Autumn March

Monday morning, 7:00 a.m.

Five days had passed since Dober's tooth extraction surgery.

At first, there had been worries about whether he would be able to stand properly after the medication wore off. Unexpectedly, Dober had miraculously risen on his own, displaying vitality wholly unbefitting a horse over thirty years old.

After that, he had remained in the hospital's observation room on an IV drip until evening. When visiting the next day, they had brought along specially prepared fresh moist grass and a grass-powder mash as gifts.

He did not seem very interested in that sort of bland patient food, and even now that he was back at the farm, Dober only ate a little of it from time to time.

Still, his spirits had gradually begun to improve, and his surgical wound was healing smoothly.

At this rate, he should soon regain his former boundless energy.

Meanwhile, among the two-year-olds—

"Hmph. Thinking of passing me?"

That was probably how Traveler felt while training side by side. There had already been signs of it back in the pasture.

She appeared utterly unconcerned with Chongli, her training partner, and during the early stages of training, she obediently kept to the pace set by her rider.

However—

As they neared the finish in the latter half, she would often become somewhat uncontrollable, determined to run in front no matter what. Chongli, who had been training alongside her, had gradually been influenced as well. He had gone from merely running according to his rider's instructions to consciously launching his own late burst.

Though slightly behind in age, Traveler, a Southern Hemisphere-bred horse, displayed exceptional power and could maintain her forward drive even on steep slopes.

For a racehorse still in preparation, being able to clearly distinguish between racing and everyday conditions was naturally