11:42 p.m. No. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. This couldn't have happened.

The autumn Tennno-sho usually gives considerable advantage to 3-year-olds, having to carry weights 2kg lighter than the older horses. What happened to my key horse, Satono Crown? He's sunk in 17th place!

Though my whole loss owes a lot to Yutaka Take, who let Clarent take the lead instead of Eishin Hikari. If Eishin Hikari had insisted, thinks might have took a different turn. At least, it wouldn't have been a slowy-mowy race ready made for Lovely Day. I'm getting a terrible feeling that the situation is looking more like the time when TM Opera O has won 8 grade races in a row. The return of the Dark Ages.

The End

Caterpillar

3:19 p.m. I thought I had something to search on the Internet, but when I sit at the computer in my rare chances to use it, I just can't seem to recall what that was.

Lately, it feels like such things have been happening frequently, although it's just my impression. So I've been using my secret trick to pull out the memory I've temporarily forgotten: do exactly the same actions you did when you were thinking about that forgotten memory. This has worked for me in many cases, epecially when I traced back my actions to the point I made a mental note to search about something later.

Unfortunately, it's not much help right now, as I can't recall when and how I came up with the "search later" alert. Dah!

The End

Caterpillar

5:53 p.m. Yes! I've remembered what I wanted to search about! I was going to check and see if this year's Tennno-sho's lap could have been the slowest ever.

The first 3 furlongs this year, went by in a tedious 36.4 seconds, thanks to Clarent. And as I've checked the past 20 years'records, I learned that there were only 3 times (actually ONCE, because the other 2 times had exactly the same lap time) besides this year when the first 3 furlongs went slower than this on firm track condition. 1995's 36.4 seconds, 2005's 37.0 seconds, and 2014's 36.4 seconds.

Hmm... Didn't expect there was a time that went even slower. But then, that was the year 2005 when Heavenly Romance had won the autumn Tennno-sho.

The End

Caterpillar

2:47 p.m. I pull myself out of sleepless sleep, drag my body to work at a quarter past 10 and the shutters are still down. Humph! I have an appointment from 10:30!

I ring the phone endlessly while banging on the door at the same time until Cow opens the lock at 10:32. All the while I've been glancing up and down the road for signs of my client, though I hadn't seen him. 10:35, I'm sitting at the table where I'm supposed to welcome my client and he's still not here. Around 10:45 he calls in to tell me that he's been here at 10:30 but it seemed closed, so I tell him to come right on. He arrives after 11:00 though I know he lives only 5 minutes' walk away. After 2 hours of meeting, he takes off with his smart phone still charging from our socket.

Hu-rumph! Can you please take care of yourselves? I mean, how old are you?

The End

Caterpillar

2:00 p.m. Cow who has overslept yesterday, have bought a new alarm clock to avoid it happening again. Seems this action has proved effective, at least for today.

The electronics retail shop has delivered the clock around nine this morning, which consequently dragged Cow out from bed. I wish he'd order something every day so that he will never oversleep.

Also wonder what Cow is going to do from tomorrow, since we're not expecting anything being delivered?

The End

Caterpillar

2:14 p.m. Looks like Cow was able to get up without any delivery today. Hope he keeps it up.

As for myself, I use the on-timer of my TV with the "snooze" function on. Usually, I can wake up when the TV timer goes on. At times when I definitely cannot oversleep, I combine an additional alarm clock setting the time approximately 20 minutes later than the TV timer. This prevents me from falling into glorious sleep after I stop the TV timer, because the alarm clock would go off just when I'm falling back into sleep. This 2-step process has saved me a number of times, even when I only had a couple of hours' sleep.

But then, the best way to prevent oversleeping is to get to bed early so you can get enough sleep.

The End

Caterpillar

1:40 p.m. Since we don't have any grade one races this weekend, it crossed my mind to try calling the Argentina Republic Cup.

However, I decided against it. As I glanced at the members it made my motivation wilt. I have no idea which horse might perform better, let alone win this race. Think I didn't see any fast front runners in the glimpse I took, so am guessing the ending with an outer post, power type favored horse winning or, coming within 3rd place at worst. For others, just shut your eyes and buy horses from post numbers, say 1 to 9.

