Across the Once-Distant Ocean

November 3, 2028.

Beneath a deep, clear blue sky, a mild westerly breeze swept inland across Churchill Downs in Kentucky.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf was a battleground for Europe's precocious monsters.

Even now, with the race about to begin, people could hardly believe it.

Four years after Satomi Carnival's crushing defeat, another Japanese racehorse had crossed the ocean to challenge the best of Europe and the United States.

Like Satomi Carnival, he had won a much-watched debut, then cruised to victory in a graded stakes race on his second start. Leaving his peers far behind, he had set off overseas.

Could he outrun his odds?

Japanese-bred horses were not known for precocity. His jockey had only just recovered from a serious injury, and his trainer was a newcomer who had only recently opened a stable. Even the owner, widely respected for his Horse-Sense Eye, had faced questions for passing up the seemingly more suitable Asahi Cup and Hopeful Stakes.

Even the ardent fans who had followed the team overseas hoped only that he might outrun his odds.

At the post-position draw at Churchill Downs a few nights earlier, the team had drawn gate five, a seemingly favorable position in a field of twelve. Yet Baozuo remained ninth in the betting, level with Coolmore's pacemaker Bronze Codex.

Four years into being a horse owner, Sakuya no longer fretted over pre-race odds.

Besides, Sakuya thought optimistically, her last winner at Churchill Downs had also worn the number five saddlecloth.

Then she saw this in the paddock before the race.

Despite having raced twice before, Baozuo looked as lost as a colt fresh from the farm on his first appearance at a foreign track as a runner.

Faced with fans dressed up for the occasion—a rare sight in Japan—the dark bay's eyes