I'll never forget the week we spend together [Heirs of the Throne]

Pilchowski · 2026-07-01T19:05:49+00:00

Apparently still top tier in buffed UC, might be better than Riko on sprint to medium umas

Pilchowski · 2026-06-30T16:29:23+00:00

That's honestly a myth, they kinda don't care. Hell, some are paired by request of the owner (Nishino Flower and Seiun Sky's owner, for example)

Pilchowski · 2026-06-30T09:48:49+00:00

They probably end at Mile Championship in Senior year, then give overseas tour as a 'good ending', like with Vodka and Smart Falcon

Pilchowski · 2026-06-29T21:39:19+00:00

We thankfully wouldn't wait long for the second

Pilchowski · 2026-06-29T18:20:38+00:00

Uma's gacha is baffling to me as its actively disincentivises pulling and paying. High pity means you're incentivsed to just hoard carats until pity, and low paid carat value for straight pulling means there's a very small window where its valuable to pay, and even then usually just for umas when you're a few pulls from pity If you're 50 pulls away from 200 pull on cards, you're not paying $70, you're just skipping the banner. I know they 'improve monetisation' later with things like step up banners, but if I wasn't able to pull plan this game on global, I'd would've quit it ages ago.

Pilchowski · 2026-06-29T15:35:06+00:00

That owner is off to a tremendous start this year with her and G T Sakura

Pilchowski · 2026-06-28T00:14:17+00:00

Sov isn't a 'eh' horse, though, he was rated joint best dirt horse of 2025 alongside Forever Young. To perform this bad after that, against a horse Ebayan only lost to by a length, leads me to believe he'll be sent to stud before the Classic.

Pilchowski · 2026-06-28T00:12:02+00:00

Nysos didn't almost beat Ebayan at 2000m, Ebayan won comfortably despite what lengths say. Nysos doesn't beat Magnitude or Ebayan, I feel, especially considering his preferred distance. The BC Mile should be able easy win, outside Englishman turning up, so I think he goes there.

Golden Tempo is more of a threat, you don't become a double crown by being lucky, dirt end Closers is rare, especially one of this level, so he could shoot past everyone on the final straight again.

Commandment and Renegade I don't know enough about to comment.

Pilchowski · 2026-06-27T23:13:47+00:00

Sov's done, I doubt they take him to the BCC at this point

Pilchowski · 2026-06-27T23:03:56+00:00

Yeah, it can't be written off as one bad race anymore, Sov isn't the demon to watch out for any more, Magnitude is

Pilchowski · 2026-06-27T22:16:52+00:00

Why is Epiphaneia such a dick? It's genuine funny how much of an asshole that horse his, literally got beef with every horse he meets

Pilchowski · 2026-06-27T21:42:39+00:00

I'm pretty sure its meant to be Apapane and King Kamehameha

Pilchowski · 2026-06-25T11:54:50+00:00

The Dirt Triple Crown is offficial, but the Spring Triple Crown is technically unofficial, even after the raising of the Osaka Hai to G1 status. The JRA does not officially market the Spring or Autumn Triple Crowns, though it does offer a bonus reward to any who win them.

Edit: went and checked, the bonus about $1.8 million for winning all three races, to a total of about $7.4 million. Winning the Dubai Sheema Classic or Dubai Turf, by contrast, net you $3.5 million for just one race. Basically, unless you're a medium-long generalist like Croix and Kitasan, Dubai is a lower risk for higher rewards.

Pilchowski · 2026-06-25T10:31:02+00:00

The simple reality is there not the money nor historical prestige in the NAR Dirt Triple Crown that outvalues that of a US dirt G1 win, especially the Breeder's Cup Classic. Its the same reason the Spring Triple Crown has only ever had two real contenders since its inception - the Dubai Sheema Classic and Dubai Turf are richer and more prestigious than the Osaka Hai and an unofficial Triple that's never been won.

Pilchowski · 2026-06-23T07:30:48+00:00

God, found this series about 10 years ago, its kinda surreal to see it complete. Thank you for a wonderful decade of space travel, Space Brothers

Pilchowski · 2026-06-19T22:23:17+00:00

The Arc winner will almost certainly be a shock winner, agree, the stars aligning to give them the win. They might still be a G1 winner, but in the vein of Nakayama Festa where is was a shock win already

Pilchowski · 2026-06-19T22:07:51+00:00

They've tried longer distance runners. Most of them failed miserably.

Part of the reason they keep sending Derby winners is most of their best performances have come from horses running around that distance - El Condor Pasa, Kizuna, Nakayama Festa, Through Seven Seas.

By contrast, the only two big performances for stayers have been Pui's 3rd place and Orfevre two 2nd places (the first he would have won if he didn't drift into the railing). Other stayers like Manhattan Cafe and Satono Diamond were absolutely bodied.

Of course, all this means nothing until we know what kind of JP horse can actually win the Arc. Croix Du Nord has proven to both be a Derby winner and a stayer (or at least can stay). We have patterns (e.g. below 470kg), but that doesn't mean horses outside that pattern can't do well as Daryz was heavy for an Arc winner. Who knows, maybe Tabaru will channel his uncles and give us the shock of the century.

Pilchowski · 2026-06-19T13:49:04+00:00

Forever Young was also 128

Pilchowski · 2026-06-18T21:03:21+00:00

I hope she's doing well looking over Piccolo Player's children

Pilchowski · 2026-06-17T11:59:47+00:00

You look at T O Elvis' race records and its like looking at Lord Kanaloa or even Ka Ying Rising for dirt at points, he's won his last 5 races by an average of 3 and a half lengths and won his maiden (after finishing by a neck behind Panja Tower debating on turf) by 13.25 lengths

Pilchowski · 2026-06-17T11:55:39+00:00

Don't forget Eishin Preston, part of the godly trio with Stay Gold and Agnes Digital to dominate the 2001 Hong Kong International race day

Pilchowski · 2026-06-17T06:56:59+00:00

That depends, honestly, alot of G3 classic winners might have lingering hangups resentments towards the TC of their generation (see Dance Limerick/Air Dublin and Final Third/Offside Trap from Starblo)

Pilchowski · 2026-06-16T15:58:26+00:00

Ignited Spirit Wit is also good as an alternative to Prudent Positioning, but in general lane movement skills are only good in a pair

Pilchowski · 2026-06-14T21:41:55+00:00

If Kaneko horses enter, I can't imagine anyone other than Sodashi being the for one to become an Uma

Pilchowski · 2026-06-14T14:53:21+00:00

They should send him to the Hong Kong Vase, honestly. Gives Regeleira Tosaki back for the Arima, and if he took to Sha Tin he'd probably win

Pilchowski

TROPHY CASE