Phosphorus V3

Phosphorus braved the ridiculous heat at Funabashi today to pull off his third victory so far, and his second in just eight days! Starting as second favourite, Kota Motohashi got him out the gates beautifully, kept him marking the leader all the way around, and then powered away off the last corner leaving all but one horse in his wake. Mikamoto-san got a bit close for comfort at one stage, but as soon as 'Phos' felt challenged, he found another gear and pulled away with his usual effortless gait. Thanks to the fabulous team behind Phosphorus, Kota now has a matured horse he can do his best work with, and I look forward to seeing this pairing go further and further up the ladder - there is a huge pool of untapped potential to dip in to. For now, however, the big fella has earned a good rest. Expect to see him hit the track again in mid-July.

In other news, Louis goes off to Hokkaido tomorrow for two days in search of 'Bugatti' - the replacement for 'Jaguar'. The only horse I'm really interested in at the main auction (a Deep Impact kid) is one I've been advised to leave well alone, so who knows? The boy will almost certainly come away empty-handed. Interestingly, though, I think I met 'Bugatti' at Funabashi today! A more handsome horse would be hard to find, as he looks just like Phosphorus. Watch this space, as things should become clearer by the end of the week...

PS. With a 3-2-1-3 record, Phosphorus becomes my most successful racehorse so far (excluding Mayano Time and Tempai, who'd already retired from racing when they came into my life). Pop Label is next, on 3-0-1-2, and I'm sure he'll be chasing 'Phos' as soon as he makes his track comeback.