Belle Epoque

Belle Plage ran a blinder today to finish a very close second to the favourite - another 50 yards (maybe even 20 or 30) and I'd have got my 33rd winner for sure... But at least it was a bloody good race, with both the first- and second-placed nags having to fight hard to clear a wall of slower horses before leaving them for dust. The jockey did a good job, and the horse was well-prepared - we were just missing that little bit of luck on the day.

I'm very tempted to try another (what would be a third) horse with this trainer, as I like his style, and the new Carrot Club catalogue has a tempting entry against his name. There are a couple of others I fancy, too. However, the J'ai Un Reve disaster and JRA system in general means there will be no new JRA horses this year, or ever again as things stand. I have placed an order for one NAR runner at this stage, and will see how things pan out - I might end up with one (assuming my request is accepted), two, three, or all four, depending on how I feel and how the sale of the J'ai Un Reve horse goes. To be told by a trainer that they couldn't build good muscle after a year with a Montjeu kid is not acceptable; the entries were totally unsuitable if that is the excuse, and the jockey selection was questionable at best after the first of only three runs. It cost a small fortune for a share, and because of the lack of effort and care put into the horse, it will probably be worth diddly at auction - if a small amount comes back, as expected, I'm not wasting any more money, and my order will stay at one horse. Obviously, Carrot Club haven't learnt anything, as they've given Ikee another good horse this year, too - unless you learn from mistakes, things will never change, and this is another problem with those associated with the inbred JRA system, as they either never learn, or are too afraid to go against the grain as long as the money keeps moving. The whole JRA system needs a number of huge changes to make it work like a real racing enterprise, and until those are made, I will stay on the sidelines and probably enjoy the racing a lot more for not being involved.