3:46 p.m. The temperature has suddenly dropped about 10 degrees after the second rainshower. Good thing I brought my fleece jacket with me, as I've worn a Metallica short-sleeved T-shirt today.

I'm at the office since our work goes on according to the calendar, but busines is slow today. I might as well make use of this time to start thinking about the next race, NHK Mile Cup.

The End

Caterpillar

2:45 p.m. It seems Sabu-chan has entered Kitasan Black for Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

I'm glad he did, though personally am against running him in Takarazuka Kinen. The crew says whether or not Kitasan would really run in l'Arc, will be decided after Takarazuka Kinen which they'd been planning. Competing in Takarazuka Kinen would only fatigue the horse and put more stress on him. There's nothing good especially, if they're thinking of running Kitasan in a prep race.

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Caterpillar

7:46 p.m. Constitutional Memorial Day today, so no work.

Have taken this advantage to finally make use of Moldex ear plugs I'd bought earlier. The effect of these wonderful ear plugs is already proven by squeezing them into my ears for a while, and hearing almost no radio noise from the next room. So I've went on and driven a hole into the center of each of them, to attach them onto earphones as ear pieces. If all goes well, tonight I will be blessed with sound sleep with nothing but soothing healing music flowing into my ears.

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Caterpillar

10:41 p.m. It's supposed to be Greenery Day today, so here's another off day.

Today's main task was to connect my old, possibly broken hard disk drive that I'd taken out from my lap-top a year ago to my renewed drive, and see if I can save any data. I'd bought a cable especially for this purpose.

My heart rate went up a notch when Windows announced that it was installing new device driver, though unfortunately, my computer didn't seem to recognize the connected hard disk drive. It means the disk is very likely to be physically damaged. And my heart rate dropped rapidly.

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Caterpillar

7:52 p.m. The last day of my Golden Week holidays.

Have been out to enjoy the now almost ritual tendon at Tenya, bought some T-shirts and came home to a message from a friend that she's arrived in Tokyo, and I'm expected at another karaoke gathering this weekend. Have also finished the daunting task of mending my old daypack. Perhaps I'll be able to use it again.

It wasn't such a bad holiday after all, including the Tennno-sho victory. Hold on, my call for NHK Mile Cup will be uploaded some time during Saturday.

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Caterpillar

3:15 p.m. So, NHK Mile Cup.

It's a pity having to say something like this after I've got you excited, but unfortunately, I cannot decide which horse to buy for NHK Mile Cup. Why? Because there aren't horses that have higher chance of winning than others. In other words, all horses have a chance to win.

Under such circumstance, I've narrowed the candidates down to Karakurenai, Monde Can Know, Jo Strictly, Divine Code, Rieno Tesoro and Red en Ciel in case the lap slackens to an average or slow. Karakurenai would probably the key horse. Though there will be chances for horses like Outliers, Platina Voice or even Gun Salute if the lap becomes tight.

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Caterpillar

11:40 p.m. Okay, I've keyed the wrong horse. I thought Mirco would ride Karakurenai the way he's done all along, in the back and sweep the other horses from the outside. But he didn't. Then there's no way he could win. Besides, the pace slackened, which made things easier for Aerolithe and Bonn Servico. I have to admit though, that Monde Can Know was a let down. The lap must have been on his side, too.

Still, my annoyment for Mirco got washed away in the karaoke meetimng I had with my friends. It's always good to have someone who remembers you.

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Caterpillar

2:23 p.m. Reviewing where I went wrong in NHK Mile Cup.

I've finally remembered that freshness priors to everything when it comes to Tokyo mile. Seen from that perspective, I should have keyed Rieno Tesoro. Other than that, I haven't done much wrong except I'd guessed the lap wrong. The horses I picked didn't do well as they were mostly for a tight-lapped race.

I still have two more chances left this season, though. Victoria Mile coming up this weekend and Yasuda Kinen, so I'd better bear this in mind.

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Caterpillar

4:40 p.m. I've dug out my notes for Victoria Mile Cup, so I was going to look back on it.

However, an unexpected client seems to be coming in which means I have to finish this in a zip and you all have to wait for that untill tomorrow.

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Caterpillar

3:01 p.m. Following yesterday's sudden visit, again I had something popping up. I am sorry, but you might as wellwait till Friday for more information about Victoria Mile after all.

By the way, my earphones modified by Moldex ear plugs are working fine. They don't shut out the radio noise completely, though enough to help me get to sleep. Good, good.

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Caterpillar

5:09 p.m. Cow has been attached to a character called Nyanko Sensei that appears in the anime, Natsume Yujin-cho.

I did start him off by mimicking the character's voice, played in the anime by Kazuhiko Inoue, so I've taken the time to search for a stuffed Nyanko Sensei on Google. There were several types sold at Amazon, from recommended high quality versions to something that looked more like a creature I don't know of. But both seemed to amuse Cow, so it was worth the searching.

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Caterpillar

2:13 p.m. It's Friday. The barrier draw for Victoria Mile has been announced.