The End

Caterpillar

9:08 p.m. As I'd thought, it was a favored (actually, the most favored), power horse from an outer barrier, Gold Actor that won the Argentina Republic Cup.

Though the horses from inner barriers didn't do well as I'd predicted. I'd forgotten about last week's races in which horses from outside barriers had performed well, even on firm turf. That only suggests the condition is better on the outside. Still, horses that have to run the outisde throughout the race will have to use a lot of stamina, consequently burning out by the time they turn the last corner. So it would be better to go up front in a stamina-consuming track condition like today.

After the race, I heard that Moore is coming to ride Lachysis in Elizabeth Queen Cup. Already feeling the urge to key Lachysis given the possibility of seeing another one of Moore's magic.

The End

Caterpillar

3:03 p.m. Well, I'm not going to jump to conclusions though, just because Moore is going to ride Lachysis. Once she'd been fatigued in Sankei Osaka-hai, I knew it would take some time for her to merely recover.

I will focus on Elizabeth Queen Cup this week, I'm determined, but I'm getting distracted by BL anime and drama CDs I've been into lately. Daaaahhh!

Speaking of anime, I've come to realize how amazing Japanese voice actors are. I've been so impressed by them playing roles of completely different characters; from a young boy to an old woman. I seriously think they should learn proper English pronunciation so they can expand their career.

The End

Caterpillar

2:19 p.m. A couple of weeks ago, I happened to see a TV program featuring X Japan and that they'd bumped into the wall of English pronunciation, when they tried to start their career in the U.S. Eventually, they had to give it up at the time.

I've seen and heard many cases like this before, that Japanese singers, actors and actresses, having hard times in the U.S. because of their English pronunciation, and it has always been breaking my heart. Personally, I think it wasn't just because of their pronunciation, but rather the prejudice against new-comers from an Asian country. It's sad to see talented people get turned down just because they couldn't speak English or have the perfect pronunciation of an English native, which to me sounds like aiming at the moon. After all, we are foreigners and you don't expect a foreigner to speak perfect language in your mother tongue, do you?

I wish they'd come to me before trying for a career in the U.S. I could have helped them with their English. Well, at least with their pronunciation. So if you're thinking of seeking for a bigger success in the U.S., and not sure about your pronunciation, just drop me a line and perhaps I can help you before you get devastated. And please type "Pronunciation Help Wanted" in the subject field of your message, so I can distinguish it from the spams in case you want to contact me, thanks.

The End

Caterpillar

2:06 p.m. It's the middle of the week and I'm thinking I'd better start pondering about Queen Elizabeth Cup, seriously.

But the problem is I can't concentrate. I've been more and more frustrated by JoOusama lately, and I feel like I can't stand her no longer every day. She annoys me 24-7 and although I want to detach myself from the unpleasantness of thinking about her, it is very difficult as my life almost rotates around her. My only effective solution to this problem probably is to leave my parents' house to live on my own, however, my financial situation doesn't seem to allow that. Doooom.

All the more reason I'm seeking respite and consolation in watching BL anime.

The End

Caterpillar

2:04 p.m. The tone of Lachysis's trainer doesn't sound good.

Despite the fact that the horse is the defending champion of this race, she hasn't been performing well after she'd beat Kizuna in Sankei Osaka-hai this spring to win the race. Since then, she'd gained 10 kg and then lost 18. Rapid weight ganis and losses isn't a good sign when it comes to considering the condition of race horses.

I almost got carried away by the news that Ryan Moore was coming to ride her in Queen Elizabeth Cup this week, but come to think of it, that might be just another exprression of the trainer's lack of confidence. That perhaps the world's top jockey might be able to cast a magic spell on the horse, and transform her into the Cinderella horse she used to be. I'd have to give Lachysis a question mark.

The End

Caterpillar

4:18 p.m. The barrier draw has been announced, and Lachysis is in post number 10 while Nuovo Record has drawn the most outer post number, 18.

