Another Door Fourth

Well, what can I say about Another Door? Fourth is hardly going to cover a couple of days on running costs in such a low level race, and therein lays the problem - although the start was good, a horse that runs out of steam in a poxy 1000m race against poxy opposition isn't going to stand a chance in the Nankan arena. Is this what one is supposed to get for 16,000,000 yen, plus a hefty monthly bill? I don't think so...

PS. The post-race report blames heavier sand on the inside of the track, but other horses overcame it easy enough later in the day, so I don't accept that as a valid excuse. I think we can safely say that had an outside gate been drawn, that would have been cited as the reason for the poor finish! Let's face it, this horse is nowhere near as good as it should be given the elite bloodlines and catalogue hype, not to mention the extortionate price (which is now becoming the Shadai/Sunday norm, by the way) that said hype brought with it. Ultimately, it's time someone pressed a reset button on Japanese racing, making the prices more realistic, especially in NAR. This horse literally needed to win everything in sight from the off to get anywhere near justifying its cost, and that includes a classic trail. So far, from four races (0-0-1-3), it has brought in 225,000 yen, which covers about two to three weeks of running costs and nothing else. Sayesse in England, from the same year, cost 15 times less, yet has brought in seven times more, despite the modest UK pots. 

Anyway, what is needed now is a set of questions and a positive plan of action for this disappointing nag. It's all very well saying it will be out again in a week or so, but if nothing changes, there's no meaning in that statement. Is the trainer at fault? Well, being stationed at Northern Farm all the while certainly isn't helping. Is it just a donkey? If so, give it a couple more runs and if nothing improves (and it shouldn't be hard to improve on useless), ditch it for broodmare duties, and let it serve as a warning to others not to be taken in by unwarranted talk of a superstar.