6:03 p.m. The barrier for Champion's Cup has been announced. It will be run with only 15 horses this year, because of Tagano Tonnerre's sad accident and the scratch off of Hokko Tarumae, who also was slightly injured after his training.

Awardee, definitely the most favored is in post number 2 (could this be another cheating?), Asukano Roman is in 4, Roi Jardin is in 5, Lani is in 7, Sound True is in 8, Nonkono Yume is in 9, Kopano Rickey is in 11, Gold Dream is in 12, Apollo Kentucky is in 14 and Moanin is in 15.

I can't make heads nor tails from this yet, I've been too busy this afternoon.

The End

Caterpillar

5:55 p.m. Another busy day. Haven't been able to do much yet. I've been reluctant to turn the page of the calendar in my vain attempt to remain in November when things are not so hectic in Japan, but the page has been turned and now it's December no doubt. The beginning of hell.

I can't be sure as this Champion's Cup has only been run twice, though because these two years have both became wild races, I have a feeling that it might happen again.

The End

Caterpillar

5:19 p.m. I'm sorry folks, I still haven't been able to decide my key horse. I won't use bussiness for an excuse today. I just haven't been able to make up my mind.

As I have mentioned yesterday, I have a terrible feeling that Awardee might not win this time. So I've been trying to pick one horse to key besides Awardee, but in vain. It might be a better idea to buy box instead of trifecta or trio wheels. The horses to buy are: Awardee (just in case), Roi Jardin, Sound True, Nonkono Yume (just in case), Kopano Rickey.

The End

Caterpillar

9:22 p.m. As I've learned that Awardee has gained 10kg, I felt more unsure about his winning. Just when I've decided which horse to buy and which not to, I realized that the horses were already gathered in front of the barrier in my TV screen. What? The time was 3:27, only 3 minutes before the horses sprang out of the barrier. I couldn't buy betting tickets.

I didn't notice that the starting time was 3:30, 15 minutes earlier than usual... What an elementary mistake!

The End

Caterpillar

4:38 p.m. Okay, I got it. I've reviewed Champion's Cup and have learned how to win.

The trick is to buy the horses that have performed well on Chukyo dirt 1800m tracks, and to buy only the horses in inner posts especially, when that horse is not a front runner. Chukyo dirt 1800m has a unique setting that often fastens the lap. Usually when a race lap becomes fast, horses sweeping up the outside from behind get the advantage. But this doesn't happen on Chukyo dirt 1800m.

Now that I've learned how to win Champion's Cup, the question is whether I can remember that until next year, which is admittingly very doubtful.

The End

Caterpillar

4:49 p.m. As I'd done my homework last weekend and finished drawing three different patterns of roosters, I've got Cow to pick one and scan it for the New Year greeting card. I'm trying to move ahead of schedule this year, to not panic at year-end as usual.

I've had Cow put the scanned image in my Flash memory, so all I have to do now, is to take it into my computer at home, open it on a newly installed drawing software, put colors on it, add some words, then bring it back to Cow so he can print it out on the cards. Ugh. Still s long way to go.

The End

Caterpillar

2:48 p.m. My heart is a bit light since I've finished the first stage of designing/printing the greeting cards. I've also briefed through the entry form of this week's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, and checked the fillies that might possibly perform well besides Soul Stirring, of course. I can't cut her out.

These done, I think I can finally focus on moving on with my other pending tasks.

The End

Caterpillar

4:57 p.m. Koshiro Take, Yutaka's younger brother has passed the exam for trainers to become a trainer.

I had a feeling as his father who had been a trainer had passed away this August. Also, Koshiro himself got off Meisho Mambo he had been riding all along. But the news broke out at such a perfect timing, that I couldn't help suspecting there was something going on behind the passing of his trainers' exam.

Well, he probably couldn't have ridden much longer, as the weight control must be taking a toll on him. Think it's a good chance to start his second life.

The End

Caterpillar

2:51 p.m. All right, so here's the barrier draw for Hanshin Juvenile Fillies.

