2:55 p.m. I've been reeling over, too puzzled. And the truth is, I haven't decided which horse to buy yet.

Almond Eye is my key, why of course, I can't find a reason she would lose against more than 3 horses considering her competitors. I was going to key Indy Champ actually, but thought otherwise. The candidates that survived my check to stay on the list are : Keiai Nautique, Aerolithe, Sungrazer, Indy Champ, Mozu Ascot. Danon Premium, I'm still keeping on hold for 3rd place. Will have to suffer for another night, anyway.

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Caterpillar

11:12 p.m. I thought Almond Eye had luck on her side which as a matter of fact, turned out to be the contrary. If Logi Cry hadn't interfered her at the start, perhaps she could have won. Well, Danon Premium was completely out on his luck in that sense, since he was the most affected by Logi Cry's bolting.

Anyway, I finally got one of my eyes openedfor the first time this season with a trio win. Thanks, everyone.

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Caterpillar

3:17 p.m. So far there hasn't been any news about any kind of injury concerning Danon Premium. It seemed as though the horse was met with some kind of accident when he sunk behind in the last stretch. His rider Yuga Kawada, had gotten off Danon Premium after they hit the wire so I thought there must be somethihng worng with the horse.

The reason I worry about it is because it's very likely for a horse to develop injuries after it has performed its best. Racing against top horses on a speed turf like that after his high performance of Yomiuri Milers Cup, I wouldn't be surprised if he was injured.

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Caterpillar

5:29 p.m. It has been officially announced that Fierement entered the Arc. They still haven't learned Deep Impact descendants don't perform well on Longchamp tracks, or so it seems.

Meanwhile Ojuchousan has scratched off from the entry list of Takaraduka Kinen. Another disappointment, as I was expecting more than 15 horses to run the race. Otherwise my key horse will lose one of its advantages. Well, there still may be chances of other options. I'll hope for the second best.

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Caterpillar

1:55 p.m. We don't have any G1 races until Takaraduka held on the 23rd. So I went to take a look at the entry forms for the G3s held this weekend; Epsom Cup and Mermaid Stakes.

As always, lame competitors... Soul Stirring is entered in Epsom Cup, though I have a hunch she won't win. 2nd or 3rd at best? In my humble opinion, the reason for her lukewrm performance is not the distance but how the race is run, against how many horses. It might be a good idea to push her up to the front for a change. Who knows, it might actually "stir" her soul and help restore her fighting spirit.

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Caterpillar

2:48 p.m. The temperature shot up to 30℃ today but it might be the last sunny day for a while.

According to the weather news, rainy weather is expected from tomorrow and we could be entering the rainy season this weekend here in Tokyo. Ugh. Daunting.

But then, that would mean Takaraduka Kinen only 2 weeks ahead could possibly be met with rain. Hopefully, heavy rain since that could lead to yielding track condition and, resultingly a big payout.

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Caterpillar

2:26 p.m. Come to think of it, I've never had any good memories in Epsom Cup.

When I made Just Away, the later top horse in World Horse Rating my key, he had lost against Clarent, the later Tokyo course expert. When I cut out Rouge Buck after she'd lost Victoria Mile, she came in first place. However, there are no G1 races to call this weekend, so might as well call it as practice.

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Caterpillar

2:15 p.m. A list of horses entering Takaraduka Kinen has been released fron netkeiba.com, but hey, there are only 11 names on the list. What happened to Meisho Tekkon? Yutaka will be able to ride by then.

I almost gave up calling Epsom Cup despite of my words yesterday. Is this really a G3 race? Well, if I were you, I'd key So Glittering and buy a wheel of trifecta with Up Quark, Danon Kingdom and Karabiner.

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Caterpillar

4:29 p.m. Have been out on a run in a while. I hadn't been able to since there were G1 races every weekend and I had to go buy the betting tickets.

It started raining half an hour before the race which softened the track to cash in on Leyenda. So Glittering should have went up front considering the super-slow lap. After all, the horses that went up front just slided into first and second place. See? Epsom Cup never brings good memories.

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Caterpillar

3:23 p.m. This week's attraction is Unicorn Stakes G3. It's a race famous among the fans as a stepping stone to a dirt champion. Le Vent Se Leve, Gold Dream, and Nonkono Yume are all winners of this race.

