6:45 p.m. It was very hard choosing between the unreliable 4-year-olds and an unstable 5-year-old. I racked my brains to decide in the end, I'd rather jump off the cliff with the unstable 5-year-old than feel terrible being deceived yet again by the unreliable -4-year-olds.

That is why I've keyed Liebfraumilch instead of Beach Samba or Fairy Polka, putting the latter two both on the wheel, together with Red Anemos (another unreliable 4-year-old) and Naruhaya. Hope my decision proves right.

The End

Caterpillar

4:14 p.m. I see. The moment I try to win, things start to go different. It's something psychological rataher than the technical part of calling races. I should have keyed Beach Samba instead of Liebfraumilch.

But then, it's also true that my call has been a blunder, since I'd cut out Scarlet Color. Anyway, have learned a good lesson. The end of the rainy season has finally been announced for Tokyo and the washing has dried crisp. I feel good despite my loss.

The End

Caterpillar

4:00 p.m. My biggest mistake yesterday was that I'd gone blind with greed. I've been keying potential horses even when they were favored, but Beach Samba was suddenly pushed to the top of the win odds Saturday evening and I gave in to my desire. A fool I am, I know that.

This week there's going to be 2 grade races, both on dirt. Leoppard Stakes is for the 3-year-olds, so I'm leaning on Elm Stakes in Sapporo with familiar names entered.

The End

Caterpillar

6:45 p.m. Elm Stakes... that's the race Highland Peak comes to win every summer if I remeber right. And he's entered this summer as expected.

Since Highland Peak has performed well in 2018 and 2019, which means he has the potential to perform well on Sapporo dirt 1700m. However, that doesn't automatically give him the license to win this year. The crew has chosen the same step race as last year, though he horse has turned 6 years old now. Not many horses reach their prime at this age. Cheval Grand was exceptional.

The End

Caterpillar

5:44 p.m. I tried turning to my notes from last year for help but it turns out that I hadn't left any notes on Elm Stakes... What was I doing? Probably I wasn't focused on the race last summer... Let's see what I've written in the "Murmur" last year.

It seems I keyed Grimm because I thought he was outstanding omong the competitors on a wheel including Mozu Attraction, Time Flyer, Dream Kirari and Highland Peak and lost... Ah, now I remember. The next thing to do is to find out why Grimm ddin't do well, I suppose.

The End

Caterpillar

1:25 p.m. I ususally check the news in the morning. And this morning, my personal breking news was that Epoca d'Oro has retired.

Sure, they must have worked hard to bring the horse back on turf, though it's a huge disappointment waiting all this time. I wonder what had been the problem? Had it been something mental, or did the horse have any physical trouble? I wish I knew.

Now that another classic winner has left, the 5-yewr-old male horses face another downgrade while Fierement is barely hanging on and Wagnerian not living up to our expectations.

The End

Caterpillar

7:10 p.m. It is summer that finally came after a long spell of more than enough rain however, there must be people like myself who are already complaining about the heat. Tokyo has hit a high of 36 degrees today. No wonder.

Meanwhile the barrier draw for Elm Stakes has been announced. Time Flyer drew a good post considering he can gain speed smoothly. It's just that I'm a bit concerned he might have some backlash from the high performance of his previous race.

The End

Caterpillar

7:52 p.m. Have been driven with work as it was my last day at work before summer vacation... so I haven't decided whivh horse to key yet, sorry.

Currently, I'm torn between Westerlund and Air Spinel, unable to put full trust on either of them. On the wheel would be Lien Verite, Highland Peak, Time Flyer, and Baskerville, though I really haven't had enough time to look into them so things might change.

The End

Caterpillar

4:37 p.m. My intuition is running completely low. From the two candidates, I've chosen Air Spinel to key on my wheel and he sinks in 7th place while the unchosen Westerlund comes in 2nd...

Time Flyer has laughed away my concern to win, even Highland Peak has come in 4th place. Wonder how I could recover from this state? Usually, it takes time.

Of course I've had such experience a number of times before and the only way to get back on course is to review the process of calling, take one thing at a time and move on. Relax, take it easy. It's the summer races after all.

