You can bet I'll have my fingers crossed for Ogata-sensei and Belle Plage on Monday, for this is the only JRA runner even close to bringing in anything, let alone paying for itself! This year, my entire JRA history consists of Belle coming seventh and sixth, Larressingle (with the same trainer as Belle Plage) coming sixth, Infinity Love 12th and 14th (although the latter was last, as two other runners were involved in a freak accident), Single Cask last, Irish Harp tenth, Rush Attack eighth (one of the better non-Ogata Stable performances), Perfumer ninth in a JRA-NAR mix race, and Tenshinramman last; Massabielle and War Chronicle have yet to run in 2016. I don't ask for wins, just a sign of effort and care, and that is in decidedly short supply as far as I'm concerned. I'm not happy, and it should be easy for anyone with half a brain to see why. It's sad when you look forward to the end of a campaign more than the few-and-far between races contained within a series. At least the Carrot NAR horses offer value-for-money - a thousand times more value than the JRA ones, although it's not the fault of the club so much as the ridiculous JRA system...
PS. I will have to hold my tongue. The jockey totally failed to read the race, and put Belle in a position where she was unable to do anything from, unless she sprouted wings that is. A wasted outing, and the next race will almost certainly be an unfavourable distance due to the poor result (although she was obviously on the pace today, the jockey positioning left her in 12th with nowhere to go but follow the crowd) - she might as well retire now. Another incredibly bitter disappointment in a very, very long list!
PPS. Larressingle is out on the 26th with Monsieur Lemaire, which should be fun. The bottom line is, the horse has done very well so far thanks to Ogata-sensei, but just cannot get the cigar, a bit like Blacklister was in England. They're giving it the best possible chance with the jockey choice, that's for sure - I had a chat with him when he first arrived in Japan at the Shadai Party, and his record here speaks for itself. Another top jockey and super chap on Massabielle the following day, too, with Tosaki-kun in the saddle.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Ruination
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.
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.
Friday, March 18, 2016
The UK Newcomers #2: Mirzam
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| Courtesy Mick Channon Stables |
Her sire is the classy Mastercraftsman, who won seven of his 12 starts, including the Irish 2000 Guineas. Of course, with Danehill Dancer (by Danehill) as his father and Black Tie Affair as his damsire, you have a right to expect good results!
Her dam is Luxie (born in 2005), with Royal Applause blood via Acclamation - a super mix of Northern Dancer and Bold Ruler DNA. On the female side, Common Grounds passed on the firepower of Kris, and there's a lot more Northern Dancer in there, too, thanks to Lyphard and Topsider. One to watch...
Thursday, March 17, 2016
DJ At Cheltenham
Ummm - it's hard to interpret a result that leaves you 12th of 16 runners. However, Danielle's Journey went into the G2 race unfancied (joint-13th favourite, at 66/1), so I guess beating a 6/1 nag can be something to take away from it. For me, though - and I'm sure Sean at Realta will feel the same - I think just having a horse at Cheltenham is a dream in the theatre of dreams. As such, I'm not anywhere near as downbeat as I'd usually be with what is basically a poor result on paper. She's a good horse that just met better ones on the day.
As far as I'm concerned, my unwritten and unspoken criteria for a continued Ireland campaign has been met, as the Cheltenham challenge was the main point for me rather than the end result. There were a few slip-ups en route there, which is what raised the question mark, but there was no doubt we had a Cheltenham horse with the potential to do well - it wasn't a silly dream, which is something to be avoided as much as not aiming high enough. Yes, the build-up could have been better (and would have been had it not been for that unforgivable weigh-in miss), but this was a huge event for a fledgling club to tackle, and Sean and the gang deserve support for trying - that cold, hard figure that goes down on DJ's record is not a fair reflection of the passion that got a horse that was always going to be boxing above her weight across the water to the world's premier National Hunt meeting. I like people with fighting spirit...
