Mixed Bag

Mixed bag yesterday, with Sophie coming fourth, but mainly because 'Bugatti' was more interested in his lunch and having a conversation with another horse... In reality, she did well. Louis, too, with 53.333 in the L1 Trial giving him seventh - a good result considering how fresh 'Bugatti' is to the dressage game, and the incredibly stiff competition he was up against. 

War Chronicle came home in second at Nakayama in her debut race - close, but no cigar. On saying that, it was a superb finish from a filly weighing just 410kg - the colt that beat her weighed well over 500kg! She definitely has a future, being extremely strong mentally. All told, no champagne corks flying, but good, solid performances from everyone...

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Day One of the tournament at Tomisato over and done with, and plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Louis was well down the field in the kosher L1 category, but he was competing in a tough group full of professional-level riders with 'Bugatti' in his first ever L1 outing (we skipped A3). As such, both he and his mount can be proud of the 53.75 result, and I'm sure he'll climb up the league table tomorrow when he tries the L1 Trial Class as an experiment. As for Sophie, she had a great day, coming second and very close to victory in the her Class (Dressage Test B) in amongst the adults - 56.83 is a great achievement, and definitely something for her and 'Bugatti' to build on...

Rapid Round-Up

I've been tied up signing off a book project these last few days, although in reality there's been very little to report anyway. As always, we are left with more questions than answers going through the JRA/Carrot reports. Tenshinramman is not great, and her next race is scheduled for "before Spring." By that time, her tension will have gone through the roof, and she'll probably be in season, too, which will add to her mental problems. I may as well write her report for you now! My own stance on her hasn't changed - she should be pulled from her present stables or retired.

Miracle Rouge is supposed to be getting better, which is a good job, seeing as he's only raced once in the last six months! While Irish Harp has made it back to Ritto, Belle Plage is supposed to be going back to the racing stables soon, and J'ai Un Reve should also be making a move that way, too. Most of the others are doing less work than the average English dole waller, giving us just three Nakayama dates to log: War Chronicle on the 13th (1600m turf, with Nori Yokoyama in the saddle), Harmony Fair on the 21st (1800m dirt, although the race is poorly supported, which may equal out her hatred of sand in her hair), and Massabielle, set to make an interesting debut in a 2000m turf race on the 27th.

Meanwhile, on the NAR front, Phosphorus is due to run in a C1 race (the 1600m 6R) at Kawasaki on the 16th. I can't wait to see if he's back to the real Phosphorus, or still in sleep mode after his break. Unfortunately, I may not be able to go and cheer him on, though, as I have some work being done on the telephone line that day. If I can't make it, that would be the first race of his I'll have missed.

All quiet on the Irish and Australian fronts, but the new horses from Lord Ilsley in the UK are coming through. I've got some pedigrees on my table, so we can expect some news from England soon. As for 'Bugatti', the big fella makes his L1 Dressage debut over the weekend with Louis, as well as providing a partner for Sophie, who is looking to show a few doubters that she still has what it takes. These last few practice sessions have shown a revival of the brave streak, and she should do well - there were a few early encounters with Bugatti that understandably left her feeling ill at ease with the wild beast! For Louis, this is a practice run, nothing more, as he's jumping Classes with a raw contender, and it's not fair to expect too much from the pairing at this stage. Wish them luck...