Straight As A Die

Just gone through a batch of Carrot Club reports, and everything appears normal - the word 'treadmill' comes up a dozen times, and one of the horses is doing a 20-second canter, which would be slow enough to annoy 'Jaguar' rather than please him!

There are thoughts that the leg bandages were too tight for Tenshinramman last time out, which is a new excuse - my hearty congratulations on finding one, as there can't be many left. Still no guarantee she'll run on the 25th (have to wait until tomorrow for confirmation), but I'm dreading it anyway, even if she does get a berth in the gate - the reputation of a fine racehorse has been ruined. There's a chance Miracle Rouge will be in the 2000m turf race at Tokyo-Fuchu on the 9th February, although the trainer is already warning not to expect a miracle (excuse the pun) as she will have a fair bit of race rust to contend with...

And then we come to a world of contrasts. I've just been watching a beautifully put together video from Mick Channon's stables in England showing the 'Avonbridge Filly' (pictured here). Born in March 2012, she's just started her training, but she's already working a lot harder than the JRA horses - looking every bit like a racehorse. According to Mick, she's "a smashing little filly. Done everything right. Some people say she's a bit small, but she's built like a brick shithouse." It really is a pleasure dealing with folks that are straight and down-to-earth, full of dry humour but professional at the same time.