Dipavamsa is in post number 1, Frankel's daughter Soul Stirring is in 2, Reine Minoru is in 4, Jeune Ecole is in 11, Sigrun is in 16, Vou EtesJolie is in 17 and Lys Gracieux.

All I have to do now is consider my candidates' performance taking the barrier in account.

The End

Caterpillar

2:47 p.m. Although Soul Stirring has won two races in a row, I don't trust her especially in a full-gate race like this. So I will not key her.

My key horse on trio is Vous Etes Jolie. She has already won a G3 and is fresh back from a three-month's break. On the wheel would be, Dipavamsa, Soul Stirring of course, Satono Alicia, Gold Cape and Sigrun. Perhaps I might get aggressive and buy exactas keying Vous Etes Jolie on the 2nd place.

The End

Caterpillar

5:12 p.m. I thought Vous Etes Jolie must be in good condition after a three-month's recess, but she came out losing 10 kilograms. It's obvious that it was a matter of condition that she couldn't perform well, no doubt. Minus 10 kilograms, without long-distance traveling, after recess, I wonder what the crew were doing? Well, she's still 2 years old, there may be things that don't reach my ears.

Soul Stirring seems to be in a different dimension. If Mr. Fujisawa sticks with this present style, entering races with certain intervals, she might sweep up the wins.

The End

Caterpillar

3:24 p.m. As I look at the lap time of yesterday's Hanshin JF, I can tell it was run in at a mediam pace since the lap time of the first three furlongs and the last three respectively, are recorded as 34.7 and 35.2 seconds.

Generally, a medium-lapped race has the lowest impact when it comes to horses' fatigue and stress. Therefore, it is easy to understand that the top three horses of this race have all performed well in their previous races. They weren't forced to exhaust their strength as in high-lapped races. That's why it ended in an uninteresting payout of the top three favored horses. Hope this week's Asahi-hai will not become the same.

The End

Caterpillar

2:26 p.m. It was Frankel's daughter that won last week while there were no Deep Impact descendents enetered as her competitors. This week there are three Deep descendents entered in Asahi-hai, and another Frankel fillie, called Mi Suerte.

Following the easy win of Soul Stirring, Mi Suerte will be favored no doubt but I shall keep in mind it's a different race. Different race, different horse. Just because Soul Stirring won, it doesn't automatically mean that Mi Suerte is a great horse too.

The End

Caterpillar

5:27 p.m. I usually set the TV "on" timer when I sleep so as to help me get up in the morning. This morning, I was awoken by the most disturbing talk about gambling addictions on a variety show, related to the Integrated Resorts and Casino bill that has passed yesterday.

There's much to say, but will turn a blind eye to it for today, for the sake of the Geminids meteor shower which has reached its peak this morning. We're having a full moon tonight and as time has passed since the peak, I must admit it is not a grateful condition to see meteor showers. Still, I might be able to catch one or two.

The End

Caterpillar

6:10 p.m. I was going to write about the addiction for gambling, but I've come across this video of Zakiyama (Japanese comedian) that came as a blow to my tired body and soul, I decided to put a link to it. A Scene From Immigration

Laughed so hard that I thought something might pop out from my body. The "small body" and "future, two men" part killed me, really!

The End

Caterpillar

5:32 p.m. Here's the barrier draw for Asahi-hai Futurity Stakes.

Clear The Track with Mirco on his back is in post number 6, Danburite is in 8, Monde Can Know is in 10, the only fillie and Frankel's daughter Mi Suerte is in 13, Satono Ares is in 17 and Trust seeking for giant killing is in 18.

Frankly speaking, I don't know where to start. All I can say now is that the outmost barrier for Trust may become a disadvantage, though I'll have to check and see his career and performance up till now to say more.

The End

Caterpillar

2:28 p.m. Jeez, I almost called it with a Nakayama setting. No, no, Asahi-hai has been run on Hanshin turf since the year before last.

