Good Job!

Louis and Sophie were both in dressage action today, with Louis scoring 59.214 with Orion (third overall), and Sophie making her debut in the Chiba Dressage Test category with Jaguar and getting 49.999 and a silver medal along the way...

This is a fine result for Sophie, especially, as Jaguar is hardly the easiest horse in the world to handle, while Louis was within spitting distance of victory - he was robbed because one of the three judges didn't like Orion sticking his tongue out! It's a habit of his that no-one really knows how to break, but to lose on something so trivial is rather annoying to say the least.

NAR Update

Going through the post-race reports, I am pleased on a number of fronts - Pop Label's jockey, Yuji Iwahashi, said he could tell his mount wasn't comfortable, and obviously still suffering a small amount of pain from the infection. As such, he didn't push the horse, and for that, he has my sincere thanks - the horse's condition is far more important than a result in one race. This magnificent colt is special, and now that his Nankan stable has officially been announced as that of Masayuki Kawashima, he has a tremendous future ahead of him at Funabashi...

Next up, Beat The Boarder passed her race ability test with flying colours. Poor Yano-san struggled to keep her youth in check initially, but as soon as she got in the starting gate, she became focused and ran a good race. Finishing second, and well above average in terms of race time, she should make her TCK debut in the 1R on the 25th. I'm looking forward to it.

Flat Pop

Pop Label had an awful run tonight, making me feel he wasn't anywhere near back in top form - at least not for the level required in a race of this calibre. After an amazing start to his career in Hokkaido, it's a shame that he had to bow out from the north island like this. But bad timing on a hoof infection is not his fault - let's just forget about tonight and see how well he can bounce back once he starts his Nankan campaign...

A Few Notes

I haven't been able to get much done on the blog recently. Please accept my apologies, but at the same time keep your eyes open for three new Mercedes-Benz books that I'm making slow but meaningful progress with at last!

Sophie did a final practice run with 'Jaguar' this afternoon, and a few things are happening on the racing front, too, including a number of future race dates. First up is Divine Daughter, running in a 1400m dirt race at Tokyo on the 10th with Ohno-san in the saddle. Next, Agua De Vida is penciled in for the Kawasaki 2R on the 12th, with Seiji Yamazaki down as the jockey. Sophisticate and Mistoffelees are both listed for Tokyo-Fuchu on the 16th, with Sophisticate in the second (1600m dirt) and 'Misto' in the seventh (also 1600m over dirt). On the next day, with any luck, Dinner Bell will be out for the Fukushima 3R (a 1200m sprint on turf), with Yokoyama-san in the saddle.

We have come to the conclusion that Harmony Fair hates sand, so her excursion into a career in the dirt world came and went in a flash. As soon as she has had a rest, she will return in turf events. Meanwhile, of the newcomers, Joyful Step is working on gate training, and Glint Moment seems to have some sort of bone problem; I'll keep you informed when more is known. And tomorrow morning, Beat The Border has a race ability test with Takayuki Yano at the controls, which should open the door to her TCK racing career.

Last, but certainly not least, please cheer on Pop Label in his big race tonight. It is scheduled for just after eight o'clock this evening...