Lack Of Motion

True Motion's race for next weekend has been cancelled, and she'll be shipped off for some R&R to get her ready to fight another day. It's a shame, because I was really looking forward to seeing her run again. But the bottom line is, if she's not fit, there's no point in racing her to simply make up the numbers when she has the potential to win.

An order has been placed for the new Carrot Club yearlings, and we'll know how many of the requests for shares have been accepted on the 20th September. Not much point in saying anything else on that subject until then, although, you never know, another one or two horses may sneak onto the wish list before then, naturally when no-one is looking. Hehehe.

Off to play with 'Jaguar' again in a bit. Louis has been doing homework, while Sophie is working as a trainee stablehand today. I think they've ridden virtually every day during the school holidays, or at least it feels that way. But it's nice to report that 'Jaguar' has never looked so good, despite the heat...

Quiet, please!!

The Carrot Club catalogue has arrived, and Louis is torturing me with a constant barrage of white noise. I'm trying desperately to clear my desk so I can concentrate on looking at the catalogue myself, but keep getting interrupted every few seconds. If you hear a loud scream coming from the Chiba countryside, you'll know what it is!

But I have to say, there's a lot of temptation in there, and there could well be a few more horses than originally anticipated added to the foot of the page by the end of the week - nothing running this weekend, so a good chance to study things properly, taking my initial list I'd drawn up into account. Spotted one attached to Shinpei's stable, which is a must I wasn't expecting. Looks like my planned retirement will have to go on hold for a bit...

PS. With my earlier studying of bloodlines and Louis' requests, it was more a question of elimination than anything else. Grading our own desirability level (from one to three) and going through the video footage, we managed to get the number down to six horses very quickly. I've lost one sire I wanted, but gained one Louis was having a canary fit over; the boy has also gained an early birthday present, and I've been talked into another horse thanks to Tesio's theories. Let's see if my six wishes are granted now. 

Iwata!

The jockey for Irish Harp's debut has just been announced - Yasunari Iwata, one of the superstars of the Japanese turf scene. It's such a shame that Top Motion might not run on Sunday the 8th, and with one of my favourite jockeys lined up, too, but at least Iwata-san should add more than a little spice to Saturday's proceedings. Irish Harp (pictured here, courtesy of Carrot Club) runs in the Hanshin 7R - a 1400m turf run exclusively for fillies.

No more shares available in Sophisticate now, as she's gone to the racing stable now. All other reports on the Carrot Club youngsters are pretty routine. Can't add any more from the new crop, though, as the latest catalogue still hasn't arrived! Louis gets in, and the first thing he has asked about for three days straight is the Carrot Club catalogue. Let's hope it arrives some time today...

A Halt In Motion

True Motion had a delay in her race schedule before, you may remember. Well, having got that problem sorted, it looks like she has another one that may well put her out of contention on the 8th. If she recovers nicely, she may still race, but it's starting to look unlikely. Let's hope she's back in top form soon, as she's a very exciting prospect...

Had To Happen

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted that Lourdes No Hitomi has been moved from the active JRA roster to the retired section. It had to happen, as a trainer has every right to question the feasibility of running a horse with a 0-0-0-8 record. She should have won the last race (shown in the picture), as it was the best chance she was going to get as we enter the all-or-nothing season, and she failed miserably. Okay, the ground didn't suit her, but when will it? It's a shame because she's a beautiful animal, and a real stayer. I love her dogged determination and attractive looks, but this is a sport where only winning counts...

Courtesy Carrot Club

On that subject, Agua De Vida should be racing again soon. Hopefully, we won't see a repeat of the tantrum she threw last time out, and she can get that first NAR win under her belt. Likewise, we can expect a fiery comeback from Tenshinramman in the JRA Shion Stakes on the 7th September at Nakayama. Interestingly, Miracle Rouge may well be joining her if she can secure a slot in the starting gate. Now that really would be quite something.

Irish Harp runs at Hanshin for her debut on the 7th, with Mephisto Waltz now joining her to make his debut in the 5R; he's been signed up for the 1600m turf race with Hideaki Miyuki in the saddle. True Motion is out again on the next day, and is well-fancied by the sound of things - at least Keiba Book seems to think so!

According to the trainer, Quick Bread should be running in one or two more races to determine his future - I hope he can translate all that power into speed. The only other news worth relaying at this stage is the moving of Sophisticate to his racing stable on the 30th. This means tomorrow evening is the deadline for buying more shares in him. Anyone interested?

Ritto TC

Thanks to the incredible kindness of Shinpei Kawashima (we are actually distant relatives, brought together through Keiba!), Louis and I were treated to a look around the JRA Ritto Training Centre yesterday. With it being a rest day, we were allowed to see a lot more of the facilities than we'd usually be able to, and getting closer to the various tracks (with a combination of poly, dirt, woodchip and turf surfaces) is a real eye-opener. The scale of this place is truly amazing, and I can see the benefits in having so many tight curves, dips and rises in addition to the long straights and sweepers - every muscle will be finely tuned and the horse's overall balance can be improved along the way.

Each horse on Shinpei-san's roster is worked for about 90 minutes, and then it's back to the cool stables for a pampering. Interestingly, there are still a few old stables over the back of the site, doubtless full of history, but most of the facility looks almost brand new. As we drove past each stable block, Louis' excitement was obvious, as one famous name followed another. It was a magnificent day - one that will be remembered for a very long time...