What Grass Wonder described did not surprise Anjing Zhen. Or rather, he had already suspected as much.
This Horse Girl had faced Special Week twice, and her performances in those two races had been somewhat unusual.
The first Takarazuka Kinen had been held in June. That year's summer heat had arrived early, and she had accidentally been affected by the scorching weather during a training race, remaining in poor condition for quite some time.
Yet when she saw Special Week on the track the next day, it was as though she had become a different person, her overwhelming momentum visible to the naked eye.
With that "renewed" state, she had ultimately defeated Special Week by 3 Horse Lengths, leaving Stay Gold in third place a full 10 Horse Lengths behind.
The year-end Arima Kinen had been much the same.
This time, she had not fallen ill during training but been injured instead. Grass Wonder had therefore withdrawn from the Japan Cup, then recovered her form before the Arima Kinen. On race day, her fighting spirit had soared, and she had defeated Special Week once again.
With those impressions in mind, Anjing Zhen could not help wanting to confirm things when he heard Grass Wonder's name.
If Grass Wonder's performance in those two races had come from training or tactics, it could happen to serve as a new objective for Kitasan Black's special training this time.
For his Horse Girl, the more experience she could gain with scenarios such as a Final Burst and chasing down opponents, the better. There was no such thing as too much.
And if it turned out to be just like the interview had said, that was fine too. They could simply proceed with the usual arrangements.
After swiftly recalling his past impressions and comparing them