Ummm...

Most of the day was spent at the stables today, with Sophie keeping 'Jaguar' in shape, and Louis riding 'Orion' as part of their training for their All-Japan Championship campaign. It was a hard but enjoyable session for all concerned, and should pay dividends in the future.

On the racing side, the results were less fruitful. Divine Daughter looked good until the final straight, but had no extra acceleration to give on the way to the post, and finished a disappointing ninth, a long way off the pace. There are now thoughts of trying her in a shorter 1200m dirt race, either at Nakayama or Nagoya.

Irish Harp made a positive start, but there was no gas left in the tank on the final run-in. I can't say as I'm surprised, as this was a furlong longer than she's ever raced before, and her first time on dirt, which calls for extra stamina in any case. Add in the fact that she was 2kg heavier than her last race, when the trainer had noted that he was going to try and reduce bulk before the big day, and the fifth place she garnered isn't so bad on reflection. It should be said, though, that 'Harp' was 1.1 seconds off the pace, which is her worst losing margin to date, so the trainer isn't off the hook yet as far as I'm concerned. Thoughts on going two furlongs shorter next time make sense, and Cristian is saying dirt suits her, so there's maybe something to look forward to if all goes to plan.