Reasons To Be Cheerful

After 'Bugatti' got rid of some stress, first throwing Sophie (she held on really well for a long time, but he went loopy with a combination of pent-up tension due to the bad weather delaying training, and flies pestering him) before running round and round in circles for literally about two miles in all, he had a good session. I'm pleased, too, with the way Sophie handled the situation - smiling, patting 'Bugatti' when he finally decided to stop, and getting straight back on without any signs of angst. She really has matured into a superb horseman over these last few months, as no-one short of a rodeo star would have stayed on today, and the recovery was magnificent, despite the dented pride and dirty jodhpurs...

Next up was Infinity Love's race, and I have to say, although tenth place was nothing special on paper, it was a marked improvement. Indeed, one could be forgiven for thinking it was a different horse to the nag Yahagi fielded and duly walked away from - in stark contrast to a those initial outings, this one looked as if it had been trained! Four months earlier, with the same going on the same track and Yutaka Take in the saddle for the same distance (plus the same 470kg at the weigh-in), the time was 1:37.4, while today, with a jockey that has only won 15 times before, the time was 1:35.7; the winning margin was cut from 1.5 down to 0.9 seconds, too. Add in the fact that the Deep Impact horse from the Ikee stable, ridden by Mirco Demuro, was only 0.2 seconds ahead and actually 0.1 seconds slower over the last three furlongs and, given the race-rust which would have hindered progress, I think we have a right to expect an even better finish next time. For now, well done, Watanabe-san!

In England, Masterson was fifth, but we have a lot more UK racing to come in the week (including a big event for Sayesse, and the possibility of a novice hurdle for Masterson, which would be very exciting), along with Phosphorus at Urawa. If the latter race goes ahead, it would be my first ever runner at the Saitama track.

Occupatam

Eighth for Raining Dollars in what we knew would be a tough test for him, as it was a class field and a trial run at a longer distance. Looks like he'll be sticking to 1000m (or maybe 1100m) for bit longer, but he's a beautiful horse being cared for and trained by a great team. As such, I'll stand by him whatever happens - I'm proud to see him in black, white and orange.

Next up, All Rosie was out in the next race, sporting the traditional blue and white JLH colours. He finished at the back of the field, albeit just over three lengths down on the winner, which, considering he's coming back off a break and it was Jo's first race with him, can't be considered too bad. He'll be one to watch in the future.

Fascinating report on the progress of the Box 41 horses in the UK, and I think we can look forward to an exciting season ahead. One thing for sure, it will be fun - wish the same could be about Million Ways, who might start walking again within the next couple of weeks. That's him finished by the sound of things! Another Japan disaster...

But some good, and totally unexpected news from Japan, too - Infinity Love will indeed run at Kyoto on the 28th, taking part in the 1600m turf 3R with Shota Kato at the controls, who can take advantage of a 52kg riding weight as a novice. Not an easy race by an stretch of the imagination (the Deep Impact kids on 0-0-1-3, 0-0-2-5 and 0-0-0-5 have a lot to prove, and the advantage of Mirco Demuro), but it will be interesting to see what Watanabe has achieved, and compare his results with what Yahagi got using Japan's top riders.

Dull Tiara

Vertice has been cleared to race in NAR, and should debut at Monbetsu soon. Meanwhile, Shine Tiara was out at Kawasaki this afternoon, hoping for a comeback to form after a disappointing last outing a couple of months back. Well, after a crazy delay in the gates, 'Shiny' blew the start by just enough to get sandblasted, and she dropped further and further back as a result. Konno-sama finally got her into third only to be pipped into fifth, nine lengths down on the winner. Until the sand problem has been sorted, I don't think we can expect much more. Glad I didn't bother making the trek around the other side the bay. 

Belle Plage is still tired, apparently, as is Larressingle, War Chronicle, Perfumer and Massabielle (who might even get ridden next week). What's the Japanese for 'f*ck off'? I hate it when people try and fob you off with bull! If it's not BS, questions need to be asked. As for Rush Attack's foot problem, I asked a dear friend (who, without any exaggeration whatsoever, just so happens to be one of the greatest horsemen in the world) about his thoughts on the ailment, and the chances of an autumn return to racing are close to the odds on winning the lottery. More bull, with more money being taken from Carrot Club members without any thought beyond keeping NF staff in clover. 

Two horses running in Australia on Thursday, and more in England again during the week and over the weekend, despite most of them running only a few days earlier. Amazingly (he says, with more than a hint of sarcasm), none are tired - this only seems to be a problem that afflicts Japanese horses, especially JRA ones. Yeah, right.

In other news, I'm sick to death of people celebrating high auction prices, and stupid stud fees that are frankly destroying the sport for regular people. I found a nice article in the December 2015 issue of the US Thoroughbred Daily News, stating: "Best value sire on the planet: Must just about be Kantharos (Lion Heart), who stands at Ocala Stud in Florida for just $5000. From 51 named foals in his first crop, three-year-olds of 2015, he’s sired 45 starters (88%), 34 winners (67%), five Black-type winners (9.8%), and nine Black-type horses (17.6%), including GIII winners." So why pay $300,000 (60 times more) for Deep Impact's services, or $200,000 for Frankel? Time to bring back some sense to things before mere mortals get priced out of the sport altogether... 

PS. Phosphorus is lined up to run at Kawasaki on the 3rd June, with Another Door due to make her debut at Monbetsu on the 9th. Infinity Love's new trainer has been honest and realistic - he feels the horse to be ready to race now, but only after running will we be able to tell if progress has been made. Rather than the usual sugar-sweet drivel we usually get, straight is good. The next thing is finding a suitable race, and that's easier said than done in JRA. He's aiming for a mile on turf on the 28th, but I suspect there will be two or three horses vying for each gate. We'll see tomorrow.