We've Had Better...

Ummm. What can you say about this weekend's race results? Not an awful lot really! Lourdes No Hitomi came fifth in her 2600m race on Saturday, and did a reasonably good job along the way it has to be said - she still looked remarkably strong at the end. Indeed, the jockey was happy with her performance, and feels she is moving in the right direction now. Having handled the long distance travel well, if she passes her post-race inspection she will stay in Hakodate for another outing, almost certainly at the same distance.

Courtesy Carrot Club

This morning, Mistoffelees started fifth favourite but came home in eighth, way off the pace, and Quick Bread (pictured here) was even worse at Fukushima. This race surely means that Quick Bread has to tried on turf - and soon - otherwise he may as well be retired from racing. At a tight 520kg and with Nijinsky blood pouring through his veins, he should have plenty of power!

In other news, Irish Harp has arrived at the racing stable ready to start her track career, and Divine Daughter has had her gate test delayed until next Wednesday, as the trainer wants to make absolutely sure of nailing it...

Weekend Runners

Everything has been confirmed now for the weekend, so we have Lourdes No Hitomi running in the 3R at Hakodate with Yuji Hishida in the saddle. On the next day, Mistoffeless and Yuichi Shibayama team up for the Hakodate 2R, and Quick Bread and Masami Matsuoka tackle the Fukushima 3R. I have a feeling the 14th will be a day of reckoning!

Courtesy Carrot Club

Having lost two horses this year with leg injuries, it came as a shock to read Belle Plage (pictured here) had a broken bone. Fortunately, though, this was not a career-ending breakage - the staff at the Ogata Stables picked up a touch of warmth, and had the area checked, despite no limping or even the slightest hint of pain. The vet lopped the chip away, and the potential problem was solved on the spot. Great job, guys! With the trainer thinking of waiting until after the summer heat had died down before entering another race, the timing is good, too...

Post-Race Scrutiny

Once all the joy of picking up such good results on Wednesday dies down, it's time to review the races and see where improvements can be made, either by adjusting training programmes or race distances to suit the horse's current temperament and physical build.

As it happens, the trainer had high hopes of Agua De Vida winning the JRA-sponsored 4R, but she was lacking the necessary concentration on the day. This often happens in young horses and the passage of time usually looks after things, but to speed up the process, blinkers and cheek pieces will be used in the future. She didn't even take the bit until the final straight apparently, and with this in mind, her potential is very high, as that was one hell of a finish! The 1700m distance seems to suit her nicely.

As for Pop Label, the jockey said he was easy to ride, and he knew he was on a winner at the fourth corner. He does exactly what is expected of him, and his next outing, on 7th August for the Breeder's Gold Junior Cup race at Monbetsu, should be very exciting. 

News Update

It seems like every few hours recently, a famous horse passes away. The change in the seasons is always hard on them, and now this extreme heat is taking its toll. Another of the Tokoro horses succumbed today, although Sun Coast lived a long life before going where good horses go when they die. RIP, Sun-chan...

On the racing front, Divine Daughter will go for her gate test tomorrow, as her starting technique has improved in leaps and bounds. Another snippet to relay is that Junji Shimada has been signed up to ride Dinner Bell on the 28th.

A few new diary dates for you: Lourdes No Hitomi will race at Hakodate on the 13th, tackling the third race (2600m turf). This is her first outing on turf, and should suit her, given her long-distance exploits on dirt so far. Mistoffelees goes out for the 2R at Hakodate on the next day, with Shibayama-san trying 1700m on dirt again after the odd situation the pair encountered in the last race. Finally, Quick Bread will run at Fukushima on the 14th in either the 3R or 7R, although both are 1700m dirt races.

Pop Label V2

What can I say? Agua De Vida ran a fantastic race to come second today, and she still had plenty of running left in her at the end, posting the same 3F time as the winner, despite going the long way around for almost the whole 1700m. This is one seriously strong horse with a great future ahead of her. See what you think: http://nar.hokk/362013071004.asx. She's number 9, on the outside, with the jockey sporting Carrot Club silks.

Courtesy HR

A few races later, and Pop Label lined up against a class field in the Ruby Tokubetsu Race. He started as favourite and justified the confidence the punters had shown in him with a fine performance. This is an exceptional horse, and that's a fact. You can watch his race from today
by clicking on the following link: http://nar.hokk/362013071010.asx. Time to crack open a bottle!

PS. In Pop Label's race, the horse that passed the post second was later dropped to third by the stewards, as it was deemed to have blocked the path of number 6. No doubt about the winner, though - number 5, Pop Label...

Dirty Wednesday

Courtesy Sunday TC

Agua De Vida was already booked for NAR action at Monbetsu on the 10th, but now Pop Label is joining her there on the same day. Agua-chan runs in the 4R (4:15pm), with Fuyuki Igarashi at the controls, while Pop Label (with Yuji Iwahashi in the saddle) is a late entry for the 10R - the 1700m Ruby Tokubetsu Race, which starts at 7:30pm. Pop Label (pictured here taking his first win) must surely be quite fancied, despite a good number of previous winners lining up at the gate, as he's the only one to have run over this distance before - all the others have won in short sprints.