3:34 p.m. I think the key to winning the Sprinters' Stakes is to guess right which horse takes the lead. If Big Arthur can take the lead, he might be able to win like his previous race. But taking the lead from wire to wire usually leaves big damage on the horse. That's not hard to see without even referring to the example of A Shin Hikari. In order to win a G1, the theory is to wrap up the prep race in a easy win. Personally, I think Centaur Stakes was an easy win for Big Arthur, but the damage can't be denied. In such cases, it must be better to keep the horse on the 2nd or 3rd place of a trifecta, rather than the 1st, although front runners usually tend to sink far below when they can't win. The rider Fukunaga, also backs up this idea. If you're buying a trio, no worries, just key the horse.

The other horses to put on the wheel should be horses that couldn't perform quite well in their come back races from recess, I reckon, and yet not so bad as to show signs of fatigue. That'd be, Blanc Bonheur, Solveig, Bel Canto, Red Falx and Mickey Isle, just in case. Might add Let's Go Donki and Snow Dragon for 3rd place, though that's about it.

As for Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, it was good for Makahiki to draw an outer post for reasons I've already mentioned. His condition seems good as far as I can tell, so there's a big chance he'd come within 3rd place or even win. If some other horse should beat him, that would probably be young horses with the same or lighter weight, cutting in on the inside.

The End

Caterpillar

4:59 p.m. Fukunaga has done it! Not again! I will not forgive him this time. Will check his results of G1 races for the past five years and if things turn out like I am thinking, will not buy his horse ever again.

The number of times Yuichi Fukunaga has ridden in a turf G1 race since 2, October 2011 up till today is 82. The number of races he's won in those 82 is 5... 5!? Oh no, I'd expected it mustn't be a lot, but 5! Pull yourself together Caterpillar, and move on to the number of wins he's earned with the top favored horses... 2. He's doomed. And the magnificent horses that gifted him with these 2 precious wins were, Epiphaneia and Big Arthur.

The End

Caterpillar

4:07 p.m. So another lesson has been taught.

Do not buy Fukunaga's horse in a G1 race, especially when he's riding favored horses. Why? Because he can't win, that's why. I've been too gentle on him just because he was the son of a great rider. I was wrong.

If I may, I have two suggestions for this helpless soul: Don't think when riding, and don't touch the rein.

The End

Caterpillar

3:28 p.m. Again. He has done it again. And this time it's not Fukunaga, but Cow.

Cow forgot to upload the "Murmur" for yesterday because he was too busy and absorbed in his online game to vent his stress. That cannot be a proper excuse for neglecting his only job. Besides, he's done it 2 days in a row. I will have to punish him.

The End

Caterpillar

4:59 p.m. This might be good news for rain-grievers like myself.

It seems we will have sunny days for a while after the current typhoon has gone. Well, that's what the forecaster said in last night's news. Hango on, people on the Japan seaside and the Touhoku area! Stay indoors and away from windows if you live near hills or mountains. Sleep upstairs so you won't be crushed under the house in case there's a landslide while you are asleep. Evacuate to the nearest shelter before dark if necessary. And DO NOT go near rivers and fields to check the condition!!

In a couple of days, we will be blessed with fair weather. So hang on till then. And if we don't, we could blame the forecaster.

The End

Caterpillar

6:03 p.m. I had been busy all day and came back to my work place drained, just about an hour ago.

I slumped in my chair to squeeze out an ounce of energy to face the computer and proceed with my left-over work. As I was checking my mail, I realized there was one delivered from a distantly familiar name...!! Oh my God! It was a reply from someone I'd sent a message to about 2 years ago!

I wasn't expecting a reply after all this time so not to mention, this cheered me up greatly. He had attached some photos too, but I needed to get on with my work so think I'll save it up for later!

The End

Caterpillar

2:25 p.m. It seems Real Steel has scratched off from this week's Mainichi Okan, a prep race for the autumn Tennno-sho.

According to the crew, certain damage is left from the summer heat and the horse is not ready to race yet. I've read an article about Real Steel's latest training, but it didn't sound like he was in such a bad shape. Well, that is a layman's idea, though. Still, they've decided to scratch off and go to Tennno-sho directly because the horse wasn't in its top condition. What could this mean? Surely, it won't be easy to perform well in a G1 without running any prep races? Especially after that terrible Yasuda Kinen loss?

I wasn't going to buy his betting ticket anyway since his main rider was Fukunaga. But then, it looks like the owner side has finally run out of patience to switch the rider.

The End

Caterpillar

3:52 p.m. I'm not going to buy betting tickets this week, will just call the two prep races and see what happens.