PS. Both Irish horses should be out again in April before the NH season ends.
As far as I'm concerned, my unwritten and unspoken criteria for a continued Ireland campaign has been met, as the Cheltenham challenge was the main point for me rather than the end result. There were a few slip-ups en route there, which is what raised the question mark, but there was no doubt we had a Cheltenham horse with the potential to do well - it wasn't a silly dream, which is something to be avoided as much as not aiming high enough. Yes, the build-up could have been better (and would have been had it not been for that unforgivable weigh-in miss), but this was a huge event for a fledgling club to tackle, and Sean and the gang deserve support for trying - that cold, hard figure that goes down on DJ's record is not a fair reflection of the passion that got a horse that was always going to be boxing above her weight across the water to the world's premier National Hunt meeting. I like people with fighting spirit...
PS. Both Irish horses should be out again in April before the NH season ends.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Post-Cheltenham
Tenshinramman should be all set for her final run, with Ebina-san booked as the jockey on Saturday. If nothing else, he should be able to guide her round in order to give her the best possible chance of going out on a high note, as he's come fourth with her twice before. Meanwhile, Massabielle is being put forward for the 27th at Chukyo, and Irish Harp will probably run at Fukushima next month - a good call, as it's the same direction as Nakayama and coming in the very near future...
In NAR, Shine Tiara is ready to run at Kawasaki at the end of the month, although Chocolat Sucre is struggling at the moment - a series of minor problems mean that she will be placed on a lightweight training menu for a while. She'll probably start to pick up come the summer, as that was Beat The Boarder's best era (another female tiddler, although she's thankfully not as tiny as the Oi waif was). Whichever way you look at it, she's blessed with a great team behind her, so she will definitely come good in time.
PS. 'Tenny' is confirmed as a runner on the 19th, as is Belle Plage on the 21st; Larressingle should be joining Massabielle on the 27th, too, as the proposed race on the 21st was oversubscribed (the 26th is another possibility). In addition, Phosphorus may well travel to Kawasaki at the end of the month, lining up to take part in the same meeting as Shine Tiara. Looking further ahead, Pop Label is booked for TCK on the 8th, Million Ways and Kealoha should be out for the next Funabashi meeting, and Trovao is lined up for the TCK classic with an in-form Masashige Honda - he'll be trying his heart out, that's for sure.
In NAR, Shine Tiara is ready to run at Kawasaki at the end of the month, although Chocolat Sucre is struggling at the moment - a series of minor problems mean that she will be placed on a lightweight training menu for a while. She'll probably start to pick up come the summer, as that was Beat The Boarder's best era (another female tiddler, although she's thankfully not as tiny as the Oi waif was). Whichever way you look at it, she's blessed with a great team behind her, so she will definitely come good in time.
PS. 'Tenny' is confirmed as a runner on the 19th, as is Belle Plage on the 21st; Larressingle should be joining Massabielle on the 27th, too, as the proposed race on the 21st was oversubscribed (the 26th is another possibility). In addition, Phosphorus may well travel to Kawasaki at the end of the month, lining up to take part in the same meeting as Shine Tiara. Looking further ahead, Pop Label is booked for TCK on the 8th, Million Ways and Kealoha should be out for the next Funabashi meeting, and Trovao is lined up for the TCK classic with an in-form Masashige Honda - he'll be trying his heart out, that's for sure.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Derisory
War Chronicle is supposed to be looking much better, and also supposed to be returning to Miho TC soon - assuming there's space for her, of course, otherwise it's back to the merry-go-round of being passed from pillar to post and never going anywhere near a race track. The poor thing will have absolutely no idea who her groom is, and most of her time at the Training Centre will be spent on reaquaintance rather than preparing for a race. You can see it coming - a bad result followed by lengthy R&R "because she's tired."
