DJ Sixth

Danielle's Journey was sixth in the big race at Punchestown, and only a head off fifth. In reality, I think this is something everyone can be proud of, especially given the strong field in this premier Irish event. She's still a fresh horse at the end of the day, and has proven beyond doubt that she has amazing potential to be something very special in the near future.

The other bit of news concerns the full-race debut of Raining Dollars in Australia, scheduled for a 900m Maiden sprint at Home Hill track on the 16th May. Despite a great deal of effort from JLH Racing, this has been a long time in the making, so I'm really looking forward to it...

JRA Jottings

Belle Plage might be out again next month, as the horse is still very fit and the trainer is fairly sure a better result can be obtained. Massabielle is also fit, but immature, so the trainer wants to mount another challenge in the autumn. In some ways, I can see the train of thought, as this is quite a spectacular prospect, but I also fear too much race-rust setting in, and that would be a dreadful waste, too. Single Cask was obviously not ready for a comeback run, so yet more R&R time has been prescribed, and with the season running away with us, the prospects for a necessary win before autumn comes along looks unlikely.

At least the NAR scene looks more promising - as is the norm - with Phosphorus lined up on the 6th May at Funabashi, and Pop Label on the 8th at his home track. Both races should be worth watching. And before that, Danielle's Journey races in a field of 28 at Punchestown on Friday - the biggest race of her career so far, and the one the Realta boys have been aiming for since the Irish club first opened.

Close Encounters

Well, yesterday was a strange day. Sophie was given some time off from school due to Saturday being an open day, and the crazy girl decided to travel from one side of Japan to the other to go and see 'Jaguar' in his new home. I'm glad to say she found him in good health, even if a little porky, which I think we can take as a sign of happiness in a relaxed environment. Good to see them pairing up again anyway...

Today, the kids rode Nova again, as 'Bugatti' will have a hard session tomorrow, on the day that Colza celebrates its Grand Opening. Everyone has been working hard behind the scenes to make tomorrow possible - it's been a long road to get to this stage, but the result is nothing short of fantastic.

From various reports containing very little, a little bit of JRA news has floated to the surface. J'ai Un Reve should be back at his racing stable this week, although I've heard that a few times, while Time For Love has been retired - the damage from her earlier injury is simply not getting any better. She recorded a seventh and two fifths from three races, but wasn't a bad horse.

You'll notice I've added the three new Box 41 horses from West Ilsley Stables at the bottom of the page. Two of them have yet to be named, so I'll hang back on adding their profiles until all three registrations have gone through.

Gap

After yesterday's win and a strong fifth, today's JRA result was a bitter disappointment, with Single Cask trailing home in a miserable 13th place. The start was exceptional, so that wasn't the problem, and over such a short distance and no less than five months of rest and comeback preparation, if fitness is behind the disaster (a full two seconds off the winner's time) then you may as well retire the beast now!

Pretty Gully finished in the middle of the field with Braydn Swaffer, but we weren't really expecting anything more this time out - it was simply a race to give her a shakedown after a long break and some travel experience. With luck, judging by her finishing speed, she should be back at the head of the field in her next outing. I screwed up as well, so only 'Bugatti' had a good day, jumping like a pro with the kids...

One other bit of news, Phosphorus will not be running at Urawa, but will instead take a slot in the next Funabashi meeting held during Golden Week. He seems to be in vibrant form at least, so his next race should be an interesting one.