The End

Caterpillar

5:05 p.m. This week we're having two grade races Sekiya Kinen at Niigata and Kokura Kinen at Kokura, one non-grade race UHB-sho at Sapporo.

Again, I'm facing the hardship of chosing whoch race to call, while all of them is expected to be a mixed race. Meanwhile, Ayutsuri Oyaji came back empty-handed again. He ran Cluster Cup but sank in 7th place, way behind the winner, Matera Sky. Cheer up old guy, gumption!

The End

Caterpillar

2:22 p.m. It's excruciatingly hot and I had to go out on a day like this, of all days... What kind of new sadistic play is this? Since I got out, I dropped by the office to write this. Thankfully, our place has air conditioning, phew. People would die without air conditioning. I admire whoever had invented this, they shoud give him/her a nobel prize instead of some money-blinded scientist.

Whether to call Sekiya Kinen or Kokura Kinen is a problem. UHB-sho has already been dropped as it's not a grade race. Let me sleep on it for a couple more days, will you?

The End

Caterpillar

5:25 p.m. Hmm... Primo Scene, supposingly expected to be the most favored in Sekiya Kinen has won this race before, so she has the potential to do well. She also performs well after coming back from recess. It's plausible she'd be favored though her performance relys on the barrier she draws.

As for Kokura Kinen, Summer Scent also presumably the most favored, has a glitch because she is a Harbinger descendant that has performed well in her previous race. Harbinger descendants tend to sink after high performances.

I shall wait until the barrier draw to decide which race to call. Will just work on other things to do today, and hope the sky will clear up by midnight when I might get a chance to see the Persaids meteor shower.

The End

Caterpillar

6:32 p.m. There's been a sprint grade race yesterday at Saga tracks, Summer Championship which Kopano Kicking was entered. The reason it caught my mind was not just because Yutaka was going to be the rider, but because I was skeptical about the horse winning.

The results show Kopano Kicking to have finished in 3rd place although he was the most favored in win odds. I haven't seen the lap time so I can't be sure, but from the results that horses that went up front finished in better prizes, the pace must not have been so tough. Kopano Kicking has kept a good position at 5th from the top, yet he couldn't take over his rival.

There might be opinions that Kicking had to carry more weight or that the distance was the upmost of the horse's range, but what I fear is that Kopano Kicking has passed his prime. His performance for the past year seem to have downgraded to my eyes. There's a prime time in every race horse and the span of it tends to be shorter in sprint horses. Meaning, I can't key Kopano Kicking on 1st place any more...sad.

The End

Caterpillar

6:35 p.m. Okay, I've made up my mind. Will call Kokura Kinen this week.

Primo Scene expected to be the most favored in Sekiya Kinen is a Deep Impact descendant which don't perform well starting from inner posts. However, rain is predicted for Niigata tomorrow which could merit the horse though there will also be other horses feeling grateful for the rain. As for Kokura, no rain is predicted as of this afternoon, and the pace can't become slow unless it's deliberately slackened. Chances are that Kokura Kinen is easier to call. Thus, I will call Kokura Kinen instead of Sekiya Kinen. Period.

The End

Caterpillar

7:16 p.m. Finally done. I've been bothered with unexpected things to do popping up here and there, but I finally finished calling Kokura Kinen.

I will key Rambling Alley on a wheel of Misdirection, Satono Garnet and Summer Scent. Think I shouldn't go against Yutaka riding in Kokura. It's his favorite course.

Now, I shall go downstairs and fix the water tap, and tomorrow I have to visit the family grave in this murderous heat...

The End

Caterpillar

5:53 p.m. Aw, the pace didn't become as tight as I'd hoped it would be. And yet, the horses that went up front all sank, which means that they didn't have enough potential to perform well in this race. 4-year-olds...

3 losses in a row gets me down, though I ccan't sit here bickering. The world is moving and I have to go along as long as I live. Get back to the start, check where and what I did wrong, fix it, and move along. Work is starting tomorrow, better pep up.

The End

Caterpillar

4:52 p.m. Back to work. A mountain of things to do pending, as usual... A week's recess is not enough for me to refresh especially when I mostly had to stay home with my psycopath mother, but well, will have to live with it for now.