Following Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, I simply think horses with spontaneous speed would perform better. My key horse would be Danburite. Have learned a lesson a couple of years ago, to never leave out a colt who hasn't lost below 3rd place in mile races, not in Asahi-hai. On the wheel would be, Clear The Track, Monde Can Know, Mi Suerte, Satono Ares and Trust. It might be a difficult race for Trust (unless it becomes high-lapped), but wold like to see how he'd perform.

The End

Caterpillar

5:56 p.m. Where was Danburite?

I had a hunch that Mi Suerte won't perform so well. That's why I put her on my wheel instead of key. Well, she has a high potential, that's for sure. The question is whether the rider could tame her or not.

It looks like the outside mile course for Hanshin becomes more like a 1400m race, especially when they're slow-lapped. That means horses with simple speed that performs best in 1400m would dominate the top positions on the bulletin, just like they did today and last week. I should write that down somewhere.

The End

Caterpillar

4:25 p.m. Darn! As I was too caught up in putting colors on the illustration for our greeting cards, struggling with my newly downloaded and installed Fire Alpaca (a drawing software), I have missed the historical game of club world cup, Real Madrid vs Kashima Antlers.

I've worked myself too hard over the weekend and I haven't fully recovered. Need some rest and refreshment before I even start thinking about Arima-kinen.

The End

Caterpillar

3:20 p.m. I've dropped by the post office to buy some postcards for the greeting cards. It's been a tradition to design, print and send out New Year Greeting cards, and since the designing part was mostly over, I moved on to buying the postcards.

What happened was Cow pointed out that the receipt I'd got at the post office said "52 Yen" on the total. If my memory was right, I'd purchased fifty cards which cost 52 Yen each. I'd paid 3,000 Yen for a 2,600 Yen purchase and received 400 Yen for change.

Not to mention I went back to the post office to complain and have the receipt corrected. Now of all times when I'm busy as hell, humph.

The End

Caterpillar

6:06 p.m. It's been announced! The drawing has taken place "publicly" this evening, with Major Leager Masahiro Tanaka being the presenter again, and the results have been announced just now.

So here we go. Kitasan Black is in post number 1 (as expected), Gold Actor is in 2, Mousquetaire is in 3, Yamakatsu Ace is in 4, Samson's Pride is in 5, Sounds of Earth is in 6, Maltese Apogee is in 7, Mickey Queen is in 8, Hit The Target is in 9, Admire Deus is in 10, Satono Diamond is in 11, Satono Noblesse is in 12, Denim And Ruby is in 13, Cheval Grand is in 14, Albert is in 15 and Maria Light is in 16.

Humph. Cannot help but feel intentions behind this result, especially concerning Kitasan Black, Satono Diamond and Maria Light.

The End

Caterpillar

5:59 p.m. Cow and I have discovered that Japan Cup winners haven't performed well in Arima Kinen for at least the past ten years.

That puts Kitasan Black in a tight spot. Well, personally, I've been having doubts lately about Kitasan. The reason is because he'd won Japan cup taking the lead from start to finish. Winning without being taken over puts a lot of mental damage on the horse, not to mention the example of Ashin Hikari.

Although Kitasan Black has won Japan cup easily by 2 lengths, which is a theory for prep races especially when aiming to win the next G1, I cannot wipe off my concerns for his mental damage.

The End

Caterpillar

10:11 p.m. It's been exceptionally warm for the past two days, and I almost thought we were through with winter. But here we go again, thrown back into the cold from tomorrow...

Have been thinking all day weather it should be Kitasan Black or Satono Diamond, though haven't come to a conclusion yet. If Japan Cup winners haven't even come in 3rd place in Arima Kinen for so long, I think there must be some reason regardless whether we could find it or not. On the other hand, there is nothing that grants Kikka-sho winners either.

Well, still have another day.

The End

Caterpillar

4:35 p.m. Aaaaand I'm still undecided...

It's a bad sign when you're undecided about which horse to key. I don't think I've ever won a race when I'm torn between more than two horses. Frankly speaking out my mind, I don't think Kitasan Black will win. He might come in 2nd or 3rd, but if worse comes to worst, he might even vanish from the bulletin. Even so, I can't be positive about Satono Diamond either. Kikka-sho winners are relatively advantaged due to the race gap and the weight they carry, though I just can't be sure enough to key him.

