mayano Time's nickname is Jaguar. When one thinks of the Jaguar brand, an image of a leaping cat will doubtless immediately spring to mind, but today, with Jaguar making his show-jumping debut, an image of a leaping horse was engraved in the grey matter - he jumped like his life depended on it, and you could almost sense his joy at being able to compete in this new discipline.

As usual, Jaguar gave an all or nothing performance, with today being an 'all' occasion. He cleared the fences at a ridiculous level, and I swear he'd have done the next three categories on the same day if Louis had have stayed in the saddle - he was ready to go, with fire in his eyes. I think we've found something that he really enjoys, and the gold medal was a real bonus as a result. It's hard to believe that this difficult horse has now won JRA races, dressage competitions, gymkhanas, and now a show-jumping event, too! It will be fascinating to see how far Jaguar can go with this latest of challenge...

Good Job!

Louis and Sophie were both in dressage action today, with Louis scoring 59.214 with Orion (third overall), and Sophie making her debut in the Chiba Dressage Test category with Jaguar and getting 49.999 and a silver medal along the way...

This is a fine result for Sophie, especially, as Jaguar is hardly the easiest horse in the world to handle, while Louis was within spitting distance of victory - he was robbed because one of the three judges didn't like Orion sticking his tongue out! It's a habit of his that no-one really knows how to break, but to lose on something so trivial is rather annoying to say the least.

NAR Update

Going through the post-race reports, I am pleased on a number of fronts - Pop Label's jockey, Yuji Iwahashi, said he could tell his mount wasn't comfortable, and obviously still suffering a small amount of pain from the infection. As such, he didn't push the horse, and for that, he has my sincere thanks - the horse's condition is far more important than a result in one race. This magnificent colt is special, and now that his Nankan stable has officially been announced as that of Masayuki Kawashima, he has a tremendous future ahead of him at Funabashi...

Next up, Beat The Boarder passed her race ability test with flying colours. Poor Yano-san struggled to keep her youth in check initially, but as soon as she got in the starting gate, she became focused and ran a good race. Finishing second, and well above average in terms of race time, she should make her TCK debut in the 1R on the 25th. I'm looking forward to it.

Flat Pop

Pop Label had an awful run tonight, making me feel he wasn't anywhere near back in top form - at least not for the level required in a race of this calibre. After an amazing start to his career in Hokkaido, it's a shame that he had to bow out from the north island like this. But bad timing on a hoof infection is not his fault - let's just forget about tonight and see how well he can bounce back once he starts his Nankan campaign...

A Few Notes

I haven't been able to get much done on the blog recently. Please accept my apologies, but at the same time keep your eyes open for three new Mercedes-Benz books that I'm making slow but meaningful progress with at last!

Sophie did a final practice run with 'Jaguar' this afternoon, and a few things are happening on the racing front, too, including a number of future race dates. First up is Divine Daughter, running in a 1400m dirt race at Tokyo on the 10th with Ohno-san in the saddle. Next, Agua De Vida is penciled in for the Kawasaki 2R on the 12th, with Seiji Yamazaki down as the jockey. Sophisticate and Mistoffelees are both listed for Tokyo-Fuchu on the 16th, with Sophisticate in the second (1600m dirt) and 'Misto' in the seventh (also 1600m over dirt). On the next day, with any luck, Dinner Bell will be out for the Fukushima 3R (a 1200m sprint on turf), with Yokoyama-san in the saddle.

We have come to the conclusion that Harmony Fair hates sand, so her excursion into a career in the dirt world came and went in a flash. As soon as she has had a rest, she will return in turf events. Meanwhile, of the newcomers, Joyful Step is working on gate training, and Glint Moment seems to have some sort of bone problem; I'll keep you informed when more is known. And tomorrow morning, Beat The Border has a race ability test with Takayuki Yano at the controls, which should open the door to her TCK racing career.

Last, but certainly not least, please cheer on Pop Label in his big race tonight. It is scheduled for just after eight o'clock this evening...

In A Sweat

Both Louis and 'Jaguar' were sweating like pigs this morning, despite the chilly weather. For some reason, neither were in top form, but their taskmaster made no allowances, and they kept jumping and jumping until a satisfactory result was obtained. In reality, the course was perhaps a touch tight for Jaguar, as he doesn't like tight turns, although horse and rider came away from the lesson with more experience and a good deal more fortitude. The delightful way in which Jaguar behaved himself while being washed down proved he was no worse off for the hard training session, and it will be interesting to see how he does next weekend in his first show-jumping competition.

