4:13 p.m. As I passed by Shibuya station on my way home yesterday, I was greeted(?) with monsters from all over the world... I'd forgotten it was Halloween. I almost regreted not having a Jack o'lantern in my hands to scare the evil spirits away, since it was difficult to just get through the pack of monsters to my desired platform.

Somehow I got through safely to the platform and was waiting for my ride when the train slid in carrying another load of... monsters... Since when did this costume party become so popular?

The End

Caterpillar

2:57 p.m. Been asked to go on an errand by Cow on my way home.

I did have other plans, but he says there's a time limit for this errand so I had to give in. I might have rejected him with a simple "NO" as usual, though my good mood still seems to be lasting. Cow ought to thank Demurro and Kawada for that.

The End

Caterpillar

4:37 p.m. I've finally cleaned up my fan that's been left out too long and put it away. Also finished vacuuming and feel fresh. So I've settled down to check out the JBC Classics run in Kawasaki today, but to my diappointment discovered that they weren't broadcasting on MXTV. Ah, because the race is run on Kawasaki tracks, the only ground station broadcasting it is TVK (TV Kanagawa). I see.

My guess is that Kopanp Rickey would screw up today. He usually does after showing a high performance such as a win with a track record. My call is Awardy, Sound True and Hokko Tarumae though the payouts may be low. I should have warned Mr. N-jima not to buy Rickey this time.

The End

Caterpillar

4:11 p.m. JBC Classic finished with Awardy winning, Hokko Tarumae and Sound True in tow. So amazingly, I'd called right. Perhaps I should have bought betting tickets, I thought, and went on the Internet to check the payout odds.

According to the local horse race live streaming website, the trifecta of 9 (Awardy), 8 (Hokko Tarumae) and 6 (Sound True) amounted to... 42.3 to 1... what a modest payout. It's good I didn't buy it. It wasn't worth the risk.

The End

Caterpillar

3:05 p.m. There is no G1 race this weekend. So I'll call Argentina Republic Cup instead.

The key horse would be Volsheb. On the wheel would be, Treasure Map, Prestwick, Cheval Grand aaaaand maybe Festive Yell. Mousquetaire, I stopped to think because he has been suddenly pushed up to the most favored in win odds, but decided against it. It would take more to have him come within 3rd place.

The End

Caterpillar

5:06 p.m. The horses on my wheel all sank except for Cheval Grand in Argentina Republic Cup. Well, well, that's horse race. Even my key horse Volsheb barely made it in 3rd place. Think that was mainly because of his position, though. If Volsheb could get up front, perhaps he had a better chance to win.

What you might be concerned now, would probably be how Cheval Grand will perform in his next race, Japan Cup. Hmmm... this is going to be a bit trickey. The extension in distance would be an advantage to the horse, while there lies a risk in the short preparation time remaining until Japan Cup, merely two weeks. In order to win a G1, the theory is to easy-win the prep race to leave less damage. It might have been an easy win for Cheval Grand today however, the two weeks' time gap seems too short to recover. Therefore, in my humble opinion, Cheval Grand will not perform better than today, meaning that he would be put on the wheel unless some dramatic changes come up in the next two weeks.

The End

Caterpillar

3:50 p.m. It became suddenly cold, hasn't it? I wonder where autumn went? We're suddenly thrown into winter.

This weekend we're having Queen Elizabeth Cup and after that, three more G1 races in a row. Unfortunately though, I'm not in good condition. It seems I've developed a toothache having run on errands repeatedly last week by Cow.

Still, I've done my homework to check out the past winners of Elizabeth Queen Cup, as to make it a basis on the judgement of whether or not to key Maria Light.

The End

Caterpillar

4:58 p.m. My brain is refusing to work. Cow has turned on the heater.

It's still the beginning of November and although it became chilly from yesterday, I thought it was too early to start using the heater. Not just because turning on the heater would make me and Cow both useless, drowsing beasts, but also because the oil prices are going up again. Cow's lame excuse is that we need to try out if the heater works properly before full-fledged winter sets in.

