FEELING JUMPY 
Tomisato Training Centre looked like a paddling pool in places today, but the sun broke through just long enough to give a pleasant morning full of show-jumping. There was no shortage of action for Tokoro RC members, with Louis, Endo-kun and Megumi taking this morning as a warm-up for tomorrow. Megumi was naturally in the Open Class, being an instructor, but the lads took third and fourth, with Endo-kun nudging Louis out of the medals with a faster time. All had safe, clear rounds, thanks to training with much higher fences, and the horses seemed to enjoy the fun as much as the riders. Louis was nice and smooth again - the speed will come naturally in time, and, at 12 years old, he's got plenty of that ahead of him...

We've got three horses running tomorrow - Belle Plage, Lourdes No Hitomi, and Mosto Verde will all be in race action. Wish them luck!

AGUA THIRD! 

Courtesy Carrot Club

Agua De Vida (pictured here) came third in her debut race today. As it happens, she started second favourite, but the jockey reckons a longer distance will suit her better. At least he was happy with the way she moved, and with experience, thinks she has a bright future ahead of her...

Meanwhile, Divine Daughter looks like a flyer, and we have some more dates for your diary - Pop Label will run at Monbetsu on the 25th in a 1700m race, while Mistoffelees stages a challenge on dirt for the first time at Hakodate on the 29th (the 1700m 4R). More details on these races to follow, including jockeys and start times, next week. For now, we can celebrate a job well done today, and look forward to a busy weekend, assuming the typhoon off the south coast plays the game!

AGUA-CHAN'S DEBUT
As already mentioned, Agua De Vida will make her debut at Monbetsu tomorrow in the fifth race (a 1200m dirt run), with the highly-experienced Kuniaki Sasaki in the saddle. Please show your support for her. Should be fun! 

All the other reports coming in are routine, outlining the training programmes being used at the moment. Most of the horses seem to be on light training schedules, and I can see why - yesterday it was 31 degrees at Tokoro when 'Jaguar' was being ridden, and that was after the heat had peaked!

THE NEW HORSES #11: IRISH HARP 
Even though she's based on the western side of Japan, opposite to me, my first choice of the 2011 Carrot Club yearlings was this little lady - Irish Harp. She wasn't expensive, far from it, but being a Nijinsky cross (4Sx4D), her bloodlines simply leapt off the page for me...

Courtesy Carrot Club

Firstly, her father is Special Week, which is a horse I love dearly. Winner of the Japanese Derby, second in the Japanese St Leger and third in the Japanese 2000 Guineas, Special Week won ten of his 17 starts, all top class. In theory, it shouldn't be surprising that he was something special, with Sunday Silence as his sire and Campaign Girl as his dam. Granted, the latter was never raced, but her sire was the unbeaten Hall of Famer, Maruzensky, who was a combination of Nijinsky and Buckpasser blood.

On the dam side, we have Celtic Harp by Kurofune. We've already looked at Kurofune in the past, so we know his credentials, while Celtic Harp's mother is Irish Caerley - a combination of Caerleon and Enthraller DNA. Caerleon was one of Nijinsky's best kids, winning the Prix du Jockey Club (the French Derby) and the Gold Cup in England, while Enthraller is the daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Bold Forbes and Goofed, who gave birth to Lyphard. Based alongside Gold Ship at the Sugai Stables at the Ritto TC, I'm looking forward to seeing her
run, and equally looking forward to seeing her foals once her racing career has ended.