SUNDAY NATTER 

Courtesy Carrot Club

Another batch of updates has arrived on the Carrot Club yearlings. Most of the reports are full of fairly routine stuff, but a few pointers to the future are starting to show through - Belle Feature's girl (No.8) already has the ability to control her tension to suit the situation, and No.22 (a colt sired by Symboli Kris S) and No.34 (a filly by King Halo) have both impressed their trainers. My big hope, No.71 (a filly by Special Week, pictured here) is training at a quick pace, so might be one of the first to race from the new batch. That will be a day to look forward to...

Meanwhile, Fairy Robe is looking really good, so the chances of a good result at Kawasaki (NAR) at the end of the month have increased a bit. Plenty of gate training! And Mistoffeless races at Tokyo-Fuchu (JRA) today. Fingers crossed that he can run free and hard like he did in his debut outing again.

SAVE ITALIAN RACING 
The Italians are a passionate breed, which means something is really wrong when a well-loved sport looks like it's going under the axe. Yes, Italian race tracks are quiet now, as an all-out strike has been called by industry workers at all levels, with the government planning to cut funding to the racing authority.

Apparently, every race is run at a loss, and granted, in business, that doesn't make sense. But here's another way of looking at it - the sport supports 50,000 families and more than 40 tracks. As such, I'd suggest that the knock-on effect on spending around those tracks means that way more than 50,000 people are supported. Put all these folks on social security, and what has
the country gained? Tesio would turn in his grave...

Today, Jaguar (enjoying a drink here) will do some more light training ready for next weekend. Bit chilly out there, though!

SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY 
A fair amount of chocolate and other sweet stuff came into the house today, although Louis got twice as much as I did, so I'm sulking! Being Saint Valentine's Day, the Dobermann got an extra treat, and Jaguar wasn't left out, as Sophie made him some heart-shaped carrots, which he chomped on and then gulped down, seemingly without realizing the significance...

But at least the training went well, with 'The Difficult Horse' looking like he was really enjoying himself on the gymkhana practice course Megumi had laid out. A fun day is guaranteed.

ANOTHER UPDATE! 
Tenshinramman, probably my biggest hope so far, is in light training mode, with thoughts of a Nakayama entry in a filly-only race. That should be interesting...

Harmony Fair got back to the Miho Training Centre okay, and will start heavy training next week, while Lourdes No Hitomi has been declared fit and well after her Tokyo outing, so thoughts are turning towards an 1800m dirt race at Nakayama.

Mistoffelees has been booked for the fourth race at Tokyo-Fuchu on the 17th. This is a 1600m turf race, and Yuichi Shibayama - who has been training with Mistoffelees to understand his unusual characteristics - is in the saddle for this one.

CARROT NEWS UPDATE 
Nothing much to report in reality, but it's easier to deal with stuff as it comes in. Quick Bread is continuing with regular training, his debut still looking some way off. Quick Bread and Mosto Verde (another colt) are the only ones left from my 2010 crop to still not have had a race yet.

I'm told that if Miracle Rouge keeps up the current pace in training, her next race should be in mid-March, while Harmony Fair goes back to the Training Centre tomorrow - she's now nice and relaxed, with no signs of pain anywhere.

I promise I shall get around to some more jockey profiles and history spots as soon as this current project is out of the way - it's taking up a lot of my time, and progress is a lot slower than it ought to be...

OH, LOURDES! 
Mixed emotions with Lourdes No Hitomi, I'm afraid. She started the race as fifth favourite (having been third at 7.5:1 at one point), and looked superb in the paddock, but she finished seventh with a reasonable (for dirt) 38.1 for the last three furlongs. That was the disappointing bit...

However, reading the trainer and jockey notes, there's still reason to be hopeful. Kosei Miura stated that she was still young and didn't like the sand being kicked up in her face - this often happens. As a result, he took her wide all the way around the long curve, and she was doing rather nicely. With more fighting spirit, which is something that can be honed in training, she would have been in with a shout, as expected. The fact that Miura-kun definitely wants to ride her again points to a level of potential that the hard numbers fail to disclose.

QUADRILLE'S FIRST OUTING 
This was an interesting one, as she started tenth favourite out of 16 runners at long odds. Add in the fact that the jockey had been told to take it easy, as the horse's body was still not fully ready for a hard race (this first outing was to give her some experience more than anything), and it was reasonable not to have high hopes of a good result.

But this is where her breeding showed through. She has a wonderful character, and is very co-operative. Even taking it easy, from last place four furlongs out, she shot down the finishing straight like a rocket, and posted a 34.3 time for the last three furlongs, despite being blocked. Only two other horses could touch that in the race, and they had a smooth run in.

Although she finished seventh, when the know the full story, it was a good result. The trainer reckons Quadrille has a big future. Me, too! This horse is a winner...