Well, Tenshinramman certainly went out in style - I don't think! In a field of 18, she came in last in a race that frankly she didn't look prepared for at all. Indeed, she (a G2 horse) finished 2.6 seconds behind the winner, who'd only won once before, as had almost all of the field - it was hardly tough competition. I've been saying for months and months, if not years, that she should have been retired while she still had some pride. All that has happened - again! - is money has been paid out to Northern Farm and a useless trainer, who I've said before would probably have difficulty training a flea circus. He won nine races from 261 attempts last year (ranked at 148 in JRA), and kept milking 'Tenny' via god knows how many "last chances" at our expense. I've never felt so sad for a horse in my life - he has totally destroyed her reputation, and the happy memories we had of her when she was young and running like a free spirit. I hope that Carrot Club has learnt that keeping a horse in an environment where it hasn't thrived for years is a bad policy, for owners having to witness a race like that brings no joy whatsoever - just another bad JRA experience in a very thick catalogue of disasters. I can't wait for her retirement announcement later today to draw a line under this sorry episode once and for all...
PS. The retirement notice has landed. The poor thing shouldn't have been put through that, and it's no good blaming the going, as it was the same for the other 17 horses - there's a huge difference between not doing as well as expected due to the ground, and doing nothing whatsoever. Let's hope Belle Plage can do better.
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