At The Seaside is in post number 1, Smart Layer in 2, Jour Polaire in 3, Solveig in 4, Admire Lead in 5, Asuka Biren in 6, Rouge Buck in 7, Queen's Ring in 8, Halteclere in 9, Denko Ange in 10, Mikki Queen in 11, Ukiyono Kaze in 12, Hiruno Matera in 13, Let's Go Donki in 14, Frontier Queen in 15, Kurino Lahore in 16 and Leathal Weapon in 17.

My notes tell me that basically, I should think it in the same way as NHK Mile, which means the result would change according to the lap. If it's a slow lap, it would advantage horses that perform well in 1400m, while unfatigued, fresh horses perform better if the lap tightens.

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Caterpillar

12:48 p.m. Okay folks, I've done my homework this week and here's my call.

My key horse is Rouge Buck. She's been running mixed races lately, it's about time she'd come flying by on Tokyo turf which she performs well on. But her performance relies largely on the track condition, so you should keep a look-out for that. Soft condition would be better for her.

On the wheel would be, At The Seaside, Smart Layer for safe keeping, Solveig if she takes off the twelve extra kilogarms and Let's Go Donki.

The End

Caterpillar

9:22 p.m. Oh, darn. What was Rouge Buck doing in the back?

The race was on Tokyo turf, it was a mare race in a while, the track was soft, the lap was extremely slow, what more could she have asked for? And she stays behind... hopeless.

The End

Caterpillar

3:11 p.m. Victoria Mile turned out to be an uninteresting race, not just because I'd lost, but because it was won by Admire Lead, a horse that belongs to the pre-open class. In other words, it wasn't worth the top category race it should have been.

JRA has been screaming a slogan of "speed race" since around twenty or so years ago, and they seem to believe that the result time is all that matters. I've believed that is why they'd been paying tremendous cost and labor to keep the track condition as fast as possible.

However, that is not what I expect as an interesting or excited race.

The End

Caterpillar

3:46 p.m. I came across an article saying that Rouge Buck merely had her training only twice in the five weeks before Victoria Mile. That's what I feared. No matter how hard I try, I won't be able to win if the horses weren't fit enough to race in the first place.

I've always been looking out for training informations, though I've never seen one piece offered for free. Sure, you can find them on the racing papers like Keiba Book, but that cost 500 Yen.

If JRA sings fairness, they should at least release the training informations free of charge and easy to access. Information, meaning the date, time, frequency, course, lap, rider, track condition, partner name and class with the exact training menu.

The End

Caterpillar

3:27 p.m. As I was having a session with my client, an operation vehicle came out from the alley on the side of our office. The driver was wearing a hard hat as they usually do in most construction sites. The strange thing was, this guy was wearing a hard hat with a straw hat rim...

What was that rim for? Was it to protect him from getting tanned? Or was it just to avoid strong sunshine? But it's overcast today. Apparently, the rim looked like it had been attached from the outside of the hard hat with tape. I hate to be persistent, but what for?? Was he another crazy fan of One Piece? We both got nailed to this unusual outfit and couldn't focus on our discussion afterwards.

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Caterpillar

1:36 p.m. Darn, I can't make fun of Cow any more.

The other day, I asked Cow to buy me a pound of coffee when he went out shopping. He left singing, "Kiliman, Kiliman," so as not to forget, and came back without it, buying coffee swiped completely out of his head. Yesterday, I dropped by a mini-supermarket to buy a can of tuna, Japanese basil and cigarettes and came home without the tuna...

Have taken a look at the entry sheet of Japanese Oaks to cheer myself up a bit, but the members seem low level that it makes me think it might end up with the top three horses from Ohka-sho again. The orders would be reversed, though.

The End

Caterpillar

2:23 p.m. Let's get right down to it. The key is whether or not horses from Ohka-sho can perform well.

If Ohka-sho had been a tough race, horses that performed well will necessarily have some sort of damage from the race. This will make their performance in Japanese Oaks poorer than Ohka-sho, which means horses that didn't perform very well in Ohka-sho and horses from Oaks trials will get the advantage.

As for Admire Miyabi who gathered attention on SNS with "the forbidden rumor", I've read and article that she has been out for a graze after Ohka-sho. This only suggests she wasn't fit enough for the race. And I don't believe she can get herself back in perfect shape in this short period before Japanese Oaks.

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Caterpillar

2:31 p.m. Perhaps you can easily imagine how tired I am, since I've forgot to upload the barrier draw yesterday. And as you can guess, I'm fighting drousiness on this bright and breezy Saturday afternoon. So please forgive me if there were any typos.

My key horse is, again, Soul Stirling. I'll give her one more chance, on the premise that she keeps her weight. She has run five races since her debut and hasn't lost below 4th place. Either she has high potential or is about to sink low from fatigue for the first time in her life. I'd bet on the former.

On the wheel would be, Mozu Katchan (I buy post number 1 for Oaks and D'erby no matter what), Ho O Perfume, Black's Beach (also provided that she keeps her weight), Lys Gracieux and Admire Miyabi.

