THREE DAYS AT FUNABASHI 
Just catching up with the blog again after three days spent at Funabashi - all enjoyable despite nature's attempts at dampening spirits with the most awful weather imaginable. There were times on Wednesday when I figured I'd forget the car and take a boat ride home!

Luckily the rain stopped just in time for the big race, and the jockey event that followed it was thankfully a success as a result. This time I managed to get a mug signed by Masashige Honda, and a superb selection of goodies in the lucky bag, including a Furioso cap. I should say here that the Funabashi lucky bags really are great value - not like department store ones, where they usually clear stuff they can't move. For each item contained within, I'd have willingly parted with the 2000 yen asked, so as a package, it was a wonderful bargain. Sophie was also busy getting the keyrings signed for each jockey in attendance - she won't be happy until she's got them all, and that's OK with me.

I couldn't believe how well the track had dried for Thursday, and with the rains gone, it was a chance to get the decent camera out and take some nice pictures, using the new building as a background. We won't be able to recognize the place soon! Great racing and great company.