Hokkaido Yushun

Now fully recovered from his hoof infection, and hopefully back in race form, Pop Label has been entered for the Hokkaido Yushun for two-year olds on the 7th November. This will be a huge challenge for the youngster and his jockey, Yuji Iwahashi, for there are four JRA horses in amongst the 12 entries for the race. Fingers crossed for both of them...

Most Improved

As I was going through the photographs I took today, nothing really jumped off the screen as outstanding, so I thought I'd put this one up - 'Jaguar' enjoying a cookie or two before he came out for the afternoon session. Louis was working on his dressage skills with 'Orion' earlier in the day, but warmed the onry one up for Sophie after lunch. When a friend saw her going through the dressage test routine with 'Jaguar', he commented on how much she had improved during the year, and that's something very encouraging coming from this particular gentleman - it means her basic riding skills are up to scratch and she can concentrate on polishing techniques in the near future, like Louis is doing now. It's fascinating to watch them develop and hone their horsemanship skills. I wonder what level they will be at in another few years?

Less Than Fair

Harmony Fair was disappointing yet again in Tokyo. Starting as fourth favourite, she simply failed to do anything once the additional finishing pace was asked for - the jockey is saying dirt doesn't seem to suit her, which is fair enough, but there are very few turf races for her race category. In reality, given her recent string of poor performances, it makes you wonder if she has a future...

At least yesterday was a super day at Funabashi, with thanks to Mayuh-chan for inviting me to the special race she'd set up. I've got my own race at Kochi tomorrow - the 1300m 7R, with a good selection of Kochi stars making the start line, including Mai Beppu and Shuji Akaoka. Even though I won't be able to make it in person, I'll let you know what happened later, as soon as I receive a picture to post.

Harmony In Tokyo

Harmony Fair will definitely run at Tokyo-Fuchu tomorrow (the 2nd), with Ebina-san in the saddle. She is entered for the 8R, which is a 1400m dirt race. Let's hope she can rekindle the spirit that gave her a debut win...

Divine Daughter should be running at Tokyo on either the 9th or 10th, with 1300m or 1400m dirt races being considered. Dinner Bell should also be out within the next couple of weeks. Dinner Bell was terribly disappointing in her first race, so lets keep our fingers crossed for some signs of improvement.

Lots of pictures of Agua De Vida in this month's Carrot Club magazine, and on the Shadai front, the new kid by Vermilion seems to be shaping up nicely - the trainer has high expectations of this one. Phosphorus has settled into life at Yano Stables beautifully, and I've
a feeling this will be another one to watch.

Mayano Time

As if there wasn't enough racing memorabilia around the house already, another piece arrived earlier in the week - a green saddle cloth I'd ordered from the JRA shop with the 'Mayano Time' name on. I'll take a picture of him (better known as 'Jaguar' nowadays, of course) in his full racing kit one day, once all the special training sessions and competitions are out of the way. He should look really handsome with all-black saddlery, his new green cloth and white ankle boots...

Nothing Certain

Courtesy Sunday TC

No news on whether Harmony Fair is running or not on the 2nd - I guess we will find out for sure tomorrow. And nothing positive on Divine Daughter (pictured here) either, although there are thoughts of fielding her again very soon, as in some time within the next ten days.

On the NAR side of things, Phosphorus should land at the Yano Stables later in the week, and Agua De Vida is settling in nicely at Kawasaki. She looks good, and should be ready to race at her new home track in the week beginning the 11th November.

Wet Weekend

A wet weekend full of poor results - the only glimmer of brightness coming from Single Cask, who started third favourite and finished fifth. The trainer was happy, though, and Tosaki-san said he felt a good surge of speed coming through, despite the waterlogged ground. So a promising future here, at least, assuming we can get better conditions for her to run on - that shouldn't be difficult!

Divine Daughter is not in fighting mode as yet. She went into ultra-high-tension mode the moment her mask was taken off, and fluffed the start, which is hard to overcome in such a short race. The jockey is saying she would be far better suited to longer distances in any case, but there are the things one learns in the heat of battle. She came ninth, having started as third favourite.