I don't see any horse htat stands out like the former winners on this year's entry list, but you never know what happens in the future.

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Caterpillar

4:36 p.m. While I've been carried away in looking at the entry sheet of Unicorn Stakes, the names on the entry list of Takaraduka Kinen has somehow miraculously increased from 11 to 13.

I admire the challenging spirit of Soul Impact and Shonan Bach for entering the race. On the othe hand, can't help but wonder why Mer de Glace, Black Spinel or Gibeon aren't raising their hands, not to mention Blast Onepiece.

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Caterpillar

4:48 p.m. Unicorn Stakes seems to be considered as a match race between Due Process and Der Flug so far. Perhaps because they are the top two from Seiryu Stakes which is also known as a race to success and, run on the same course and distance as Unicorn Stakes.

Well, I hate to cast a damper but Dantsu Castle has a fast lap although on a different course. Kyoto dirt is famous for its fast track. If we have another rain on Sunday, could there be a chance for him to cut into the match race?

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Caterpillar

3:04 p.m. Cheval Grand who has come in 2nd in Dubai Sheema Classic has been told to have entered King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run on Ascot Race Tracks, July 27th.

According to a news article, 5 other Japanese horses have challenged this race in the past, with Cheval Grand's father Heart's Cry being the top performer earning the 3rd place in 2006.

It sure will be a challenge for Cheval, too. But he's one tough horse and I wish all the best for him. Wonder who the rider is going to be, Hugh Bowman?

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Caterpillar

2:39 p.m. The barrier draw for Unicorn Stakes has been announced.

Der Flug and Due Process have drawn post number 6 and 8 respectively, while Dantsu Castle drew post number 11. Not a bad draw for them, I guess. Will Due Process win the race to become the future dirt champion? Or will Der Flug or another horse hit the wire before him? Will Wide Pharaoh be able to perform well in his first dirt race? The questions will all be answered on Sunday.

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Caterpillar

1:54 p.m. I'm not good with dirt races so I haven't really looked into Unicorn Stakes, not really. If I'm to buy betting tickets, I'd probably buy these : Wide Pharaoh, Der Flug, Due Process, Dantsu Castle and Nova Lenda. I think it's too early to forget Nova Lenda yet.

Perhaps I should have called Hakodate Sprint Stakes but then, I'm not good at sprint races either. Besides, it's going to be an easy win for Tower Of London, what with 6 horses including Danon Smash disqualified in a 13-horse race.

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Caterpillar

4:04 p.m. And, it wasn't an easy win at all for Tower Of London, he lost in 3rd place.

As for Unicorn Stakes, Wide Pharaoh has beaten Due Process while Dantsu Castle slid in 3rd. It was a great performance for Wide Pharaoh, especially in his first dirt race. I hadn't trusted the rumor that he was really good on dirt, but the horse has proven it himself. Such horses that win a dirt grade race in its first try often goes up to G1, so must keep an eye on him. However, his background doesn't seem to welcome longer distance.

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Caterpillar

2:56 p.m. Last weekend had been a confusion with the banned drug incident. JRA announced that all the disqualified horses will be prioritized to enter races this weekend. Well, the incident did give Teruo Eda a grade race win in a while since Neko Punch.

And now, we've entered the Takaraduka week. But the race is beginning to look like the usual lame Takaraduka Kinen and my interest is waining.

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Caterpillar

4:56 p.m. So far the names on the entry list of Takaraduka Kinen barely count up to 13 however, Soul Impact has been announced earlier to enter Tanabata-sho held on July 7th instead. That's one less.

We still might be having additional scratch offs during the week, just like Le Vent Se Leve and Gold Dream have scratched off from Teioh-sho.

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Caterpillar

2:05 p.m. While horses entered in Takaraduka Kinen are wrapping up their training, Diedre is challenging for Prince Of Wales Stakes (G1) at Ascot with Yutaka Take on her back.

Prince Of Wales Stakes is a prestigious race and if Diedre wins, her name will surely put down in history. I don't know if she could perform well after Dubai Turf, but a fresh environment might do good to draw out her best.

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Caterpillar

2:36 p.m. JRA has announced the barrier for Takaraduka Kinen. Oh yes, it's Thursday but then, Takaraduka is a Grand Prix race. So here we go.