Although the odds are very low as expected, I have no doubt in naming Kitasan Black as my key horse for Kyoto Dai-shoten. I mean, what else could it be? There are merely 10 horses entering the race, so the chance of it going wild is small. I'll just keep an eye on Sounds of Earth and Lovely Day. And if something goes wrong, like the track condition turns out to be much softer than it looks, then there may be a slight chance for Admire Deus, Tamamo Best Play and Hit the Target.

As for Mainichi Okan, again, this too seems to be run by a small number of horses. Considering this situation, Rouge Buck may be the safest choice. Stephanos, Ambitious and Win Full Bloom would be on the wheel, though if the track is soft, I'd suggest a win for Win Full Bloom.

The End

Caterpillar

5:51 p.m. Okay, I didn't know Kyoto Daishoten was going to be held tomorrow until I saw Opal Stakes running for today's main race at Kyoto. A blunder. Well, but I had the chance to grasp the turf condition. It's the opening week and the track is fast although it was a bit soft from the previous rainfall. That means it would be an advantage to horses that have quick feet in the last 3 furlongs; e.g. Last Impact, Sounds of Earth. So I will take back yesterday's call and suggest Last Impact and Sounds of Earth along with Kitasan Black, instead of Admire Deus and Tamamo Best Play.

On the otehr hand, Mainichi Okan has been held as expected, and Rouge Buck has won. It just kind of reminded me of the time she won Kisaragi-sho when she was 3 years old, small number of horses, an easy lap, unintimidating competitors. That also reminded me of the mountain of loss after that having fallen for her impressive win. I made a mental note not to buy Rouge Buck in Tenno-sho.

The End

Caterpillar

4:17 p.m. Ha. If I hadn't changed my call, I would have won. Kitasan has won Kyoto Daisho-ten, towing Admire Deus behind. As a matter of fact, I was getting dubious about Sounds of Earth while watching the paddock and thought he wan't fit enough to come in 3rd place, so if I hadn't changed my call and cut him out, my call for the race had been perfect. But that only sounds like an excuse.

Now that he's made a good start for the autumn races, Kitasan Black would play the main role in Japan Cup, his next race. Although there are still some things to keep in mind depending on the track condition and the barrier draw, I think he won't lose that big.

The End

Caterpillar

5:08 p.m. I should rather worry about Shuka-sho instead of Japan Cup.

Since Sinhalite has scratched off, it's definitely going to be a confused race. Every horse has a chance to win. Well, not every horse, perhaps. But still it's going to be a difficult race both to call and to win.

Looking at the entry sheet, I have absolutely no idea which horse might win right at this point. Guess I'll sleep on it for a couple more days until the barrier draw is announced, and then see how things turn out.

The End

Caterpillar

3:13 p.m. The Nobel Peace Prize for this year has been announced.

I've always thought that such a prestigious prize should be given to people who really deserve them, not to people who are already famous for their act which they might or might not have done. I really think this year's Peace Prize should have gone to these people instead of Colombia's chief of state. Syria's White Helmets Didn't Get the Nobel. But Their Rescue Work Continues

The End

Caterpillar

5:13 p.m. It's a little past five and already dark. Well, it's as cool as November so it wouldn't surprise me if it gets dark this early. Only a week ago, I was sweating profusely in my short sleeves and now this.

This is what rather surprised me. Because it was cool, I was smart enough to bring a denim jacket with me, but struggled to wear it while I was on the escalater at the station, not being able to find the hole that lead to my right sleeve. Then, someone held the jacket for me from behind, so I could thrust my right hand in through the hole. I turned to see a middle-aged, half bald businessman holding the jacket for me. He stood there shyly avoiding my eyes, so I said thank you and put on my jacket.

Didn't think I'd meet such a kind-hearted soul, that came as a happy surprise.

The End

Caterpillar

4:59 p.m. The barrier draw for Shuka-sho has been announced.

Ouka-sho winner Jeweler is in post number 2, Pearl Code in 3, Red Avancer in 5, Vivlos 7, Biche in 10, Win Fabuous in 12. Urm... this is really going to be difficult. Jeweler and Biche, the 2 most potential horses both drew good barriers, which means I can't just cut them off. Will have a hard time calling.

The End

Caterpillar

3:08 p.m. Right. I've decided my key horse to be Pearl Code. I keyed her for Floral Stakes, a prep race for the Japanese Oaks and was going to key her in Oaks if she'd entered the race. Unfortunately, she scratched off. I think she deserves another chance to win a G1.

On the wheel would be, Jeweler (just in case), Vivlos, Biche and Win Fabulous. Gahhhh! I didn't know Fukunaga was riding Vivlos...

The End

Caterpillar

5:35 p.m. Hmmm... not bad, not bad but...I didn't expect Kaiserball to come in 3rd.

