The step before entering the racecourse

On a morning when the weather was starting to grow hot, in front of the pasture.

"The summer solstice is almost here."

At that, Trainer Yoshida, who had been stroking Baozuo's head through the fence, spoke up as well.

"It certainly is. This youngster's topline is as excellent as ever, and even the muscles in his hindquarters have developed quite a bit."

As though realizing that the trainer was praising him, the dark bay quietly swiveled his previously relaxed, fuzzy ears halfway around.

"Oh, not at all. There's still plenty of work to do on his hindquarters, both in muscle coverage and thickness."

Although it sounded like modesty, the actual situation was exactly as described.

Along with his sire's good topline and well-developed forelegs, Baozuo had also inherited a slightly less favorable aspect of his bloodline.

Simply put, his hindquarters were weak.

Despite targeted conditioning that had deliberately begun when he was a yearling, Baozuo's hindquarter muscles still looked somewhat lacking, even now with his debut approaching.

His shoulder angle also took more after his dam's side, with a gentler slope than was typical of his sire's offspring. To some extent, this also contributed to his distinctive gait, in which all four legs seemed to run independently.

Just as the elements of his name suggested, Baozuo's physique clearly reflected the bloodlines of both his parents.

—For better or worse.

"How has his appetite been lately?"

Trainer Yoshida turned his hand over and scratched Baozuo's chin with a little more pressure.

The dark bay narrowed his eyes slightly, sticking out his tongue with a relaxed expression.

Another hand joined the one beneath his chin.

"We've pushed him a little harder with his debut approaching, but his appetite is still increasing. His weight is up three kilos from last month, too, at