Since Cow has pressed that forbidden swtich, I've turned into a useless chunk of meat and my brain is refusing to work.

The End

Caterpillar

3:11 p.m. And yet again, my brain is refusing to work. This time it's not the heater. We haven't turned it on yet today. It must be because of the herb tea I drank this morning.

Since my toothache hadn't improved, I decided to drink some herb tea that has antipyretic, pain-relieving actions. It seemed to work and the pain feels considerably better, though the drowsiness is more serious than yesterday. I've fallen asleep in the commuting train with my mouth open (didn't drool, I think) and struggled to keep my eyes open while I walked to the office.

So here's another wasted day with a clump of useless meat.

The End

Caterpillar

2:16 p.m. The barrier draws for Queen Elizabeth Cup hasn't been announced yet, Trump has become the President of the U.S. and my toothache is slightly improving.

Learning a lesson from yesterday, I refrained from drinking herb tea this morning, but had a full mug of it last night before I went to sleep. I merely slept as much as usual, so I had the usual drowsy wake up though the swell on my left chin seems better and the pain feels like it has subsided slightly.

So I am awake today, brain functioning as it should be. Pip, pip.

The End

Caterpillar

5:28 p.m. The barrier draw has been announced. My toothache has become better thanks to the herb tea, so let's take a look at that draw.

Mickey Queen is in post number 1 (!), Maria Light is in 2 (!!), Queen's Ring is in 3, Maximum de Paris is in 7, Touching Speech ridden by Ryan Moore is in 8, Pearl Code is in 15 (!!!).

I didn't expect the top two favored horses to both be in inner posts... Since they're next to each other, they'd have to fight over a good position during the race. This is going to be a tough choice to make.

The End

Caterpillar

2:15 p.m. I've spent half the morning to decide which horse to buy. So here's my call for Queen Elizabeth Cup.

My key horse is Maria Light, no kidding. I've gave it a good thought and decided. Starting from the inner barrier is a risk for her, as she is a Deep Impact descendant which means she performs best when she can gain speed smoothly, without getting bumped into or interrupted. However, her recent performances among top horses are remarkable. She's also the defending champion. Even if she couldn't win, she's the most likely to come within 3rd place. Otherwise it's going to be a wild race with horses like Meisho Mambo making her come back. I can't bet on such a risky outcome.

As a same Deep Impact descendant, same thing can be said fro Mickey Queen too, though I don't think she would perform better than Maria Light just back from a break. So I'll put her on my wheel of trio. Others on my trio wheel would be: Touching Speech (Ryan Moore is always worth betting), Sundarbans (for 3rd place), Primera Azul (for 3rd place not to mention), and Pearl Code. Besides this wheel, am going to buy some exactas keying Maria Light in 2nd place. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

The End

Caterpillar

9:39 p.m. It became a slow lap insrtantaneous force contest, the most unnteresting kind f race.

The reason Queen's Ring won and Maria Light lost is simply because of this. Though I admit it could have predicted. Maria Light who was probably going to and actually did, stretch her legs from the back sweeping up the outside was not able to make it to the top when the lap slackened like this. The horses playing dead in the inside and front have the advantage in such races. Thus,Queen's Ring.

Well, I've won Tenno-sho and JBC (though I didn't buy betting tickets), it's okay to lose is week. No one can keep winning. My goal for this year is to win Tennno-sho and Arima Kinen.

The End

Caterpillar

4:17 p.m. There's going to be lots of tweets about the Super Moon today I reckon, but it's raining here in Tokyo until tomorrow morning, I've decided to write about something else.

I didn't recognize during the race, though Maria Light have suffered interference in the first corner. I've just checked the video at JRA, and saw that Chaleur on the outside has leaned inside at the corner, forcing Maximum de Paris to move further in. Masayoshi Ebina, the rider of Maria Light running along the inside of Maximum, had to instantly pull back the reins to avoid his horse getting squashed between Maximum de Paris and Mickey Queen who was running the most inside along the rail. Maria Light slightly dropped her position by about a length which affected Proletariat. That's what I said about Deep Impact descendants having to hit the brakes. No wonder Maria Light didn't win, she couldn't.