Otherwise, everything was fine. I even forced myself to buy Viblos with Fukunaga on her back, because I'd me damned if he won after dumping my bet on Big Arthur down the drain last week. I thought Biche would either win easily or slump behind from her damage of sweeping her competitors in her prep race. That's why I picked Pearl Code as key horse over Biche. It turned out to be the latter so I had been right. As for Jeweler, I was quite skeptical. So my biggest mistake was that I hadn't actually chosen a horse that would come in 2nd or 3rd. Gah!

The End

Caterpillar

4:04 p.m. So, it's Kikka-sho week. What attracts my attention is whether Deep Impact descendants can win a long distance G1 such as Kikka-sho or not.

Looking back, Deep Impact descendants have never won Kikka-sho except for Deep Impact himself, and it's been rumored that they're not good with long distance. Basically I agree with this idea, though I might add that their main distance range would be around 1800m to 2200m at most however, they can manage to win a 2400m G1 while they are still young and fresh. But 3000m seems apparently too long.

Still, there are two Deep descendants that have come in 2nd place in Kikka-sho in the past 5 years; Satono Noblesse in 2013 and last year's Real Steel. Perhaps it's about time one of them win huh? What do you say, Dee Majesty?

The End

Caterpillar

3:57 p.m. As I was walking from the station to my work place today, I spotted an old man sitting on the river bank dropping a line. The weather was fine, nice day to relax on the river bank.

Next thing I noticed was that there was a heron behind him. The curious heron, approached the old man and was overlooking from behind his shoulder before I knew it. The old man was looking ahead into the river, not showing any signs of noticing the bird... Perhaps the heron was after the fish the old man might or might not catch, but the bird and man was so naturally close as though they were old friends.

Then, I don't know what got him, but the old man suddenly turned his head around to see the heron so close. His head seemed to jerk back from surprise. The heron, hopped back from caution. There was an awkward distance between the two, still the heron didn't fly away. I wanted to take a pic of the first scene but my smart phone navigation skill was too poor to match the speed of what was going on.

The End

Caterpillar

5:24 p.m. It's still more than a week ahead but the members entering Tenno-sho seems to be disappointingly lame.

The reason, I think, is because there are no 3-year-olds this year. It's looking like another G2 race, say, Mainichi Okan. Moreover, there are only 15 horses entered at this point. That means we need 3 more horses to make it full gate... Lame.

The End

Caterpillar

4:45 p.m. The barrier draw for Kikka-sho has been announced.

Satono Diamond is in post number 3, Dee Majesty in 6, Mickey Rocket in 8, Air Spinel in 13, Jun Vulcan in 17 and Mount Robson in 18.

The would-be favored horses both got in the inner posts. Think that's better than drawing outmost post numbers like 17 or 18 considering the course, but it might become disadvantage to Deep Impact descendants, as they can't perform well when forced to hit the brake when speeding up. However, inner posts can become an advantage especially when the track condition becomes soft, and rain is predicted for Osaka on Sunday... Will need more time to process information and think.

The End

Caterpillar

2:32 p.m. Oh yes, I almost forgot. The Orionids meteor shower is going to be at its peak tonight!

The condition for obseving however, is not so good for Tokyo. Cloudy skies are predicted for areas west from Tokyo tonight, and we still have a half moon out. It's a pity since the Orion is one of the easiest constellation to spot. But well, if we're lucky, perhaps we can catch a glimpse of a shooting star or two from between the clouds.

The End

Caterpillar

1:38 p.m. I couldn't even see the moon last night because it was overcast, let alone the Orionids meteor shower. Plus, I've been troubled with my iPad after I've updated its OS. It has accidentally deleted or hidden my most important notes data, a list of BL titles I've been checking out.

Troubles seem to pop up from nowhere especially when they're least wanted, so I haven't had the time to ponder my options for Kikka-sho. My current decision may not be a final one, but I'll put it up here anyway. My key horse would be Dee Majesty, I've decided that right after I saw his prep race and my mind hasn't been changed. On the wheel would be; Kafuji Prince, Satono Daiamond, Umbruch, Air Spinel and Prodigal Son. Satono Diamond, I think, might not come in within 3rd, so am keeping him in the wheel just for now. Might cut him out later. On the other hand, I'm thinking Air Spinel might have a better chance.

The End

Caterpillar

5:37 p.m. Dee Majesty has dug his own grave. Just like last week's Biche, he tried to sweep up from the outside. He's done the same thing in his prep race, so if he does it again he had a risk of running out of stamina. That was critical, considering the distance of Kikka-sho which was too long for him. I hoped he would stay in the inside until the last corner since he drew an inner post, but in vain.

Aaaaaand Fukunaga again... I was going to buy Rainbow Line if he'd come out in Tennno-sho, but Kikka-sho? I was dubious about the distance (and Fukunaga who'd already won last week), so I left him out and here he comes. Grrrrr! Never mind, I can cut him out this week if he rides on Satono Crown. I'm sure I can rest in peace.