There's too many things at hand so my review for Kokura Kinen will have to wait a bit. I haven't even finished reviewing Elm Stakes or Queen Stakes yet though that would have to wait longer... Will have to start working on Sapporo Kinen coming up this week, probably first after I get the antzy ones done.

The retirement of Le Vent Se Leve has been announced in the meantime, it's a pity. Looking back, he might not have been in good shape at the time of Teioh-sho or even Kashiwa Kinen.

The End

Caterpillar

5:40 p.m. Couldn't hold myself to take a peek of the past results of Sapporo Kinen.

Cannot make any bold comments as I've only taken a peek however, there are several horses that performed well entering from Yasuda Kinen. Since Yasuda Kinen is a mile race, it's usually better to have won it to prove the horse hasn't gone over its peak. If the horse hasn't won the previuos mile race, the next thing I check is whether the horse has won the race before. Why, because high performances almost always cost a backlash. Though there are exceptions sometimes.

As I opened the page showing Whale Capture's race records, there she is losing Victoria Mile Cup in 4th place, Yasuda Kinen in 15th place, coming in 3rd place in Sapporo Kinen... You, Whale Capture...

The End

Caterpillar

6:04 p.m. It transpired today that old Makahiki is scratching off from Sapporo Kinen.

According to the article on netkeiba.com, Makahiki's trainer Tomomichi has mentioned that "(Makahiki's) expression is not like usual" although the veterinarian found no apprent problems in the horses health condition. To be on the safe side, the trainer has scratched Makahiki off.

I've been buying betting tickets for some time, but this is the first time I've ever heard a horse scratch off because its expression is not like usual... How was the expression unusual, anyway? I wish I knew.

The End

Caterpillar

5:28 p.m. Hurry up, hurry up, I have to hurry up... Haven't even started sorting the data for Sapporo Kinen yet, must sort out the documents to submit to my tax accountant, have to start designing a web page to make it a responsive site, thanks to google. And then I have tomorrow's breakfast to prepare, lunch to cook, after I've done the necessary shopping.. oh, I forgot to buy cigarettes, darn.

The expected win odds for Sapporo Kinen is currently showing Lucky Lilac as the most favored at the odds of 1.6 which comes as no surprise. If Makahiki hadn't scratched off, he could have been the 3rd favored or even 2nd.

The End

Caterpillar

12:55 pm. I can start early today as there has been a cancel in my meetings, yay.

The barrier draw for Sapporo Kinen has been announced and I fear that the 2nd favored Normcore, will be even more favored... An inner post will be good for her to keep her concentration. If the pace becomes tough, there will be enough room for a long shot to barge in, though. Will have to keep working on my analysis for the past results.

The End

Caterpillar

3:40 p.m. Hot days going on. Forecast says the it would become a bit cooler after a shower, though it hasn't rained a drop. Well at least, not yet.

Will key Normcore for Sapporo Kinen. Not very sure about how she might perform, but drawing an inner post must become an advantage especially, in a small field race like this. On the wheel would be Tosen Surya, Persian Knight, Black Hole, Lucky Lilac and Caudillo.

They say they're shooting up fireworks again tonight to cheer us up. Hope I can catch a glimpse!

The End

Caterpillar

4:55 p.m. I'm coming back. I wish I'd bought trifectas.

Normcore won Sapporo Kinen with Persian Knight an Lucky Lilac in tow. Didn't think Persian Knight would come in 2nd, though. As a matter of fact, I was a bit skeptical of his performance however, it struck me that he'd improved his performance in Sapporo Kinen last year meaning, that he might again. Sapporo suits Harbinger descendants, I guess. As for Lucky Lilac, my training squad had mentioned she was in bad shape and together with the fact that she'd performed fairly well since last autumn, I thought she might need a break this time. The horse's condition would probably inprove by the next race and she's proven her high potential well enough today.

