Dark Shadows

I was awake a lot of the night reviewing my racing activities - although my school grades wouldn't hint at it, analyzing data and quickly forming options from the conclusions reached is my forte, although, at times, I have a tendency to allow my passion to overrule what my head tells me, with racing being a perfect example. The Magic Key debut race put a huge question mark over things in a favourite class of racing at one point, but I decided to draw a line and try and reset my thoughts, as a) there's very little for me to enjoy in Japan, period, and b) I didn't want to turn my back on some of the friendships I've made, dropping my support for a struggling group simply because of one incident, however upsetting it was.

And then, the horse that caused all the anguish turns up injured, a few days after a message stating that an X-ray had been taken and there was nothing to worry about. Six months out means probably nine months or more of paying out and getting nothing, when this particular horse needs to start earning in a big way to justify its ridiculously high purchase price. On saying that, the fact that it won't go anywhere near the Classic trail is even more gut-wrenching than the financial hit - let's face it, at the end of the day, if you thought about the money angle and nothing else, you wouldn't get into the game, full-stop. Notwithstanding, a balance is needed, with enjoyment counting for a lot, and value-for-money making up the rational element.

Recently, stress has outweighed enjoyment by a long way, not only in JRA, but NAR as well. JRA, we established a long time ago, was nothing more than a bad joke. Buying into horses is not supposed to be a lottery, but in JRA that's exactly what it is! They may as well draw winners from a hat and save diesel transporting nags to the track, as most are forced to run on totally unsuitable ground, more often than not over unsuitable distances, too, simply because there are two or three times too many horses in training (probably more) for the number of races available. They spend most of their time on holiday at Northern Farm, and are used simply as a vessel for moving money between 'the boys' - the link with racing is basically incidental, with one or two good ones (made good by luck more than proper training it seems), making things look believable on the surface.

NAR is far superior as a form of real racing, but my recent run of 'bad luck' (some legit, some questionable), conveniently pushed to the back of my mind by the success of Trovao, has cast a dark shadow over it. Thinking clinically, there are too many conflicts of interest in an arm of the sport that struggles to keep everyone happy, mainly because there is so little money in the pot, even for winning horses. Purchase prices keep getting pushed up through stupidity and greed, monthly costs keep going up, and yet winnings stay dismally small. Something has to give, of course, and while I don't mind taking calculated risks in the name of fun, if the fun element is reduced, then value needs to be looked at.

On the Shadai front, Pop Label was needlessly injured due to a trainer chasing an all-too-rare big prize, and has never been the same since coming back from a very lengthy recuperation period (his last win was in August 2013, which considering he was a juvenile champion seems nothing short of pathetic). Phosphorus was out for months and months, and doesn't seem like he'll be earning his keep any time soon, and now Magic Key. The only horse to keep going was Beat The Boarder and she was a drain on finances, and nothing more! A dry period of biblical proportions isn't easy to swallow at the best of times, especially when you know you have bloody good horses (apart from Beat, that is, who could only ever perform well within a very limited envelope), but to then feel cheated out of wins and besieged by injuries raises big question marks - there's certainly no fun in paying more than three times what it costs to run a horse in Australia every month to be constantly reading about injury progress instead of race and training reports... Carrot NAR horses are easier on the wallet, but this reduced risk means that the ownership advantages are minimal at the end of the day. Ultimately, with escalating costs on the dressage and show-jumping side of the hobby, a lot more fun needs to be injected into the Japanese scene to justify the bills. At least I have a set of criteria in my head that will determine my future with NAR, with the results being processed in August before the new catalogues arrive.

Meanwhile, the England campaign was full of a lot more lows than highs before I teamed up with Mick Channon, with a lot of outlay and no races from one stable, and politics from another outfit. At least with Mick and his lad, I feel like part of a team - that in itself, with huge effort and a beautifully balanced approach (professionalism with fun once the serious work is done) clearly visible, makes it a winning combination as far as I'm concerned, with the horses running as often as possible in well-chosen races. The Gandvik thing also warmed my heart, securing my unquestioned support for the Channon equipe until the day I die once and for all. My English racing is sorted!

Ireland is pulling my heartstrings back and forth like NAR. A Touch Of Sparkle has run twice in 13 months of ownership, and will at last (assuming it does run) make its hurdles debut tomorrow. Danielle's Journey was bought in September 2014, and did well in her first year, but has been seriously disappointing this season - not least because of a mistake that screwed up a well-earned second place and then forced an ill-judged entry to make up for it. Tomorrow's race has been cancelled for her, meaning the intended Cheltenham entry - that should have been a cinch for a horse with this ability - is now looking a very distant dream. While Sean at Realta has done his best, the lack of communication on the jockey miss from the trainer side has not helped - it's as if responsibility has been sidestepped and we're expected to pay for it without question (it veers too closely to JRA practice for my liking), and the quick fix that followed just made matters worse. The balloon was seriously deflated by this incident, and again, the resulting reduction in fun brings the value element into question. A objective decision will be made at the end of the National Hunt season, again based on criteria I have logged in my head.

Finally, Australia hopes will be kept alive as long as Jo keeps training. We lost one horse to retirement, but Raining Dollars will provide us with some fun in the months to come, and I'm proud to see my colours in action - something Jo arranged of her own accord in a kind move to make up for the other owners all being local, so could see the races and stables at any time, while I'm 6000 miles away. I don't feel 6000 miles away, though, and that's a big thing for someone paying bills from an island stuck all by itself in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. The close-knit Hassett family are good people.

PS. A Touch Of Sparkle has been declared with former Grand National winner Robbie Power as jockey, so no doubting the guy in the saddle on this one! If nothing else, the horse is being given the best possible chance, with DJ now pencilled in for Ayr in the middle of the month.