Bugatti Burble

With the sudden cold spell, 'Bugatti' wasn't quite himself yesterday, but the light training and affection he received put him back in the mood today. He really has matured into his new role as a riding horse with remarkable speed. Everything you throw at him, he seems to revel in the challenge - such a willing partner must be a real rarity, and he even manages to inject some humour into tacking up, when he knows Sophie can't reach if he puts his head up high. In fact, none of us can reach! But once he's had his bit of fun, it's back to work mode with a level of deadly serious concentration that, to be frank, I've just never come across before. If we don't make it to the All-Japan Championships with him this year (as in 2015), I'm really not bothered. We'll put on a real show of Thoroughbred versatility when he's good and ready...

Slip Sliding

Poor ol' Pretty Gully. We knew we had a tough one on our hands, but the rain and gate draw simply made our task harder, as the ground was chewed up and not at all to the liking of our gal. In the end, Justin just cruised her in at the tail of the field so we can fight another day. A decision will be made shortly as to whether to give her a break or try again at the next Townsville meeting. Whichever way it goes, I'll stand by Jo Hassett's decision, as she's a damned good trainer...

Charting Progress

It was asking a lot of Pop Label (left) to win yesterday, being a race of the best selected horses from B2 and B3. However, having seen his run, it wasn't beyond his ability. Indeed, had he not thrown a wobbly in the gate, one can well imagine he'd have done better than the fifth place he picked up. First, he was the youngest of the NAR horses, and of the six JRA runners, we beat five of them with ease, including Sheikh Mohammed's pony. Add in the fact that he's still coming back from a long spell away from the track due to injury, and I believe it was a fabulous run yesterday - something to build on. Yuta Sato, his trainer, is suggesting a B3 race at the next Funabashi meeting, with his jockey recommending a mile. We shall see.

Meanwhile, Phosphorus should be lining up at Kawasaki about ten days from now, and Beat The Boarder should be out at TCK again at the end of the month, looking for a dry track and a better gate position to give her a chance.

Remarkably, I have a stake in 16 JRA horses, and - again! - nothing running over the weekend. I honestly believe I get better value on a weekly basis from running the two horses in Australia - at least they compete, deliver good results, and cost a fraction of what their Japanese counterparts do to keep. Some of them haven't raced for two or three months, and there's no excuse that's it's too hot now! Thankfully the Carrot Club NAR horse looks the part, otherwise the complete portfolio would be a waste of time and money...

Courtesy Carrot Club

Notes worth relaying on the JRA front include Kalliopeia passing her gate test, and J'ai Un Reve (right) is said to be getting there now - a good job considering the amount of money he owes me! Time For Love had a successful operation, but the chip was worse than everyone thought. To me, there's no alternative but to retire the thing, and let it have a new life as a riding horse ASAP. War Chronicle is supposed to be running in a mile turf race at Nakayama on the 13th with Nori Yokoyama in the saddle, but his last practice time was awful, so I don't think we can expect much there. Likewise, Harmony Fair is lined up for the 21st at the same track in an 1800m dirt race. The fact she hates dirt has obviously been lost in the old race notes, but I guess the new trainer has a right to try, and if she gets out the gate quickly, who knows?

As for Australia, Pretty Gully teams up with Justin Stanley at Townsville on Saturday, and that's definitely something to look forward to. She goes into the race with a 7-6-3 record, with two of those seven wins coming since she's been with me and her new, tight-knit team of shareholders.

DJ 0-2-0

Danielle's Journey was second by half a length, which, despite the fact that punters had her at Evens in the betting, is a pleasing result as far as I'm concerned. Firstly, this was only her second race, and it was also her first time outside Ireland - the long trip alone was a big test. Secondly, she was the only filly in the race, and the youngest in the field. All told, I think we can take this as another sign of having something special. Her time will come for sure...

Today, Pop Label lines up at Funabashi with Mikamoto-san back in the saddle. I'm looking up at the pictures of his three victories on my office wall, and hoping I can add another one.

Phos-trated

A disappointing result from Phosphorus yesterday. He started as favourite, shot out the gate like a demon, and laid up in the perfect striking position all the way round until the last corner. To avoid an accident, he was pulled up sharp, and it threw his charge into oblivion. There's no doubt he was carrying a few extra pounds in his belly, too, but he had the power to overcome that. And there was me getting ready to straighten my tie for the picture in the winner's circle! There are thoughts of running him next week at Urawa - we're all looking for revenge for yesterday...

Next up is Danielle's Journey. She also starts as pre-race favourite, but we have to be realistic and be prepared for anything, as she's travelling a long way before reaching the track. Fingers crossed, though.