As for True Motion, she totally lacked spirit on the day, and that was that - she was dreadful, although the long, enforced gap between Sunday and her previous race wouldn't have helped.

NAR Natter

Pop Label will be timed against some other horses at the weekend, allowing a decision to be made on the Hokkaido Yushun race, scheduled for the 7th November. I sincerely hope he can make it, and in good condition to show what he's capable of...

Meanwhile, I've checked on the progress of a few of my old horses that have moved out of JRA racing and into the NAR arena with new owners. Mosto Verde is based at Kochi, and has two seconds and a third from three races so far; Lourdes No Hitomi (stabled at Monbetsu) has two thirds and a win from three races, and Quick Bread, now based at Iwate, has come first and second in his two outings. All told, they are doing exceptionally well in their second careers, and that's nice to hear.

PS. Beat The Boarder has now arrived at the TCK stables, ready to start her racing career.

Weekend Racers

Courtesy Sunday TC

The confirmations have come through for Single Cask (Tokyo 6R, on the 26th with Tosaki-san at the controls), Divine Daughter (Niigata 5R, on the 26th with Yoshida-san in the saddle, and shown here), and True Motion (Tokyo 2R, on the 27th with Tosaki-san again). These races are for sure, including two debuts, while there are also thoughts of fielding Harmony Fair with Ebina-san at Tokyo-Fuchu on the 2nd November in a 1400m dirt race.

With Luck...

With luck, we have three horses running at the weekend - Divine Daughter, Single Cask, and True Motion. We noted the details in the blog entry of the 17th October, so there's no need to go over them again. And, of course, the gate positions have to be confirmed as yet, with Divine Daughter's race being oversubscribed by quite some margin. The only other news on the race front is that Agua De Vida is expected to be out for next month's Kawasaki meeting...

Meanwhile, Louis was training with Orion yesterday, perfecting dressage techniques, and today he was jumping with 'Jaguar' - a combination that looked the part, and holds promise for the future. I'd like to try the onry one over fences at least once, as he seems to enjoy jumping, and this is the last discipline for him to challenge - he's already won JRA races, dressage competitions and gymkhanas. As usual, Jaguar was in all or nothing mode, clearing the fences by a crazy margin. I think he was trying to impress 'Merryl' in the stable next to him!

News From Newmarket

Godiva's Pride is working out nicely, training on soft grass at Newmarket with a group of other horses to hone his muscle tone at the moment. So far, Ilka Gansera-Leveque (his trainer) has won for every owner she's had on the books, and let's hope she can maintain that enviable record with this cheeky little fella. As it happens, there's still a few shares available in him if you fancy owning a racehorse in England, and also Joe Sugden, a proven winner featured in this advert...

Misto Close

Mistoffelees came fifth this afternoon, but I have to say that this was not as disappointing as it looks if  one takes the cold hard fact of the finishing result only. The bottom line is that his finish was magnificent, and had he had a few more yards to play with, second place was within easy reach, as his last 3F time was 36.1, against a best of 37.2 for the three horses just ahead of him. A close call, and heartening, even if no cigar today...

Phosphorus Update

Courtesy Shadai TC

News has just come through stating that Phosphorus - a Shadai Thoroughbred Club horse - is making his way to the Yano Stables at Funabashi in the very near future. Yoshiyuki Yano recently clocked up his 500th NAR win as a trainer, and let's hope that Phosphorus can add a few more to his tally. Weighing in at 519kg, Phosphorus is a big lad, and a very handsome one, too. I look forward to seeing him in the paddock at Funabashi as soon as Yano-sensei has given him the all-clear to race.

Absolutely Divine

Courtesy Carrot Club

With my mother over from England for a couple of weeks, I'm not managing to do much on the blog, so please forgive me for a bit. Meanwhile, the race Mistoffelees (pictured) was aiming for has proved impossible, but he's now booked to run at Tokyo-Fuchu on the 20th, teaming up with Ohno-san again in the short sixth race (1300m dirt). 

Divine Daughter will be in action in the 1200m dirt race at Niigata on the 26th, with Yutaka Yoshida in the saddle. This will be a long-awaited debut run for her, and while a win may only be a dream at this stage, she's a hard worker and the experience will certainly stand her in good stead. 

Single Cask will make her debut on the same day, but at Tokyo in the 1400m turf 6R. Keita Tosaki has been lined up to guide her around the track, which is something I'm very happy about. He will be riding True Motion the next day in the 1600m 2R at Tokyo, as well, and it should be something quite special to see this promising filly back on the turf.

