BUSY PROGRAMME IN STORE
The next couple of weeks will certainly provide me with enough racing interest to keep me from getting bored. Lourdes No Hitomi should have an outing, but nothing has been booked as yet. There were also thoughts of getting Harmony Fair out, but this idea seems to have gone quiet for the time being.
Miracle Rouge runs in the 5R at Fukushima on the 13th - a 2000m turf race, with Genki Muruyama in the saddle. Genki will have to work hard to beat Harita-san's performance with 'MR' last time out! On the following day, Mosto Verde makes his long-awaited debut in the second race at Fukushima - a 1200m turf sprint, although a jockey still has to be found.
Fairy Robe will run at Kawasaki some time during the week at the NAR meeting, and then on the 21st, it's off to Tokyo-Fuchu for the JRA races. Quadrille runs in the fourth race (1800m turf) with Hiroshi Kitamura in the saddle, while Katsuharu Tanaka rides Tenshinramman in the G-II Flora Stakes. I have a feeling the pulse rate will quicken just a bit watching this race, as it will secure 'Tenny' a place in the Japanese equivalent to The Oaks - the Yushun Himba.
Friday, April 5, 2013
NEW CARROT MAGAZINE The latest Carrot Club magazine has just been released, and I can't believe how many of my kids are in there this time - Tenshinramman, of course, including a big piece on her, but also Quadrille, Lourdes No Hitomi, and a nice profile on Fairy Robe. Add in the updates on the younger horses yet to make their debuts, and it's a bumper issue as far as this house is concerned...
Today, as soon as Sophie finished her half day back at school, it was off to the stables. Louis was busy training with Machikane Ukon today, refining jumping skills to get ready for his show-jumping debut. Sophie should make her Dressage debut soon, so fingers crossed there.
We popped into Higashi-Kanto on the way home to see the trainee jockeys polishing up their riding skills. The horses were full of the joys of Spring there, as they were at Tokoro, with 'Jaguar' being particularly frisky. As if he wasn't a handful at the best of times!
THREE DAYS AT FUNABASHI
Just catching up with the blog again after three days spent at Funabashi - all enjoyable despite nature's attempts at dampening spirits with the most awful weather imaginable. There were times on Wednesday when I figured I'd forget the car and take a boat ride home!
Luckily the rain stopped just in time for the big race, and the jockey event that followed it was thankfully a success as a result. This time I managed to get a mug signed by Masashige Honda, and a superb selection of goodies in the lucky bag, including a Furioso cap. I should say here that the Funabashi lucky bags really are great value - not like department store ones, where they usually clear stuff they can't move. For each item contained within, I'd have willingly parted with the 2000 yen asked, so as a package, it was a wonderful bargain. Sophie was also busy getting the keyrings signed for each jockey in attendance - she won't be happy until she's got them all, and that's OK with me.
I couldn't believe how well the track had dried for Thursday, and with the rains gone, it was a chance to get the decent camera out and take some nice pictures, using the new building as a background. We won't be able to recognize the place soon! Great racing and great company.
Just catching up with the blog again after three days spent at Funabashi - all enjoyable despite nature's attempts at dampening spirits with the most awful weather imaginable. There were times on Wednesday when I figured I'd forget the car and take a boat ride home!
I couldn't believe how well the track had dried for Thursday, and with the rains gone, it was a chance to get the decent camera out and take some nice pictures, using the new building as a background. We won't be able to recognize the place soon! Great racing and great company.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
THANKS TO THE BOFFINS...
The technical problems we had getting links up has been sorted, so we now have a few more that I think you'll find useful and/or interesting. Spent the day at Funabashi today, but not really anything in the way of photography, as the weather was awful. Doesn't look like it's going to be much better tomorrow either...
The technical problems we had getting links up has been sorted, so we now have a few more that I think you'll find useful and/or interesting. Spent the day at Funabashi today, but not really anything in the way of photography, as the weather was awful. Doesn't look like it's going to be much better tomorrow either...
Saturday, March 30, 2013
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
Ah, the wonders of modern technology. I must have spent a good couple of hours fighting the PC last night and this morning, trying all sorts of ways to coax it into a form of co-operation, and it still won't do what I want it to do! Computers are supposed to make life easy, right? Then why do they give us all so much hassle? It's like a 'Smart Key' on a car. You know, like all the advantages sound great, but most of the time you end up thinking what a dumb idea this is. Notwithstanding, I'm sure the problem will get sorted eventually, and I can finally get my new batch of links up and running.
In the meantime, the good side of computers - and more specifically, the internet - has been shining bright, with new visitors logging in from Singapore and the UAE in the last week or so. This takes the country count up to 53, with over 16,000 visitors in all so far. Now I have some time again, there will be a lot more articles going up (there are 17 draft pieces awaiting my attention for starters), so please stay tuned...
Ah, the wonders of modern technology. I must have spent a good couple of hours fighting the PC last night and this morning, trying all sorts of ways to coax it into a form of co-operation, and it still won't do what I want it to do! Computers are supposed to make life easy, right? Then why do they give us all so much hassle? It's like a 'Smart Key' on a car. You know, like all the advantages sound great, but most of the time you end up thinking what a dumb idea this is. Notwithstanding, I'm sure the problem will get sorted eventually, and I can finally get my new batch of links up and running.
