The Countdown Begins

7 days to go until ol' Blue stamps his class on the Australian racing scene...this is the calm before the storm.

With all the journo's buzzing around that Italian fellow and the Arab horses, I've had plenty of time to think over the last few days, and I've compiled a list of statistics from observations I've made since arriving Down Under...

- No. of exclusive media interviews with yours truly = 0
- No. of any sort of interviews at all with yours truly = 0
- No. of teenage nannies spotted in central Werribee = 43 (and counting)
- No. of cigars smoked with Bauer = 12
- No. of references to So You Think in the daily press = 4,123
- No. of Kangaroos sighted = 0

I can conclude two stark truths from my analysis of these statistics. One, that along with the fabled Bunyip (yes I've done some homework) the kangaroo and the racing journalist are obviously mythical Australian creatures as I've not seen any of either. And two, I'm going to have to take this strutting pretty-boy So You Think to school next Tuesday and show him how we do it in the Northern Hemisphere.

Now I read with interest a report that I slipped over at trackwork on Monday - laughable to say the least. I can assure my legions of followers that Elvis (my riding boy) and I were merely practising our emergency bullet aversion procedure. You see I've done my homework about these Australian's and they seem to have a bit of a problem with"tall poppies" as they call them, high achievers.

A little while ago a horse called Phar Lap - you might have heard of him - enjoyed a bit of success out here and some frightfully nasty fellows (probably relations of those Underbelly lads) attempted to assasinate him at the track!

Unheard of in Enlgand, all very gentlemanly and above board at home, but eveidently there a few hicks that take matters into their own hands down here. Probably Tasmanian's from what I hear, some questionable bloodlines down there apparently.

So Elvis and I have come up with a little move we call "The Blue Roll" and on his signal I hit the deck, lie on my side and watch the sniper's bullet fly safely over my head. I remain on the turf long enough for the constabulary to arrest the offender before I return to my feet and carry on with victory. A simple self-preservation technique and nothing more.

Sadly I still await a response from Becqu Adoree, my one true love. It seems that the Italian caught wind of my advances and has put her in isolation, cancelled her internet access, and has placed a guard dog at her barn door. Outrageous behaviour I say and smacks of an over protective father in my opinion, I wonder how he deals with that of his daughter and all the male attention she gets Down Under...you'd think these Aussie lads had never seen a pretty girl riding a horse before...

Warmest regards

Blue