Not to mention I went to confirm the rider of Chaleur. Fukunaga...it's you again. A mere warning is not enough for a punishment. Humph.

The End

Caterpillar

4:25 p.m. I just realized that we were already halfway into November. Oh God, I haven't done anything yet and this whole year is about to pass me, leave me behind in time...

Sometimes I wish that they'd just leave me behind. Life would definitely go on without me. I can stay in the here and now, feeling relief that I don't have to move on.

The End

Caterpillar

4:46 p.m. One of my clients has been to Hawaii last week, and she's bought us a can of assorted cookies from Cookie Corner.

Cow and I didn't know the brand but as we opened the package and started eating, mmm... we just couldn't stop! If anyone is traveling to Hawaii, I'd request either a box of Macadameian chocolate or a can of cookies from Cookie Corner from no on.

The End

Caterpillar

4:59 p.m. It's been a couple of days since the news of the massive sinkhole in Fukuoka has gathered attention all over the world. Massive Sinkhole in Fukuoka - The New York Times

I'm a native Japanese but even I was surprised at how fast they'd filled up the hole recovering all the life lines and made the street once again available for daily life. I didn't think it would be done in just a week! Moreover, the fact that the mayor has come out to appologize for the inconvenience in front of the camera, seems to be causing a commotion.

The mayor's actions were indeed honest though that is what most of us expect of leaders in our country. They are thought responsible for whatever troubles caused by their organizations. That's why they're paid well.

The End

Caterpillar

5:27 p.m. Okay, so the barrier draw for Mile Championship.

Decipher is in post number 1, Satono Aladdin, possibly the most favored, is in 2, Snow dragon is in 3, Lord Quest is in 4, Danon Shark is in 6, Fiero is in 7, Isla Bonita with Lemaire on the back is in 8, Magic Time is in 10, Clarent is in 14, Neo Realism who beat Maurice in Sapporo Kinen is in 15, and Mickey Isle is in 16.

Looks like there's going to be a chance for many horses... more coming up tomorrow!

The End

Caterpillar

2:17 p.m. I was going to announce my call for Mile Championship today, but some odd work came up and I haven't been able to make up my mind yet, sorry.

I've been comfused, even unable to choose my key horse... For the moment, I'm thinking of Decypher, Isla Bonita and Neo Realism, with Neo stepping out by a head, though I can't be sure. The horse has never run on Kyoto turf so I can't be perfectly sure how he would perform. Still a short recess after Sapporo Kinen might do him good as they usually have in his career.

Others on my mind right now, are Lord Quest, Young Man Power, Magic Time, Mickey Isle and Garibaldi. I'll add the ones that dropped out from my key horse pick to these.

The End

Caterpillar

9:00 p.m. Oh God, I've won again!

Well, it was good that Mickey Isle didn't get disqualified, otherwise I couldn't have won as I didn't buy either Satono Aladdin or Danon Shark. This should recover my spring season losses. On the other hand, I would have been more happy if Decypher hadn't been interrupted... Though that's only wishful thinkng.

The End

Caterpillar

4:09 p.m. Yesterday, the temperature went up to as high as 20 degrees though it has dropped down today, and is said to get lower by Thursday with even a threat of snow in the Kanto area. Ugh, the ups and downs again. Life is a series of ups and downs I suppose.

I've recollected my spring losses so now it's time to gain some. Unfortunately though, I have a really tight schedule on Saturday. Need to somehow arrange it and squeeze out time to call Japan Cup.

The End

Caterpillar

4:50 p.m. I was thinking of finishing my piled-up work today, though unfortunately, there has been some misunderstanding involving my meeting schedule between my client, and had to go through an instant meeting.

Not that that has worn me out, rather, it's probably becaue I've been deprived of sleep, thanks to JoOusama who turned the radio volume max, as soon as the Ememrgency Announcement was made. And here I am fighting drowsiness again...

