Fair Or Not?

Some folks may think I am exaggerating in the statements I made in my last post. So here goes with a case-by-case resume, and then you can make your own mind up as to whether I am right and justified in saying what I've said, or whether I'm being overly critical. Bear in mind also that my UK horses run virtually every week without fail (yes, every week), picking up a fair few wins along the way, and cost a fraction of what the nags over here did and continue to.

Pop Label - a juvenile champion in 2013, that was then ruined by an idiot (or collection of idiots) deciding to run it when injured. It was then off for almost a year recovering from operations, and has done absolutely nothing since (0-5-2-11), except cost me money. Its last run was in June, when it came seventh, and its comeback is continuously delayed. Late September is now being quoted, and then you can bet it will have race-rust anyway. You can bet a retirement notice will be posted soon after, having milked owners for as long as possible in the meantime.

Phosphorus - this used to be a good horse (winning five times), then it had six months at NF for an operation, and has again done nothing since (0-1-0-8). It also last ran in June, went to Northern Farm for gelding, and has not returned. The latest report is saying it will go back to Funabashi in October. Why so late, because gelding doesn't take anywhere near that long? Something we're not being told?

Magic Key - a 16,000,000 yen flop. Cheated out of a win first time out, it duly won in January and has not raced since. Yet again, the same operation as Phosphorus required, and the August return date has now passed without any sign of the bloody thing. A later report stated a September return. Watch this space for more excuses to come.

Kealoha - a very late starter, but it made up for it with two wins and a third, although it last raced in early May. Suffering from sore shins, it returned to Funabashi at the beginning of August in such poor condition that it needed an extra month of training just to get it looking like a racehorse again - didn't stop NF charging a fortune for its stay there, though! The latest race date is now the last week in September. Maybe.

Another Door - another 16,000,000 yen disaster, with a 0-0-1-4 record and a total 225,000 yen income from all five races (about two weeks keep at Shadai prices). It screwed up in the gate in its last race, getting disqualified and earning a 20-day ban into the bargain. Well done to the training staff, if there are any, because the horse certainly doesn't look to have had any training in my eyes. At this rate, it won't qualify for Nankan racing, and even if it does (by some miracle), I can't see it doing any good anyway.

Belle Plage - a good horse until it started fighting in the big league as a 4YO. It has been awful this year, and last raced in early May. Said to be coming back soon, although the training programme hasn't changed since early June (the same cut-and-paste words for weeks). This means either the return is far from soon, or it was being held back unnecessarily to make space in the racing stables - a common problem, as there's too many horses being bred (way more than the industry can handle properly) due to extreme greed overwhelming any semblance of sense.

Massabielle - a raw talent that suddenly went from unbeatable to dud after a three-month break at NF. It hasn't wanted to race since (a 3-1-0-0 record going to 0-0-0-3 after the break), and now it has spent the last five months at guess it... Yep, Northern Farm. The reports say week after week that the horse is not good and needs care. Here's the bottom line: It needs retiring, and owners need compensation for yet another horse ruined by incompetence.

War Chronicle - a good first race, then it had eight months off through injury (that word again - a common link, don't you think?). Came back as a donkey, then went to Nagoya to re-qualify for JRA. It should have stayed in NAR, for it raced twice (badly) in seven months after its return, and it's injured yet again. Another horse that is too fragile to race.

Perfumer - one lucky win in the lowest level racing possible means we have to keep this heap of lard. This last raced in May (when at least it didn't finish last, as it did in the race before), and has been kept at NF ever since. There is no positive diagnosis on what is wrong with it, just the usual grey drivel that we get with Massabielle. If no-one knows the problem, how can it be cured? Retire it.

Rush Attack - off since March with a hoof problem, and given its last few runs, a total waste of money trying to get it back racing again. Of course, that comeback could still be months off yet!

Larressingle - the only horse out of all of those in Japan worth keeping, and ironically, it hasn't won a race yet. It was supposed to be coming back to the racing stable, but the typhoon has delayed the trip (I can understand that - about the only excuse with a ring of truth to it I've heard in months). It has one last chance at Nakayama, and if it doesn't win, it's gone. Mad when you think of all the rubbish we are keeping.

Shine Tiara - early promise has turned to crap, this time after a break at Kanagawa Horse Park. It seems to hate sand in its face, and that is a kiss of death for an NAR horse, especially one that doesn't have the staying power to lead from the front. The towel should be thrown in now.

Chocolat Sucre - another weakling, with two decent races followed by two jokes. Last raced in May, and no sign of when it will return to Funabashi. In the meantime, its bills are becoming huge, and for no good reason. Its throat operation shouldn't have cost anywhere near what the last bill came to, so what else is the extra money for? Beer perhaps?

Million Ways - the only thing you can say about this one is it was looked after at its own stable while it had three months away from racing! The brilliant comeback turned out to be far from brilliant, and the next race was even worse. If it does nothing next week, it's another one for the chop as far as I'm concerned.

Trovao - a potential star that was kept back for the big races. It was screwed by stupid rules in one, and failed to make it to the last one. As such, it would have been better running it every month and getting some value and income from it. Now it is injured (the reports say "tired", but no Thoroughbred is tired for weeks on end unless something is seriously wrong) and has been at NF since July, with no sign of it returning any time soon.

Vertice - still to get a race licence as yet, and one wonders if that will ever happen judging by the last report to be honest. Still, it was a full 10,000,000 yen cheaper than Another Door, so it could be said that it offers good value compared to that - if neither win anything during their entire career, which is starting to look highly likely, that 10,000,000 yen makes a huge difference! Of course, when one thinks that Blacklister in the UK cost about the same as Vertice and won three times within a month recently, it becomes easy to see why my opinion of Japanese racing has become so jaded.

Lotus Blossom - another one that missed a Hokkaido campaign and has yet to get its race licence, except it was injured last week, so who knows when or if that piece of paper will ever come. The annoying thing is it was supposed to be being shipped off to Funabashi any minute, too. Had it have been sent earlier (on a 600-mile journey I should add!), this latest injury could probably have been avoided.

So, is there any horse in the whole of Japan that hasn't been injured and run every month like it's supposed to? I very much doubt it. My conclusion - after given it a fair go for several years - is that Japanese racing is not actually racing at all, just a vessel for moving dosh around within a monopoly. With cut-and-paste reports containing no substance or plan of action, nothing but excuses to cover an unrelenting flow of needless injuries, and no visible signs of effort on the rare occasions these nags do actually race (followed by more excuses doused in sugar), I can say, hand on heart, the Japanese racing game is the worst value for money in the world.