The only other news at the moment is that Classic Curl has passed her gate test, so her race training career can now start in earnest.

Monday Morsels

Beat The Boarder should be going to her new home at TCK the week after next, and then she can start her NAR 'Nankan' racing career. One other piece of news: Mistoffelees is waiting for a berth in the gate to become free for the big race at Morioka on the 21st. The entry list is full, but if someone drops out, Mistoffelees has got the reserve spot for this 1600m dirt run. I will keep you up-to-date as soon as any further news is issued...

PS. Still no news on Mistoffelees as of Tuesday evening, but Agua De Vida has arrived safely at Kawasaki. I look forward to seeing her in Nankan action soon.

Jim Who?

Courtesy Tokoro RC

While the kids were giving 'Jaguar' a good workout around the outside track at Tokoro, I was busy polishing my old saddle - it had fared surprisingly well considering its lack of use, with only a crusty coating of sand and red dust from the local farms, and it wasn't as stiff as I was expecting either, given the climate it has had to contend with recently. After a good rubbing down with an oil rag and cleaning cream, it looked half decent, and if I change the stirrups to a pair of racing ones I have sitting in the car, that should reduce its weight quite nicely.

Why am I polishing the saddle? Well, I've decided to enter the gymkhana in November. But not with Jaguar, as this saddle doesn't suit the peak in his back - I've decided to use 'Tenn-chan' (Tempai). Poor old Tenn-chan nearly died a while back, and has never fully recovered. However, as a seven-time JRA race winner (including a Procyon Stakes victory), he's a proud horse, and I want to use him in competition at least once in his twilight years - it will be my first competition with him since buying a share in him a couple of years ago. Even if we have to walk around, as he will dictate the pace, I want to create a nice memory of our time together...

Camaraderie

The Chiba Prefecture Inter-City Challenge was held at the New Olympic Club facility at Tomisato, providing all those who entered with a wonderful weekend full of friendly rivalries and good sportsmanship. Louis competed for the Inba-gun team, as Tokoro RC is based in Yachimata, and this is the team that eventually came out on top. Interestingly, the Funabashi team enrolled the help of some of the grooms from the track, so as well as the familiar faces from the dressage and show-jumping competitions, there were a few more from the racing world, too! An excellent event, that I look forward to attending next year...

Out Of Tune

Harmony Fair started the race as fourth favourite in Tokyo today, but finished a disappointing seventh. Granted, the outside gate draw didn't help her case, and fifth was within reach (a neck separated the seventh to sixth, and sixth to fifth placings), but it's difficult to know what to do with this one - she won first time out in convincing style, and has been resting on her laurels ever since.

PS. The trainer's report states that 1400m is probably the best bet for Harmony-chan, seeing as she was running out of steam at the end of the mile, having ran quite nicely up until the last furlong. However, these races are not so common, and this may mean her making a move over to dirt. 

A Serious Sophie

All of a sudden, Sophie has started to really get into dressage training. I have a feeling she'd been avoiding it for a long while, concentrating on gymkhanas instead so as not to compete with Louis - albeit indirectly, as he's now moved into another stratosphere on the categories he competes in. I can't blame the girl in reality, as Louis shot up the ladder like a rocket, even against the odds given that 'Jaguar' was his partner in crime. But since she's started doing okay in competitions herself, she's gained a great deal of confidence, and has surprised me how quickly she memorized the correct route and moves in readiness for her dressage debut. Being realistic, a good result won't be easy first time out, as Jaguar - whilst better than he was - is still as onry as ever. However, I can honestly say that I'm proud of her determination and the level of communication she's nurtured between herself and 'The Difficult One' - progress and worthy achievements that will serve her well in the future. And she has time in favour, too, as she isn't 11 until January. In addition, rather than having to make the jump from a pony, and thus start the learning process once more, she's already competing with a powerful Thoroughbred. She may well give Louis a run for his money yet...

Saturday OK

Harmony Fair has had her race for the 12th at Tokyo-Fuchu confirmed now, so she will definitely run in the 1600m turf 12R with Masayoshi Ebina in the saddle as planned. This is the only runner I have this weekend, although Louis will be in action once more.