The End

Caterpillar

4:53 p.m. As I've been looking at the entry list for Japan Cup, I began to feel like Dee Majesty is going to win. As a matter of fact, I've come to think that no other horse can win. When the barrier draw hasn't even been announced yet...

Well, it's still Wednesday. Let's not get too caught up in this thought, I tell myself. I'll keep in mind to think of reasons (and possibilities) of Kitasan Black, Gold Actor or some other horse winning.

The End

Caterpillar

5:06 p.m. The barrier draw has been announced, so let's go!

Kitasan Black is in post number 1, Gold Actor is in 3, Rouge Buck is in 4, Iquitos is in 5, Erupt is in 8, Dee Majesty is in 9, Sounds of Earth is in 12, Night Flower is in 15, Real Steel is in 16 and Cheval Grand is in 17.

Awww, did JRA cheat? Now I'll have to go from Kitasan...

The End

Caterpillar

2:46 p.m. They say the temperature went below zero last night. Brrrr. As I got out onto the veranda to have a smoke, I remembered that one of my sandals had froze stuck to the roof last year. Better watch out. Not to mention I kept stepping on either foot after that while I smoked. What a silly sight...

Haven't decided anything about Japan Cup yet, just checked out some things that nagged in my mind such as: Were there any 3-year-olds that performed well? What was the secret behind their high performance? I just needed some data to back up Dee Majesty.

The End

Caterpillar

12:35 p.m. I'm still undecided which horse to key, Kitasan Black or Dee Majesty, because there had been rumors that Dee Majesty didn't perform so well in his training.

Well, normally, it should be Kitasan Black. The only risk is that he might be taken over in the long homestretch, but if he can keep the top until then, it's very likely that the horse would remain within 3rd place. But I just can't shake off the thought of Dee Majesty... I'm also torn between Real Steel and Cheval Grand. I don't think Cheval Grand would perform better than Argentina Republic Cup, though I'd be damned if he came in 3rd with Fukunaga on his back...

Right. I've made up my mind for now. Key horse, Kitasan Black. On the wheel would be, Gold Actor, Rouge Buck, Dee Majesty, Sounds of Earth, Real Steel. Rather go for Real Steel than the easily-fatigued Heart's Cry descendent, unless Real Steel has extreme gains or losses.

The End

Caterpillar

9:02 p.m. Kitasan Black was right. But I made a mistake about which to choose between Cheval Grand and Real Steel. I had to buy Cheval Grand.

Well, I didn't expect to win two races in a row. My goal for this season is to win Tenno-sho and Arima Kinen, that stays unchanged. I've already won Tenno-sho, so all ends well if I could win Arima Kinen.

The End

Caterpillar

3:23 p.m. This week we're having Champion's Cup. I still can't get used to this name and often end up calling it Challenge Cup instead.

It seems the race is going to be run with "the usual" members, which means I can't go against Awardee. Fortunately or unfortunately enough, Mr. N-jima has to work this week and we're not going to the off-track betting. So I'll make use of this precious opportunity to take as much time as I want to decide, what other horses I would put on my wheel.

The End

Caterpillar

5:25 p.m. We haven't entered December yet and why am I on such a tight schedule? Why?

As I fell asleep on the heating carpet last night, I woke up at an awkward time before dawn and fought hard to stay up. I was supposed to have more than enough time today to work on my original manga, but somehow my hard-earned time vanished into nowhere and I'm being whipped up to work.

I'm not sure if I could survive until the weekend to call Champion's Cup.

The End

Caterpillar

3:39 p.m. Sad news came in.

Tagano Tonnerre who had won this year's Musashino Stakes and was entering Champion's Cup has had an accident after training. The horse was met with critical injury when it broke loose after training and euthanized.

It breaks my heart to hear such news. Injuries duirng races or trainings can't be avoided, but this... I hope the crew would come up with specific measures to prevent such accidents to never happen again.

The End

Caterpillar