While 'Bugatti' is older, he still does harder training sessions than virtually any of the JRA horses, which is exactly why he doesn't get tired, even after a full weekend of competition - anything less and he'd be going out of his mind with stress, even on his lower octane diet. This constant shuffling off to holiday spots all just an excuse to make up for an overwhelming lack of space at Miho and Ritto, a problem aggravated by a distinct lack of races in relation to the number of horses on the books, and to keep the money rolling into Northern Farm.
Meanwhile, Perfumer's trainer is apparently aiming for a shorter race, although it will probably remain in Treadmillsville until its old and grey if the last stint at NF is anything to go by. Incidentally, the staff at Northern Farm have now decided that Rush Attack's hoof problem is nothing more than a skin complaint, so it should be back in 'training' soon - I've put training in inverted commas, because a treadmill and the odd canter is nothing like race training, it's simply taking the edge of a young horse's built-up tension and keeping its muscles loose. Infinity Love is on holiday as usual.
Although the Pop Label run was scrubbed, at least Danielle's Journey is still up for the 4:50 at Cheltenham on the 17th at the moment, which is definitely something to look forward to, as the Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the National Hunt season. Her chance to run in this most prestigious event is a rare and important dream amongst the all-too-common squandered money spent on JRA horses...
PS. As you can see from the picture, Danielle's Journey is now loaded in the horsebox and on her way to Cheltenham, with Brian Hughes booked to ride. Good luck, girl!
While 'Bugatti' is older, he still does harder training sessions than virtually any of the JRA horses, which is exactly why he doesn't get tired, even after a full weekend of competition - anything less and he'd be going out of his mind with stress, even on his lower octane diet. This constant shuffling off to holiday spots all just an excuse to make up for an overwhelming lack of space at Miho and Ritto, a problem aggravated by a distinct lack of races in relation to the number of horses on the books, and to keep the money rolling into Northern Farm.
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| Courtesy Realta HRC |
Although the Pop Label run was scrubbed, at least Danielle's Journey is still up for the 4:50 at Cheltenham on the 17th at the moment, which is definitely something to look forward to, as the Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the National Hunt season. Her chance to run in this most prestigious event is a rare and important dream amongst the all-too-common squandered money spent on JRA horses...
PS. As you can see from the picture, Danielle's Journey is now loaded in the horsebox and on her way to Cheltenham, with Brian Hughes booked to ride. Good luck, girl!
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Learning Curve
Ummm. Well, Irish Harp ran tenth - far from spectacular, but then the trainer is obviously learning by opting for the clockwise track, so I'm not going to go in as heavy as the result dictates (especially after being away from the track for so long with the aim of coming back strong). Tanaka said he didn't push 100%, but the heavy going and uphill finish ultimately took its toll, and so it's what happens next that's the important thing if we are going to gain any benefit from today. If we get another three months away, or even a month, then the trainer will have obviously learnt one thing but not much else.
Belle Plage's chosen JRA race on the 21st is oversubscribed, too, which is hardly surprising. All told then, a week of highs and lows, although it's not quite over yet. We have a Touch Of Sparkle running in a Novice Hurdle at Navan as well today, which is a surprise entry, but the result won't come through until later in the day JST (3:25pm GMT). Let's hope we can finish the week on a high note...
PS. The fourth for 'Sparkler' and R.C. Colgan was hardly a high note. But there were mistakes in the jumping according to race reports, and perhaps the ground didn't help either. Better luck next time!
Belle Plage's chosen JRA race on the 21st is oversubscribed, too, which is hardly surprising. All told then, a week of highs and lows, although it's not quite over yet. We have a Touch Of Sparkle running in a Novice Hurdle at Navan as well today, which is a surprise entry, but the result won't come through until later in the day JST (3:25pm GMT). Let's hope we can finish the week on a high note...
PS. The fourth for 'Sparkler' and R.C. Colgan was hardly a high note. But there were mistakes in the jumping according to race reports, and perhaps the ground didn't help either. Better luck next time!
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