Divine Daughter's debut looks like it will come on the 26th now, with a 1200m dirt race in mind, rather than the the 1400m one set for the 20th, as originally mooted. In the meantime, it looks like Mistoffelees will be out again on either the 19th or 20th, as he exerted virtually no effort in the last outing, meaning he's still in peak condition. We can expect Single Cask to make her debut soon, too.

Pop Update

Some heartwarming news - Pop Label seems to be fine. He has picked up an infection in his hoof, which was obviously painful, and made him hobble a bit. But fortunately, it's nothing more serious than that, and he should be back in training in a week. Whether he will make it to the gate for the Hokkaido Yushun is another matter, of course, but at least he's going to be able to fight another day...

Good News, Bad News...

The good news is that Agua De Vida has been placed with the Yamazaki Stables at Kawasaki - the same stables as Fairy Robe was with before her injury prematurely ended her career. I can honestly say that I'm very happy with this situation, as I had a feeling that our paths would cross again in Kawasaki.

The bad news, and this is truly awful, is that Pop Label is not walking well. Therefore, the chances of him running in the Hokkaido Yushun are virtually nil, which is heartbreaking. I'm also wondering now whether that last race should have been attempted - race rust is difficult to overcome, but if he wasn't 100% fit, it would have probably been better to field him in November only. At this stage, I'm not sure whether the unusually poor performance in his last race (coming after three straight wins) is linked to this current problem. If it is, there will be a lot of questions that need answering. All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed that it's nothing much, as I was so looking forward to him making an impact with people I love and respect in his Nankan career...

Placid

For a change, all is quiet - nothing racing for a while, and trainer reports all done and dusted for the time being. About the only news of note comes via Phosphorus (pictured here, courtesy of the Shadai Thoroughbred Club), who will be moved out to his racing stable in a week or so with any luck. He's a big lad!

The latest copy of the Carrot Club magazine, Eclipse, has just arrived, and there are quite a few of my kids featured in there - Mistoffelees is on the back cover and two other places after his win, and there are also pictures of Tenshinramman, Irish Harp, Joyful Step, Glint Moment and Classic Curl, as well as all the yearlings.

After the L'Arc, Ikee-sensei (Orfevre's trainer), said he was now going to concentrate on a new horse, and a lot of folks are assuming this to be the Montjeu kid I bought a stake in this year. It will be fascinating to see if this colt can make it as far as Orfevre - he certainly has the breeding, and the way he moves is quite magnificent by all accounts. Fingers crossed...

Love Is... Part Eight

It's been a long time since we've had one of these, so here's a new 'Love Is...' photograph to continue the series - the eighth so far. This picture, kindly sent to me by Kuri Nakajima, shows Sophie and 'Jaguar' (Mayano Time) at the Tomisato competition at the end of last month, when Sophie was warming him up ready for Louis' dressage entry. It seems to fit the bill for the 'Love Is...' series just about perfectly...

Hope... And No Glory

After making a somewhat mediocre start, Sophisticate came back from way back to make a very, very impressive sprint to the post to finish a gallant fourth, and within striking distance of the other three in front - another few yards, she would have got it, without a doubt. Given today's performance, two things immediately spring to mind: He certainly won't be starting tenth favourite in the next race, and 1400m on dirt seems a touch too short. This is a truly magnificent beast, with fighting spirit oozing from every square inch of his body. Mark my words, this will be one to watch...

As for Mistoffelees - well, we can always expect an all-or-nothing run from this fella. Today, despite starting the race as second favourite, we got nothing - quite literally - which probably means he'll win his next race!

Anyway, I think we can safely say we have some in-depth strength in the Long family line-up of JRA two-year olds, with True Motion recording a fourth in her first outing, but like Sophisticate, showing tremendous promise, Belle Plage having a second and a fourth under her belt, and Irish Harp - although she was disappointing last time out - is another capable horse, with a fourth on her record, too. On the NAR two-year old front, only two have raced so far, but both have won already.

Looking Forward

The race confirmation for this Sunday has come through for both Mistoffelees and Sophisicate. As ever, 'Misto' will be interesting to watch in Niigata, as a past winner with a very strong, all or nothing character, and Sophisicate (pictured here) will be making his debut at Tokyo-Fuchu at 11:40am. One never really knows what to expect on a debut run, but as long as he learns from the experience and gets home safely, that's the main thing at this stage. If we have a result like Wednesday - a win and a fourth place - I shall be a happy bunny!

