Harping On

Irish Harp looks like the only Carrot Club horse that's going to race any time soon. She's hopefully going to run in the 1400m dirt race at Hanshin on the 6th April, but that naturally has to be confirmed, along with the jockey...

Going through the others makes sad reading at the end of the day. There are thoughts of racing Harmony Fair soon, but no plans. Belle Plage is being lined up for Nakayama or Fukushima, but with the trainer saying Fukushima is more likely, that takes us to the middle of April - maybe. Joyful Step needs more training according to those looking after her, but apparently she's as good as she's going to get, which basically means even if she does eventually race (and let's face it, she hasn't even been clocked since November), it will be another Dinner Bell scenario. Glint Moment should be moving down from Hokkaido next week, but there's another stop before Ritto TC, which means if he ever does make the track, it will be a debut in the summer heat. Excellent! He should have been retired as soon as he was injured rather than become a farce. As for Single Cask, her legs tire quickly, which makes proper training almost impossible - a move to turf is wanted, but JRA doesn't hold enough meetings to make that a reality.

The distinct lack of JRA meetings has affected Divine Daughter's challenge, too - this Sunday TC horse is ready to roll, but can't get a berth in a suitable race. The word 'joke' springs immediately to mind, and can also be applied to the priority system. Of the other Sunday TC runners (both NAR competitors), Pop Label is getting back into shape and should be ready to be shipped to Funabashi soon, while Beat The Boarder is still in pain, so on a go-slow.

Some quick updates from abroad while we're at it: Raining Dollars is doing well, but the recent rains have slowed training schedules down a bit. With so many areas of Australia needing rain, though, we shall put the needs of the nation first and say a hearty "no worries." And having just seen a video of Porthos in his first jump schooling session, let's just say he's certainly not afraid of fences! This horse, like Raining Dollars, has prospects.