Kiseki in post number 1, Rey de Oro in 2, Etario in 3, Al Ain in 4, Tatsu Gogeki in 5, Stiffelio in 6, Makahiki in 7, Shonan Bach in 8, Clincher in 9, Noble Mars in 10, Suave Richard in 11, Lys Gracieux in 12. Okay, this draw was for Kiseki and Rey de Oro, I see.

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Caterpillar

2:41 p.m. Oh, no. My key horse is getting favored in win odds...

I'd decided my key horse for this race on the nigh Victoria Mile had finished and haven't changed my mind until now. I had decided my key horse for Yasuda Kinen on the same night, but have changed it to win only a trio. So this time, I'm determined to stick to it although I'm not sure how much longer I could hang on.

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Caterpillar

1:03 p.m. Aaaaand, my mystery key horse for Takaraduka Kinen is... Lys Gracieux. Am planning to put her on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and buy a wheel of Kiseki, Rey de Oro, Etario and Al Ain.

I know the payout won't be big, but I can't help it. If Rey de Oro has certain damage, perhaps there may be a wee bit of chance for Stiffelio or Shonan Bach to reach 3rd place, though I have a feeling that Al Ain would be in front of these two in that case.

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Caterpillar

10:27 p.m. I had been pondering about the orders of the horses but I just couldn't imagine any other horse winnning besides Lys Gracieux. Early this afternoon it suddenly struck me. If Lys Gracieux could win, why not Suave Richard?

I turned the idea over and over in my head and decided, perhaps not 1st but maybe 3rd. So I added Suave Richard on my list. After the race, I realized I had only marked Suaved on the 3rd of the Kiseki-Lys Graceiux-others trifecta and not on Lys Gracieux-Kiseki-others... Enough.

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Caterpillar

3:34 p.m. I've been so discouraged by my own both elementary and critical miss, I thought I won't be able to think about races any more.

But then, I find myself checking the weather wondering what the track condition would be for Tei-oh sho. Discouraged me says hey, are you gonna waste money again? 10 minutes later, I'm looking at the entry form of Radio Nikkei-sho, thinking to myself that Lance of Puraana will be the top-handicapped as he has won Mainichi-hai.

The thing is, I just can't quit.

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Caterpillar

2:50 p.m. So here I am, thinking about Teioh-sho held tomorrow at Ohi.

If I were to buy tickets, I probably won't buy Chuwa Wizard. Instead, I will kwy Omega Perfume on a wheel of Mogiana Flavor, All Blush, Mitsuba and Inti. The distance is the key, but I have a hunch Inti might hold since he's got Storm Bird, known for its rich physical strength in his mother's side.

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Caterpillar

1:53 p.m. They say a typhoon is approaching. It might land somwhere in Kyushu or Kansai, but so far Kanto won't be affected until later in the week. That means Teioh-sho will probably run on dried out track.

It was because of such track condition that I'd thought horses that can go up front will take advantage. The fact that my call is strangely alike to the results AI has figured out on netkeiba.com is a sheer coincidence. You can see that AI's are pretty stupid if they draw out the same conclusion as I do.

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Caterpillar

2:57 p.m. At least I got Omega Perfume right.

And another thing is, I didn't buy tickets. I know I'm not good at dirt races. Know thyself is what they say, in order not to make your deep wound even deeper.

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Caterpillar

2:54 p.m. Since my spring season was terrible (as usual), I decided to keep calling races as to improve my skills.

I haven't had time to check out but am thinking of calling CBC-sho this week. I know I don't have much time left, though will do the best I can.

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Caterpillar

2:53 p.m. I've tried. But this was the best I could do.

For CBC-sho, I will key Shonan Anthem, hoping he'd come within 3rd place. On the wheel would be A Will Away, Red en Ciel, and Ares Barows. That's all I can think of with my puny little imagination.

As for Radio Nikkei-sho, I would go for win and place on Dixie Knight with my eyes shut although I haven't taken a closer look. I've been marking him since Spring Stakes. Because he is a big horse, he might not be so good at tricky courses like Fukushima. But he's the one with the potential.

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Caterpillar

9:18 p.m. It was a total blunder. I was way far off the mark.

Summer races always give me a slap in the face. They are somehow very different from the spring or fall grade races and, I've never been ableto get the knack of them. I'm hoping to figure out the mystery this summer. Though I have a feeling I've been saying the same thing for the past couple of years...

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Caterpillar