Courtesy Carrot Club

Meanwhile, Harmony Fair is looking in good shape for the 12R at Tokyo-Fuchu on the 12th. This is a 1600m turf race for three year olds, with Masayoshi Ebina at the reins. Also, please make a note in your diary for Divine Daughter's debut - booked for the 20th at Tokyo, with Takuya Ohno in the saddle. Ohno-san did a great job with Miracle Rouge in one of her big races the other day, so let's hope he can get the best out of this young Sunday TC filly.

New Resident

A new arrival has landed at Tokoro RC - Symboli Voyager. There are times when you wonder why we spend time studying bloodlines, for this fella (pictured), a Partholon cross born in 2001, has Nijinsky as one grandfather, and Symboli Rudolf as the other. And yet, on the racetrack, his one outing was far from memorable. Thankfully, he transformed himself into a superb dressage horse, and it will be interesting to see how he does in the hands of the Bamba family...

Meanwhile, Louis and Sophie continued training, with Sophie and Jaguar now starting to look like a dressage combi. With a few weeks of polishing, hopefully they will be able to surprise a few people in the Junior Class of the dressage competition next month.

Godiva's Progress

Just been sent this delightful picture of Godiva's Pride by Ilka of the Gansera-Leveque racing stables. Hopefully, with the recent progress he's been showing on the hallowed gallops of Newmarket, he will be able to make his debut on an all-weather track at some time during the winter months, and then move onto grass at the first opportunity. He's something of a late developer, but then so was Joe Sugden (another of Ilka's proteges), and that one managed to hit the headlines as soon as it hit the track. As it happens, Joe Sugden has just been syndicated. Judging from what I've been told, the purchase price and monthly running costs seem very reasonable...

Stale Pop

A strange run from Pop Label tonight - despite being firm favourite, he came home in a distant fourth, almost as if he gave up trying after turning the last corner. It certainly wasn't the Pop Label we've come to love and respect racing tonight, which makes me think he's being saved for the main event. I hope that's the explanation anyway! 

Mistoffelees is out on Sunday with Tanabe-san for the 1800m dirt race at Niigata (4R), while Sophisticate will make his debut at Tokyo-Fuchu on the same day in a 1400m dirt run. It may be too short for him, but Yutaka Yoshida is sure to make the most of the race. 

In other news, Single Cask has passed her gate test, which means she'll be racing soon, and Divine Daughter will probably make her debut next week - quicker than expected. 

PS. The trainer has admitted that Pop Label was only 70% right for the race last night. It was a combination of race rust and poor muscle tone, but he's convinced it was worthwhile running him as a warm-up for the big race - the Hokkaido Yushun on the 7th November. For that, he'll be 100%...

Agua V1

Courtesy Carrot Club

What a remarkable performance from Agua De Vida tonight - she came from way back on the outside, and blasted down the straight devastating the rest of the field! The second horse was beaten by a neck, but the third one was six lengths down at the finish. Wearing number five, you won't see much of her until the end. She started the 1700m race as favourite, and it's easy to see why if you check out the video: http://nar.jp/362013100206.asx. Hearty congratulations all round...

PS. That run tonight has bought Agua-chan a ticket to the Nankan arena. Assuming she's fit after her post-race check, she'll be making her way to my neck of the woods very soon.

2012 Horses #8: Carrot Club No.58

Courtesy Carrot Club

Well, this is the last of the newcomers
- a filly by Stay Gold, who will be based at the Yoshimura Stables at the Ritto TC. Stay Gold had an incredibly long racing career of 50 outings with only seven wins to show for it, but his fame as a sire has reached fever pitch with the success of Orfevre. He continues the Sunday Silence line nicely, with a lot of French and Canadian blood on his dam side, including that of Dictus (by Sanctus) and Northern Taste (by Northern Dancer).

The dam is Imprevu, who was sired by Twining - a winning stallion that carried on the Forty Niner line that we covered a couple of profiles ago via the Heart's Cry kid. He also passed on some beautiful old school blood from his mother, including that of Never Bend (meaning Nasrullah, Nearco and Blenheim) and War Admiral by Man O'War. Her damsire was Topsider by Northern Dancer, who won a few minor races, but Sir Gaylord is in her DNA make-up, and that means an awful lot. I think we can expect a good, solid performer here...