The End

Caterpillar

5:14 p.m. Looking at the results of yesterday's Sapporo Kinen, reviewing. I struggled to predict the pace and settled for a "not-so-fast" which turned out to be right. The race became an instantaneous force contest, which Normcore performed well in. The loss of Black Hole doesn't surprise me since he performs better in a faster pace and on a tougher track.

Lucky Lilac has performed well under this condition and she did come in 3rd place which could be cald a passing mark in the sense that she contributed to the betting tickets. However, the fact that she's allowed Persian Knight to take her over is troubling. It could mean that she might have hit her prime last season and already declining now. Must watch her carefully.

The End

Caterpillar

5:28 p.m. It seems I've developed herpes around my mouth on top of my toothache and everything else... Cannot focus on anything as pus keep dripping, ugh.

Is this the price I pay for just winning a place in Sapporo Kinen? I haven't won big, you know.

Sometimes I think I could be a billionaire if what I've suffered is the price I pay. I've suffered so much there must be only good things waiting in my life ahead.

The End

Caterpillar

4:56 p.m. Am under medication now so hopefully, symptoms will improve. My minor heath problems (and the major one) all come from stress according to my self analysis of life style and eating habit, so they won't go away over-night, though. Will have to live with it for say, 4 or 5 more months.

Meanwhile, the summer sprint series are becoming a mere shell of Sprinters' Stakes step races. The summer sprint series initially have been founded as step races for Sprinters' Stakes, the first of the autumn G1 series however, the assumingly main competitors of Sprinters' Stakes like Gran Alegria or Tower of London have already desided to enter directly to Sprinters' Stakes. As a result, the quality of summer sprint series have been obviously degraded including this week's Keenland Cup.

I'm not sure if that makes it either easier or harder to call these races, but it sure makes me lose interest.

The End

Caterpillar

6:15 p.m. JRA has announced they will extend no-spectators race until October 4th. This means that Sprinters' Stakes will be held with no spectators. Not to mention Cow's discouragement.

Considering the circumstances, it's likely that the autumn G1 series would go without spectators. JRA has the Internet betting system which brings them as much money as usual, sometimes even more. There's no reason for them to risk opening up the gates to racing tracks or off-track betting booths. However, it's time they should turn their eyes to horse race fans that horse race cannot exist without fans and, we are all feeling huge disappointments.

The End

Caterpillar

6:50 p.m. The barrier draw for Keenland Cup has been announced.

I haven't been able to check out anything yet as I've been quite busy. No, sorry. To be honest, I've been half dozing for some time...

As I scan through the past data, it seems the most favored are doing well. I admit Diatonic leads ahead with its performance, though he might have a difficult race if the pace slackens. If not, maybe I should trust him.

The End

Caterpillar

7:11 p.m. Very tired after a long day.

Will key Diatonic for Keenland Cup. As mentioned earlier this week, the horse's potential is a grade above others. Rain is expected in Sapporo tomorrow and if the track condition becomes soft, that shall advantage Diatonic. I'd like to target him on the 2nd or 3rd place, though. The top weight he's carrying might become a burden on tough track condition.

On the wheel would be Believer, Kappatsuhatchi, Fiano Romano, Dimension, and Yamakatsu Mermaid.

The End

Caterpillar

4:54 p.m. Diatonic has screwed up to be 2nd from last...

Yutaka made a great start as always, but I had this bad feeling when I saw Diatonic drop down to around the middle of the field. The lap didn't seem so tight, so it would be a task to charge upt to the front from that position even with high potential. Making that possible carrying the top weight on the nearly yielding turf would be harder yet. As I feared, whip came down before the horse entered the last stretch.

Wish I had the courage to key Dimension.

The End

Caterpillar

4:28 p.m. The reason for Diatonic's loss is that his previous high performance has backfired on the tough, power-consuming turf, assumingly. This happens a lot to Gold Alure descendants after flashy, high performances like winning by more than 3 lengths, or a record-breaking win. It just transpired that Lord Kanaloa descendants have a similar tendency.

I've been suspecting that for Lord Kanaloa descendants for some time especially, seeing Almond Eye sink miserably in Arima Kinen after winning Tenno-sho (autumn) so easily. It reminds you that horse race is a blood sport.

The End

Caterpillar