Negligence

Waiting for some long overdue Carrot Club reports, and basically I'm wondering why Massabielle hasn't been retired if he's as bad as the wording implies. Belle Plage and Perfumer, too, as there is no sign of either coming back to the track any time soon. I really do think that either the text is made up as an excuse to cover over the fact that there are nowhere near enough races in Japan or there is a distinct lack of care (whether it be caused by poor knowledge or 'whatever' worker attitudes, or both), because there's no way on Earth that injuries should be as common as they are out here. The fact that all 18 out of 18 Japanese horses are out of action (a possible entry for Shine Tiara in six weeks time hardly counts as current racing activity, no more than a loose promise regarding Infinity Love's return) simply smacks of gross negligence. I find myself hoping that Carrot Club, Sunday Thoroughbred Club and Shadai Thoroughbred Club will retire all of my nags at the soonest possible moment just to end this farce that they have the audacity to call racing.

Here's a summary of the Japan situation, also known as a catalogue of disasters. And remember, these are all supposed to be good horses, and not one of them was cheap:

Belle Plage: Apparently not brilliant, despite more than two months at Northern Farm.

Massabielle: One race this year (with a pathetic result), and on a break for almost four months. Now talking about NF in Hokkaido, which implies an even longer holiday. What have the bastards done to this horse?

War Chronicle: Still waiting for news after the race on the 16th. We can assume an R&R session - again! After all, it has run twice this year (and badly on both occasions), and do we have a right to expect more? Well, seeing as Blacklister has run 11 times during the same period in the UK, winning twice, yes, we do have a right to expect more. More runs and more effort.

Perfumer: Must be exhausted having run three times in the last 13 months. And in two of those races, it finished so far off the pace, it could be said that it has actually only raced properly once. After more than two months off, it still looks no closer to an entry than the newcomers we'll cover in a moment.

Rush Attack: Off since the start of March with a hoof problem. Comeback unknown, if ever...

Larressingle: Last race two months ago, with probably one more chance. If it doesn't win, it will be dropped, and personally, despite this being a good horse, that would suit me fine the way I'm feeling right now. Fed up of being a source of easy money, and the rules are such that it's easier to get rid of a non-winner.

Infinity Love: Another last chance horse, with probably no chance whatsoever of being kept - the hands-on training brought its only result that was worth anything, and recently the nag has been stationed at NF, meaning it will be useless. A planned Kokura run will be believed when the racecard is released, although it is more likely, seeing as a win is required.

Shine Tiara: Supposed to be racing, but the last week in August is miles away.

Chocolat Sucre: Recovering from an operation.

Million Ways: Recovering from treatment that left the horse unable to train.

Trovao: Missed the Japan Dirt Derby (the race it was being primed for) and is now at NF for god knows how long.

Vertice: Supposed to be making debut, but no sign of it happening, just unfulfilled cackle on future plans.

Lotus Blossom: As per Vertice.

Phosphorus: Gelded the other day, now recovering, doubtless for a longer period than needed. Only just come back from six months off from injury as well!

Pop Label: Last race at the start of June (complete with bad result), with next race planned for the end of August. Current "training" levels like a warm-up for 'Bugatti'. Not won for three years, despite being a juvenile champion!

Magic Key: Two outings, with the last run in January. A terrible investment!

Kealoha: Promise of a return looks like a porky, especially as the Shadai rep was heard saying there would be no entries for Shadai/Sunday horses during August (bringing the Pop Label race into question, too). Over two months away on holiday already.

Another Door: Two awful races in June (including its debut), and no sign of anything happening since. One can only conclude this is yet another bad investment, despite superstar blood.

As I say, I'd retire the bloody lot of them, as the chances of any of them coming back strong or even vaguely competitive, are very remote after such long periods away from the track - especially having been kept at Northern Farm. We just keep paying out to keep the Yoshida empire ticking, with no return of any kind for our investment other than cut and paste reports - no fun, no hope, and certainly no money to offset the artificially high expenses. Ultimately, they want you to pay a fortune for horses, and then don't give a damn what you get out of it once the sale is made, as long as you keep paying another fortune to keep said horses, that is. Well, this is one twat that the Japan race industry has lost - someone they could have kept as a customer for decades had they provided the service they are paid to.

PS. Larressingle has apparently moved to Sapporo (an act of last-minute desperation to secure a win so the club and its puppeteers can keep milking me in the following season more than anything else, otherwise it would just sit at NF indefinitely like its stablemates), while, as expected, War Chronicle will be going to Northern Farm. Is it possible for JRA people to run a horse without injuring it? I have never seen such a disgraceful, incompetent bunch of idiots in all my life... And let me tell you, I've seen a fair few! 

PPS. News just in that Shine Tiara is supposedly much better and ready to roll in the Kawasaki meeting beginning 21st August. Ummm, we'll see. Million Ways is on course for a Funabashi run in the first week of August, which is something stated before but I'd missed - my last clear memory was of a horse that had just started walking again! It's breathing is still heavy, though, so I don't think we can expect much. But right now, something out is a miracle - I've got new books coming through the post at a faster pace than Japanese racing entries at the moment...