As I've said before, the outmost barrier tends to be a great disadvantage on Kyoto turf, but the forecast is predicting heavy rain from tonight over the weekend. If the track condition turns soft and sticky, with horses like Win Liberty dashing off to take the lead at a high clip, there may be a chance that the outer post number becomes rather and advantage.

The End

Caterpillar

1:57 p.m. At this point, I have no idea where to start calling Queen Elizabeth Cup with all the horses having some sort of problems... Well, at least I can check the weather for tomorrow.

It seems the rain in Kyoto will stop by early tomorrow morning, and the sun will come out. Meaning, that the turf surface will probably be dry by the time of the race, though it might have a soft cushion when stepped on. Not enough to give advantage to horses that perform better on soft tracks, I reckon. Humph, after all this time worrying about soft track condition, they're telling me now.

Still can't come up with a promising horse to key, but when you come right down to it, Nuovo Record seems the most closest to coming in 3rd place. I'm not saying she's going to win, I can't trust her that much. Since the inside of the track is bumpy and rough, I'm thinking the outer post might become and advantage, especially in a high lap. And which horse would she bring along? Well, perhaps I should think it more simple. Which horses are still fresh after the summer break and also didn't perform as well as they'd been expected in their first race after the break? Power Spot, Chateau Blanche, Maria Light, Meisho Mambo, Smart Layer and Nuovo Record. Power Spot and Chateau Blanche seem to belong in lower category, while Meisho Mambo is being too favored (9th favored as of this afternoon), so I'll cut them out. Might add Lachysis as she's had a 2-months' recess after Sapporo Kinen, and Rouge Buck as she's had plenty of time to rest. Sum it all up and there you have it; Nuovo Record, Smart Layer, Maria Light, Lachysis and Rouge Buck.

The End

Caterpillar

10:55 p.m. It was a close win. If Lemaire had taken Nuovo Record over, my exacta would have turned into paper.

I'd keyed Nuovo Record in the 1st place of my trifecta, with Hula Bride, Lachysis, Smart Layer and Rouge Buck in 2nd, plus Maria Light in 3rd place. Instinctively, I'd bought some exacta with Nuvo Record in the 2nd place as insurance, because I just couldn't get the picture of her winning.

I owe my exacta win to Real Stell though, since I wouldn't have keyed Nuovo Record in the 2nd place if I hadn't screwed up Kikka-sho, buying exactas with Real Steel set in the first place. I did learn a lesson, I did.

The End

Caterpillar

4:31 p.m. I'm glad that I've finally won a race this season. And now I'm already thinking about Mile Championship. Just shows how much a win can do to a horse race fan's mentality.

Have just glanced through the list of entry and Isla Bonita's name has caught my eye. I've always thought that this horse would perform better in a shorter distance, especially a mile. Excitement is building up. Though I have a feeling that Ebina won't win 2 G1s in a row.

The End

Caterpillar

3:02 p.m. No help coming. I've been stuck here at the computer but there is no help coming. Everyone seems to be busy with their own things, that no one seems to even recognize my sitting here frustrated, not knowing what to do.

If only, someone had spared the kindness to offer help! Not that I can explain how that someone could help me, as I am in confusion and chaos.

The End

Caterpillar

2:25 p.m. A friend has shared an article on Facebook about a Muslim security guard who saved thousands of lives at the Stade de France soccer stadium, while the FIFA World Cup qualification match of France against Germany was taking place.

The article appears on November 15th, so please scroll down to read and share it. Rock Against The Right

The End

Caterpillar

1:49 p.m. Last week it was the Lachysis crew, but this week it's the Morris crew that doesn't sound so eager.

The trainer is expressing strong belief in the horses potential, and that it can perform well enough as Yasuda-kinen which he won this spring, still the fact that they had to scratch off from the the prep-race Mainichi Ohkan, cannot be ignored. We've seen horses fresh back from breaks sink below 4th place twice in a row, and we are getting skeptical.

The End

Caterpillar

3:08 p.m. Kei Nishikori has lost the ATP Masters against Roger Federer, but I think it was a good match in a while.

