FAIRY ELEPHANT 

I feel so sorry for the Yamazaki family. It was obvious that they'd put in a lot of work getting Fairy Robe into great condition, and according to Carrot Club reports, she was brilliant in practice. Seiji Yamazaki kept her calm despite a jumpy moment or two in the paddock and on the way to the start, and she brushed off the long period of time in the gates like a veteran. But in reality, that delay must have unsettled her, and she stumbled out of the gates - the odd start was difficult to overcome, and ultimately she came home in fifth. Concentration seems to be a bigger problem than speed, so blinkers are being considered, and time will improve things naturally. There's a chance she'll run at Urawa on the 29th, which would be fun to watch...

Meanwhile, Belle Plage had her medical check, and passed it with flying colours. She has now been registered as a proper racehorse with JRA and assigned to the Ogata Stables at Miho Training Centre. She's the first of the new crop to graduate.