The End

Caterpillar

8:38 p.m. Everyone who believed me and bought Soul Stirring, Mozu Katchan and Admire Miyabi, congratulations!

As for myself, was too suspicious about Miyabi's condition that I cut her out at the last minute... Serves me right.

The End

Caterpillar

5:16 p.m. Well, let's looka at it this way, that Japanese oaks was a practice round for Japanese D'erby.

The course and distance is the same, so it provides good data, e.g. the track condition, potential horses that can perform well in such condition. If I was able to call Japanese Oaks right, then I must be able to win Japanese D'erby with the same process.

The End

Caterpillar

3:01 p.m. It's D'erby week. It's okay to feel a bit carried away I think, besides, the weather is fine.

So I went on with myself to check out some news while Cow was out shopping, to discover a horse from the same generation as Makahiki or Satono Diamond. This horse seemed to have gathered attention when he was 2 years old, having run a close match against the latest Victoria Mile winner, Admire Lead.

Expectations were laid on the horse as the future D'erby winner, though unfotunately he has been met with bowed tendon, a critical injury as a race horse. Still, he's come back on turf after long rehab, and has won the Australian Trophy last Saturday by 3 lenghts! Must go check out the video.

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Caterpillar

6:04 p.m. I was about to start some pre-reserach for Japanese D'erby and something pops up again.

I've been asked to translate an English form into Japanese. It's a certificate which is supposed to go through the hands of a lawyer onto a local goverment office to be processed, and I'm wondering why any of them refused to even take a look at this English document themselves. Just how unconfident could these people be with English?

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Caterpillar

4:38 p.m. The barrier draw for Japanese D'erby has been announced. So here we go.

Danburite is in post number 1, America's Cup in 2, My Style in 3, Suave Richard in 4, Clincher in 5, Satono Arthur in 6, Al Ain in 7, Trust in 8, Meiner Sphene in 9, Best Approach in 10, Persian Knight in 11, Rey De Oro in 12, Cadenas in 13, Jo Strictly in 14, Daiwa Cagney in 15, Kyohei in 16, Win Bright in 17 and Admirable in 18.

Ahh, Admirable in the outmost post is a question. If I remember correctly, he had a bad start and swept up the outside in Aoba-sho. If he runs forcifully like that again, he could run out of stamina before he hit the wire. Win Bright will have a chance if he goes up front. Cadenas has drawn a good barrier, Rey De Oro, I can't make heads nor tails, it will be up to Christophe.

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Caterpillar

1:42 p.m. I wanted to start calling Japanese D'erby, but I've got this damn document to translate.

The annoying thing is that I have to translate the whole application document, although the applicant has only filled in a few slots as it was unnecessary. Such nonsense.

Will get back to it now, and if all goes well, will be freed from this annoying, tedious, troublesome task by the end of the day.

The End

Caterpillar

4:43 p.m. I've finally sent the translation to my client, though I'm drained. I'm terribly sorry, but I haven't been able to focus on calling D'erby and as a result, haven't decided which horse to buy yet.

So far, I've reached up to the point to consider it must become a tough situation for the most favored, Admirable. I'm thinking of putting him on the third place, as there has been horses from the outmost post coming in third place in the past. Still, I'm rather reluctant to do so.

Other horses from Aoba-sho I think, is unlikely to perform better in a higher category, and horses that performed well in Satsuki-sho might have certain damage left. That leaves horses that didn't perform well in Satsuki-sho, and some other ones from other prep-races. Again, sorry but this is as far as I got this week.

The End

Caterpillar

9:17 p.m. As I'd thougt. It was tough for Admirable. Though I didn't expect the lap to be this slow. Legendarily slow. No wonder My Style who took the lead remained in fourth place.

I was torn between keying Admirable and Rey De Oro until the very end, and I just couldn't say which. So I bought them both. Good thing I kept Suave Richard on the wheel of my trio, I managed to win D'erby for the first time in decades since Jungle Pocket won.

The End

Caterpillar

2:46 p.m. Although I've won Japanese D'erby, the trio payout was not so much. Still It feels good to win the D'erby.

Well, it's true I'd already blew my several-hundred-Yen surplus money in Meguro Kinen, the last race yesterday.

The End

Caterpillar

2:28 p.m. May hasn't been over yet and the temperature has hit thirty degrees Celsius, which isn't the first time this year. Outside, the sun is beating down like mid-summer. The least salvation is that the wind is dry.

Perhaps because of the unusual weather, many people around me are having mental or physical problems. Some are in bed, some are rough housing, and I've left my cigarettes at home. The common thing about most of us is that we are all tired.

The End

Caterpillar

3:04 p.m. I've already lost two out of three Tokyo mile G1s this spring, so I'd definitely like to win the last one, Yasuda Kinen. Isla Bonita has been faovred so far, thanks to his previous win in Yomiuri Miler's Cup. But remember, that was the first win in over two and a half years? I'd gladly accept his being favored.

I've been secretly keeping an eye on Black Spinel as a long shot, though I didn't know that Matsuyama was going to be the rider. Well, not until today. That makes the situation more complicated.

The End

Caterpillar