In the meantime, the good side of computers - and more specifically, the internet - has been shining bright, with new visitors logging in from Singapore and the UAE in the last week or so. This takes the country count up to 53, with over 16,000 visitors in all so far. Now I have some time again, there will be a lot more articles going up (there are 17 draft pieces awaiting my attention for starters), so please stay tuned...
DISAPPOINTMENT
After his debut outing, I concluded that it seemed a waste putting Quick Bread in long-distance dirt races - his build is obviously a turf frame, as one would expect of his bloodlines, but a first time experiment doesn't hurt anyone. You can imagine my surprise, though, when the trainer said he was trying another 1800m dirt race - not moving to grass, or even a shorter distance until more training could be put in. Perhaps not surprisingly, 'QB' and Hironobu Tanabe finished eighth today, quite a way back. Given the horse's speed potential, which was shown in training times the other day, I can only say how disappointed I am that this beautiful creature isn't being allowed to strut his stuff in a more suitable arena...
PS. The jockey report states that a good horse is in there somewhere, which is obvious, from times posted in practice, and the trainer's report is still bubbling over with confidence, which is less easy to understand (unless there's a cunning plan in the works). Ummm. Facts: Despite heavier conditions, he improved his race time (same track, same distance) by 1.1 seconds, and cut 1.9 seconds off his 3F time - huge advances. But you wouldn't believe how much I want to see this horse run a turf mile!
After his debut outing, I concluded that it seemed a waste putting Quick Bread in long-distance dirt races - his build is obviously a turf frame, as one would expect of his bloodlines, but a first time experiment doesn't hurt anyone. You can imagine my surprise, though, when the trainer said he was trying another 1800m dirt race - not moving to grass, or even a shorter distance until more training could be put in. Perhaps not surprisingly, 'QB' and Hironobu Tanabe finished eighth today, quite a way back. Given the horse's speed potential, which was shown in training times the other day, I can only say how disappointed I am that this beautiful creature isn't being allowed to strut his stuff in a more suitable arena...
PS. The jockey report states that a good horse is in there somewhere, which is obvious, from times posted in practice, and the trainer's report is still bubbling over with confidence, which is less easy to understand (unless there's a cunning plan in the works). Ummm. Facts: Despite heavier conditions, he improved his race time (same track, same distance) by 1.1 seconds, and cut 1.9 seconds off his 3F time - huge advances. But you wouldn't believe how much I want to see this horse run a turf mile!
WHAT HAPPENED THE WEATHER?
Yesterday was so warm, you didn't need a coat, and today you need three coats and a whisky flask to drive off the cold! What's going on? It seems to be crazy weather all over the world.
Anyway, at least we were able to get some good saddle time in with 'Jaguar' this morning - the horses being about the only ones happy with the chilly atmosphere. Sophie really is improving fast as her legs are getting longer, almost taking him up to a canter for the first time unassisted today - with Jaguar, for a petite ten-year old girl, that's a real achievement. Louis was training for the Dressage 3B課目 level, which is probably getting close to the limits of 'The Difficult Horse'...
On the racing front, we have Quick Bread competing in the first race at Nakayama tomorrow, and Fairy Robe should be out in mid-April at Kawasaki. There's no real change in this pretty horse, but the Yamazaki Stables are not pushing things - she has potential, of that there's no doubt, and will unleash it as soon as she's matured a bit more. It's nice to know there are stables that take the long-term view, letting a horse develop within a natural envelope to give its best in time rather than burn it out trying for too much too soon.
Meanwhile, of the newcomers, Belle Plage is having her body check in the next couple of weeks, which is usually a sign of fast progress. The reports on the other youngsters were more or less routine, as is often the case at this early stage in their career.
Yesterday was so warm, you didn't need a coat, and today you need three coats and a whisky flask to drive off the cold! What's going on? It seems to be crazy weather all over the world.
Anyway, at least we were able to get some good saddle time in with 'Jaguar' this morning - the horses being about the only ones happy with the chilly atmosphere. Sophie really is improving fast as her legs are getting longer, almost taking him up to a canter for the first time unassisted today - with Jaguar, for a petite ten-year old girl, that's a real achievement. Louis was training for the Dressage 3B課目 level, which is probably getting close to the limits of 'The Difficult Horse'...On the racing front, we have Quick Bread competing in the first race at Nakayama tomorrow, and Fairy Robe should be out in mid-April at Kawasaki. There's no real change in this pretty horse, but the Yamazaki Stables are not pushing things - she has potential, of that there's no doubt, and will unleash it as soon as she's matured a bit more. It's nice to know there are stables that take the long-term view, letting a horse develop within a natural envelope to give its best in time rather than burn it out trying for too much too soon.
Meanwhile, of the newcomers, Belle Plage is having her body check in the next couple of weeks, which is usually a sign of fast progress. The reports on the other youngsters were more or less routine, as is often the case at this early stage in their career.
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