Samurai Japan has lost the game against Korea because of the mysterious switching to the closers. Why didn't they let Ohtani throw till the end? Why?

And Isla Bonita has drawn post number 5. Ideal!

The End

Caterpillar

2:17 p.m. So, Mile Championship this week.

Annually, I have a hard time figuring out whether the horses from Swan Stakes can perform well or not. This year though, there seems to be only 3 horses coming from Swan Stakes, Daiwa Maggiore, Albiano and Fiero. Whether any of these horses might perform well or not all depends on how much damage they have after running Swan Stakes. Daiwa Maggiore doesn't seem to have much damage, but he might need a bit more pepping up considering his recent performance. Albiano, on the other hand, seems quite ready, though I don't want her to lose any more weight, as that can be a sign of fatigue. Fiero's performance improves on and off recently which makes him look pretty unstable.

As a result, again I'm puzzled and having a hard time to decide. For the moment, I'd suggest Isla Bonita, Albiano, Satono Aladdin, Fiero and perhaps Morris? Plus some more.

The End

Caterpillar

4:02 p.m. This cannot be. From my angle, it seemed Isla Bonita has been taken over by Satono Aladdin and hit the wire behind Satono, which to me was a total failure, 4th place. Later, the results popped up on the screen to show Isla Bonita in 3rd place! No, that's even worse!!

I was pretty confident that Isla Bonita cannot go below 2nd place, so I'd taken my chance with trifectas fixing Isla on the 1st place, also backing it up with exactas fixing him on the 2nd place, just to be on the safe side. And that brat loses in 3rd place...

The End

Caterpillar

9:00 p.m. The weather was gloomy and a bit chilly, so I finally started to move on with putting away my fan. Thinking it was too troublesome to take down the parts and wash them, I wiped the fan clean, covered it up with non-woven fabric, then put it away in the usual spot saved for the fan. After that, I'd pulled out my heating carpet, spread it out on the floor, turned it on to apply current for a couple of hours to stand by for its coming up heavy rotation. Ah, warm.

It's been almost too comfortable on the heating carpet even though it wasn't actually that cold, I couldn't get off it once I sat on it. I've also got caught up in making slide shows using scanned managa pages and drama cds as audio, to combine them into something that looked a bit like anime. Adjusting the audio to fit the right scene was a tedious job, but I soon learned that I enjoyed the whole task. The satisfaction I felt when I previewed the slide show was pretty something! I was too absorbed in it, that I'd forgotten to watch an anime streaming that I was going to check out. But well, it certainly was a wonderful way to spend my holiday. Doing things I enjoy.

The End

Caterpillar

3:08 p.m. I was going to write about Japan Cup but something came up. Cow and I were asked to take a look at a computer from which Microsoft Office has somehow disappeared.

How could such a thing possibly could have happened? It seemed that the user has tried to update Office to a later version, though given up before typing in the product key. So the old version cannot be operated while the new version is yet to be installed. What a half-baked situation... And as always, the user can't find the recovery CD which means we don't have the product key. Congratulations, we're stuck!

The End

Caterpillar

2:18 p.m. Since I couldn't write about it yesterday, I was going to write about Japan Cup today. But after I'd unexpectedly seen ex-jockey, Shigeru Ishiyama on NHK last night, I just had to put it off.

Many horse race fans might recall his name as the rider of Saiko Kirara, and that he'd retired from his job due to fatal injury during a steeplechase, leaving him with serious cerebral contusion. Ishiyama has suffered through the aftereffect of his injury of memory defecit and lack of mind control, while his wife and two kids were met with hell trying to support him. Now, however, Ishiyama is struggling to make it to the Paralympics in Para-equestrian, as well as Katsuyoshi Tsuneishi, also a former jockey.

All I can do is just wait for the good news to be delivered. Though I am hoping from the bottom of my heart, they'd both make it to the Paralympics, not merely to give them a reason to live, but to reward them for the great fight both jockies and their family have put up. Good luck!

The End

Caterpillar

4:14 p.m. Finally, Japan Cup. While I've been fumbling with other issues, the barrier draw has been announced.

