Cross-Ocean Decision

Sunday after the race, early that morning.

The moment he moved even slightly, the air conditioner's chill slipped in through the gaps in the blankets, instantly waking him up.

"Sleeping in for once—"

Curled up beneath the covers, he muttered to himself as he considered the day's schedule.

There were still two months until the Breeders' Cup.

Although Better Next Time had failed to win the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint, she still had a decent chance of qualifying for the Breeders' Cup based on the order of prize money.

—But he was considering something else.

Though he had visited the United States more than once, he had never had the chance to visit a local trainer's stable.

So, this trip to America was also meant to include some observation and study.

As he slowly threw back the covers and changed clothes, he arranged his itinerary in his mind.

Besides, he had recently had a small idea.

On the night of the race, he had probably been exhausted from suddenly switching his routine from Japan time to an overseas schedule.

Yet he had still held up his phone and opened the broadcast for another race.

The Niigata Two-Year-Old Stakes.

After the gates opened, Baozuo displayed his usual excessive eagerness, but under jockey Devon Coe's skillful handling of the reins, he gradually calmed down in a forward position behind the leader.

After easily covering the first thousand meters in the blistering time of fifty-eight point four seconds, the dark bay had already shaken off his opponents early in the fourth turn.

He was really strong—

Having witnessed such a race, it was hard to think anything beyond, As expected, he's incredibly strong.

After the race, related topics on social media and the n○tkeiba message boards were quickly filled with fans' fantasies about