It all depends on the lap. Whether it will become a monotonous lap or pace up from some point will affect the result drastically. Okay. I'll decide my key horse as Satono Diamond for now. On the wheel would be, Kitasan Black, Yamakatsu Ace, Mickey Queen, Admire Deus, Cheval Grand and Maria Light. Might narrow down a bit more. Have a happy Christmas and Arima Kinen, everyone!

The End

Caterpillar

9:26 p.m. Darn, I've cut out Gold Actor at the last minute because I thought he wouldn't perform better than Japan Cup. If either Yamakatsu Ace or Mickey Queen had taken him over, I would have won a trio!

But that's what you call wishful thinking and THIS is horse race. I'd have to say that the small payout was a compensation.

The End

Caterpillar

4:59 p.m. Fatigue has taken a toll on me and it seems I have caught a cold. I can feel my throat swelling up.

When it rains, it pours, as they say. Mr. N-jima had tried to cheer me up that there's still Tokyo Dai-shoten, but I'm afraid I'm not in the condition to be calling it.

The End

Caterpillar

7:14 p.m. Though I said I wasn't in the state to call Tokyo Dai-shoten, I thought it wouldn't hurt to take a peek at the racing form. After all, it wasn't the flu, just a slight fever and the usual cold symptoms. And oh, my.

14 horses have entered the race, but it's practically a 7-horse-race as is often the case with integrated grade races run on local tracks like Ohi.

There's not much to call in such a race, the only question is whether Sound True can hang on to hold the 3rd place or not, which I think is pretty difficult at this point.

The End

Caterpillar

11:22 p.m. Laugh or cry, it's going to be the last G1 race of this season. So I'd like to share my calling for Tokyo Dai-shoten.

Key horse would be Awardee, I'm sorry I can't do anything about it. I'd buy trifectas keying Awardee on the 1st, and put Mozu Raijin and Sound True on the 2nd and 3rd of my wheel. Possibly, might narrow down to a trifecta of Awardee, Mozu Raijin, Sound True.

Figured there won't be a chance for Kopano Rickey or Nonkko. Happy Dai-shoten! Hope everyone would have a great year-end!

The End

Caterpillar

11:12 p.m. Great job Yutaka, that was a brilliant 2nd place.

The thing is, since I went out for some shopping, I've bought my trifecta ticket to which I added Apollo Kentucky just in case. And Apollo wins taking over Awardee. What a nice ending.

The End

Caterpillar

1:22 p.m. When I went out yesterday, I bougth a pair of second hands mouton boots for 105 Yen. They were almost new, but one of the studs had come off and lost, so that was probably the reason it was sold off for such an unbelievable price.

Today I've been out again in search for a silver cone-shaped stud to repair the boots. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the same type, though the shopkeeper of a leather crafts shop has offered to give me a dome-shaped one. I couldn't just take it for free, so I bought a leather choker that can also be worn as a bracelet when wrapped around the wrist in a double ring.

So far, the stud I repaired doesn't seem to stand out. Looks okay. Although the boots were a bit oversized, there's not much problem walking in them with the help of 100-Yen shop insoles. Above all, I've learned that mouton boots are really warm! No wonder everybody's wearing them.

The End

Caterpillar

7:03 p.m. It was late evening yesterday when I realized that the clock of my computer was more than six hours behind time. Not a big problem. Reset and relaunch. Hmm? Shut down is taking a long time... uh-oh. Don't tell me there's something wrong.

My lap-top restarted without incident except for the clock. Phew. But when I started the computer this afternoon, it let out two beeps and displayed a black screen... No. Not the hard disk, please not the hard disk, I've only used this one for 7 months after I'd replaced it with the broken one!

As I gingerly read on the logs on the black screen, my eyes stopped at a line which said, "ERROR 0271 : check date and time settings" Ah, it must be the CMOS battery running out. Gee, you scared me.

The End

Caterpillar