Lovely Day in post number 1, Sounds of Earth in 10, Mickey Queen in 11, Gold Ship in 12, Shonan Pandra in 15. Hmmm... what to make of this?

One thing I can say is that post number 1 might not be an advantage for Lovely Day if he has damage from Tenno-sho. I wouldn't have given it a damn if he hadn't won 2 G1 races in a row or if he has been fresh back from recess, but he's not. That leaves me with some risks. As for Gold Ship, it might have been better to draw an inner post, though post number 12 tends to be a lucky barrier on Tokyo turf. Orfevre has won Satsuki-sho from post number 12, when it was run at Tokyo tracks due to the Great Eastern Earthquake, come to think of it.

The End

Caterpillar

4:14 p.m. There's been some annoying things consecutively.

I was running late for work but managed to catch the train. Well, at least I thought so when I saw the train waiting with the doors opened. Though as I walked down a few cars to get on from the usual spot so I can get off nearest to the stairs, the doors shut without any warning. Aren't there supposed to be a buzzer or something to alert you? Wasn't the railway company supposed to be working hard to prevent accidental contact? The doors closed without a sound right in front of my eyes, and the train slid out of the platform leaving me speechelss.

And then, when I adjusted my train fare after I got off, my change got stuck in the vending machine. While the machine started to wail loudly, I quickly checked my change to discover it was too short, but I had to leave it and run because I had less then 10 minutes to cover the 15 minuntes' walk to my workplace. What a day. I just hope that things take a better turn.

The End

Caterpillar

1:51 p.m. Hmmm... as of this afternoon, Lovely Day is the most favored with win odds of 1 to 2.9, while Mickey Queen and Gold Ship follows with 1 to 5.0 and 1 to 5.1, respectively. Since the most favored prides a stunning 72.1% of coming within 3rd place, it's better not to go against it, I reckon.

Still, Lovely Day has some left-over damage from the previous races, so he might lose if the race gets tough. Though if the lap slackens, he even has a chance of winning. Trip to Paris might also advantage from the slow lap. Otherwise, it will give a great opportunity to horses like Shonan Pandra, Pelusa or Gold Ship. Trainer of Gold Ship Sugai, seems to have mentioned about going up front if the horse jumps out with a good start, so if Gold Ship does succeed in having a good start which I think is quite possible, things just might take a drastic turn.

Okay, so here is my decision of horses to buy this week: Lovely Day, Trip to Paris, Pelusa, Mickey Queen, Gold Ship and Shonan Pandra.

The End

Caterpillar

10:40 p.m. I had Shounan Pandra and of course I'd bought Lovely Day. I even bought Jungle Cruise. But never imagined Last Impact would come in.

From sullen resentment, I've bought exactas of Kyoto's last race with Big Arther fixed on 1st place and he loses by a head... And it wasn't the end of my bad luck. Mr. N-jima, Cow and I all dragged our feet to the usual izakaya where we found the place fully reserved. We tried another one close by which we'd been to before, and discovered the place was shutting down tomorrow therefore, closed today. There was actually another one of the chain izakaya within 5 minutes' walk, so we hit there only to find the seats all full.

So what's with our luck today? What did I do wrong?

The End

Caterpillar

1:42 p.m. I wish I could simply forget about yesterday and move on to Challenge Cup, but that would do me no good so am looking back on Japan Cup.

What puzzled me the most was Last Impact. How could he have performed so well out of the blue? He's lost in 12th place in the previous race, and 6th in the one before. Most horses tend to show some kind of action in the previous 2 races or at worst, 3 however, Last Impact hasn't won in the previous 5 races after last year's Kinko-sho. Hmm...

Reviewing his past career, I discovered that Last Impact has won Kyoto Daishoten (turf, 2400m) last year, after losing 4 races consecutively. Also that the 2 races before Kyoto Daishoten were both 2000m, and before that he'd run in the spring Tennno-sho (3200m), which is similar to his recent schedule aiming for Japan Cup. This might give me a clue... or might not.

The End

Caterpillar