2012 Horses #7: Carrot Club No.39

Courtesy Carrot Club

This is one Louis was desperate to get hold of as soon as he saw the Carrot Club catalogue - a colt by Agnes Digital, who won all manner of big races on both turf and dirt in Japan and Hong Kong, racing no less than 32 times! He was sired by the quaintly named Crafty Prospector, who carried the blood of Mr Prospector in his veins. His dam was sired by Chief's Crown, who was the only horse to be favoured in all three US Triple Crown events and not win any of them. But a second and two thirds in these ultimate American races is impressive nonetheless, with his blood being a fine mix of Danzig and Secretariat DNA. Alleged blood is added into the gene pool via the female lines.

Mejiro Hilary was sired by the legendary El Condor Pasa, with Mejiro Dober as her dam. Mejiro Dober was also the mother of Mejiro Lourdes, who we've had as a dam for two of the horses I've bought stakes in. We've looked at these before, but need to note that El Condor Pasa's pedigree adds Mr Prospector into the equation once more, thus officially making this colt a Mr Prospector cross (3Sx4D).

2012 Horses #6: Carrot Club No.20

Based at the Takayanagi Stables at Miho Training Centre, this spritely colt is a Northern Dancer cross by Heart's Cry, who we've looked at before when profiling our most successful JRA runner that is still active in racing, Tenshinramman. As such, there's no need to go over him again, suffice to say that he was the first horse to beat Deep Impact in a straight fight, and his blood is certainly well-respected in this house.

Courtesy Carrot Club

The dam is Xiangshui, who managed to win one race before becoming a broodmare. Her father is Swept Overboard, who had an incredibly
solid career on the tracks, even though there were no classic wins in amongst the eight he chalked up. The interesting DNA continues in the sireline, with End Sweep and Forty Niner, the latter (by Mr Prospector) being a multiple Black Type winner that was also second in the Kentucky Derby. Her mother was a Lady Angela cross called Dyna China, with Northern Taste as her sire a strong Argentinian horse by the name of El Centauro as her damsire. I have a feeling it will be well worth watching this one...

Wednesday's Races

We have two runners at Monbetsu on Wednesday - Agua De Vida in the 1700m 6R, with Kuniaki Sasaki in the saddle, and Pop Label in the 'Winner's Challenge Race', which is over the same distance, but the tenth race on the card. Pop Label will be ridden by his usual jockey, Yuji Iwahashi, with the start scheduled for 7:25pm - a couple of hours after Agua-chan's outing, in which she has two main rivals as far as I can see.

Early reports on the new Carrot Club yearlings are starting to come in, with the Heart's Cry kid we'll be profiling next being a horse that loves to run naturally - an excellent sign if we take the teachings of Tesio seriously, and I certainly do. The other notable report concerned the Montjeu colt, who apparently moves quite exceptionally - he's already picking up fans amongst the training staff. Three of the seven I chose have already sold out, incidentally...

2012 Horses #5: Carrot Club No.16

This beautiful filly, by War Emblem out of Chronologist and stabled with Yuichi Shikato, can be classed as something of a rarity, as War Emblem has sired less than 100 foals in the last decade - not much of a record for a stallion, but it's not that he's not in demand, and not that his offspring can't cut the mustard, it's simply that he struggles to perform off the track.

Courtesy Carrot Club

War Emblem was quite magnificent in his racing days, winning two legs of the US Triple Crown by taking the honours in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. He was sired by Our Emblem, one of Mr Prospector's strongest kids, with a 5-5-5 record. On his dam side, Brigadier Gerard stands out as being a special ingredient in his DNA make-up, as a horse that was supposedly unbeatable. Considering this bloodline, the French-registered General wasn't all that amazing on the track, but Lord At War (War Emblem's damsire) had a stunning career, claiming no less than ten victories.

The dam is Chronologist, who only had two races, but came first and third in them. She is a Raise A Native cross, and with Raise A Native also appearing in the sire's bloodlines, that may make things interesting. Officially, though, the extra Mr Prospector blood makes the new filly a Mr Prospector cross (3Sx4D). Chronologist's sire was Kurofune, who we've looked at a few times, and in the most depth when we profiled Agua De Vida. Her mother is In This Unison, who was never raced, but carried a good helping of Sunday Silence blood, which has helped her produce a couple of winners in the past.