The End

Caterpillar

4:17 p.m. Although I had screwed up Kikka-sho, I was in a quite good mood. Why? Because I've been able to recover my lost Notes data of BL titles, yay!

After I updated my iOS in a while, I realized that tome Apps have been not only renewed, but also improved in their usability. The Notes App was one of them, and it seemed that all the Notes data were linked with mail accounts I'd set up for the device. I couldn't find any "recently deleted" folder on my folder list of the new App, so I decided to check out my mail accounts. And wala! There it is in the "Deleted" folder! My list! Though I don't have any notion or memory of deleteing it.

Thanks to the new system, I was able to recover my precious list, hum hum.

The End

Caterpillar

2:46 p.m. Another problem with my iPad recently, is that I cannot take backups on my iTunes.

I've tried everything I can but my iTunes (newest version, not to mention) refuses to make a backup and always spits out the same error log, "iTUnes could not backup the data from your iPad due to session error." But the funny thing is, I can make backup files on iCloud via wifi. So I came to suspect the lightning dock connector. It must be this, since my other USB connecting devices are working without any problem.

Have brought myself today, an interdental brush to clean out the lightning dock connecter. Will clean out the dock and if I have time tonight, will try and see how it works with iTunes.

The End

Caterpillar

5:44 p.m. Speaking from the result, it didn't work...

My iTunes spitted out the usual error log, "Backup failed due to session error..." So it wasn't the lightning dock that caused the problem. Then what, WHAT?

I even tried the iTunes detection program which told me it couldn't find my iPad although it was connected via lightning cable. Currently I have absolutely no idea what is causing this problem of not being able to make backups on iTunes. Wonder if I have to drop by an Apple Store to improve this situation?

The End

Caterpillar

5:02 p.m. As I lied in bed last night, I suddenly remembered that Apple devices could be synched via wifi with iTunes. Does that mean I could also make backups on iTunes via wifi? Perhaps it doesn't work that way, but it's worth trying. I'll try and see this weekend.

In the meantime, the barrier draw for Tenno-sho has been announced. Horses like A Shin Hikari, Maurice, Rouge Buck and Real Steel seem to have drawn good post numbers. Still have tomorrow and Saturday to think it over, so details will be coming up later.

The End

Caterpillar

2:45 p.m. Here's the barrier draw of Tenno-sho.

A Shin Hikari is in post number 1, Clarent is in 2, Ambicious is in 3, Satono Crown is in 4, Logo Type is in 5, Satono Noblesse is in 7, Maurice is in 8, Rouge Buck in 9, Real Steel is in 12, Staphanos is in 14 and Lovely Day is in 15. And as of today, Friday afternoon, the most favored in win odds is A Shin Hikari, 2nd favored Rouge Buck, with Ambicious following. What happened to Maurice? I'm sure he'll come up tomorrow.

So, what's it gonna be? My call for the race, coming up tomorrow!

The End

Caterpillar

1:37 p.m. Sorry to keep you all waiting, folks. So here's my call for the autumn Tennno-sho.

Key horse is Maurice. Taking in all I can into consideration, the most possible horses that could come within 2nd place are Maurice and Real Steel. Between the two, I thought Maurice might have a better chance. On the wheel would be, A Shin Hikari (just in case), Ambitious (also just in case), Real Steel, Stephanos and Lovely Day. I'm still undecided about the key horse for my exacta, though. Torn between Maurice and Real Steel. Whether to key Maurice in 2nd place or to key Real Steel in 1st? Will have to give it some more time.

I've cut out Rouge Buck completely this time along with Fukunaga's Satono Crown, but Cow seems to be buying a trifecta of Real Steel, Rouge Buck and Clarent following the rules of Shiritori (Japanese word game). Hmm. It could be A Shin Hikari, Real Steel, Rouge Buck then. That sounds more probable.

The End

Caterpillar

8:55 p.m. Ha! I won!

Pity I didn't key Maurice on the first lace for my exacta, but that's not a big problem since the exactas were only for safe keeping and I'd won with my trio. Congratulations to those who believed my call!

The End

Caterpillar

4:29 p.m. It was past noon when JoOusama told me there was a message left on our answering machine from Cow. I didn't check the message, but turned on my smart phone that has been charging battery until then in a haste. We were going to stay at our homes this weekend, because Mr. N-jima had to work, but it seemed he'd called up Cow that he has cut work early. I had to rush off to the off-track betting to make it in time for the race.

And since I unexpectedly went out yesterday to buy betting tickets, I couldn't do anything with my iPad... Well, we're having a holiday this Thursday, so perhaps I might have some time then.

Anything goes for a couple of days. I'm in a good mood.

The End

Caterpillar