Surely, A Surprise

(FRI) December 20th, 2024

8:49 p.m. As you might already know, Do Deuce has scratched off from Arima Kinen. It's a pity. I wish I could have seen Do Deuce end his career with three G1 wins in a row, but the decision was made because of the horse's lameness, so that can't be helped.

It surely was a surprise, though. The odds-on favorite scratching off from Arima Kinen after the barrier draw is something I haven't seen in my time. Stupid Cow literally screamed for as long as five seconds hearing the news.

When it comes to calling the race, it doesn't really matter if my recommend is gone. I'll just find another horse suitable enough to key. After all, my goal is to win the race.

By the way, I've seen articles with Shahryar's crew saying that Shahryar is going to take the lead. Personally, I don't think Shahryar could keep the top until he passes the finish line, though if he does take the lead, that might tighten the pace a little bit more, which is otherwise assumed to be slow.

As for the Nakayama turf condition, the ground is frim while the turf is wet and time consuming as good to firm at the point of 10:30 this morning, thanks to the watering that's said to have been done yesterday. Will keep checking.

The End

Caterpillar