Donkeys Everywhere

Despite having cost 12,000,000 yen, Million Ways ran like a donkey with piles - again! I don't see any point in keeping this nag, as it's obvious it is never going to perform to an acceptable level again, regardless of the distance or who the jockey is. The only way it will get in the top three nowadays is if there are only three horses in the race; if it has any hopes of winning, it would have to be the only starter. Another useless Carrot horse, Shine Tiara, is in the opener at Kawasaki on the 9th. Anyone that knows me will know that I'm no fan of the jockey after the Magic Key debut incident, but at least the damned thing is running - or at least trying to run.

On the Shadai/Sunday front, Pop Label is lined up to run at TCK on the 20th (entered in the 12R), while Kealoha is being put forward for the Funabashi meeting at the end of the month. Magic Key has of course been that long away, it needs a race test again! That will apparently come on the 13th, and, if all goes well, it should be racing at Kawasaki in the first week of October. No news on Phosphorus, which is worrying, and Another Door is still mid-ban, so that can't race until the tail-end of the month at the earliest.

PS. The Carrot Club report is noting a back leg weakness, and the possibility that Million Ways will have to go back to NF. Why exactly? To replace faulty parts? It's not a car, and I honestly don't see how sending the horse back to Northern Farm will help anyone, except NF's bean-counters. If it does go back, after all the weeks of lay-off at Funabashi, then we can only conclude that, yet again, this is a horse palmed off on club people that was totally unsuitable for racing from the off. Out of six Carrot NAR racers, there's a useless Million Ways that may or may not go to NF for months (it probably will knowing the way money has to be channelled there regardless of it being a necessary move or not); one still has to qualify for racing (another one does too, but it's now on the injury list, so that stage is still a far-off dream), two are knackered and/or recovering from operations, and one is running, albeit so badly that one wonders if it's actually a Thoroughbred or a mule. Fantastic! That's my English black humour, by the way - junk is the real word we're looking for. Even though 'Bugatti' hasn't raced for two years now, he'd still beat any of these, even after giving them a 50-yard headstart. The only sensible move would be to retire Million Ways, and if Shine Tiara doesn't improve big time on Friday, that one should go without further ado, too...