Winter's Dragon Gate

Perhaps because of winter's chill, or perhaps because the work of reclaiming land had been too busy, November had passed in the blink of an eye.

By the time she noticed, it was already the day before the final announcement of the Arima Memorial fan vote.

After consecutively taking the Emperor's Prize and Japan Cup in autumn, the stable publicly announced that Noda Power would retire within the year.

Meanwhile, Meisho Gekkei, who had skipped both the Queen Elizabeth Cup and the Japan Cup, had, just like last year, set her sights on the year-end grand prix, the Arima Memorial.

It was said that during the U.S. Triple Crown campaign, trainers paid special attention to opponents who skipped the Preakness Stakes and went straight to the Belmont Stakes.

If Meisho Gekkei was determined to win the Arima Memorial, then she was probably that level of formidable opponent.

Though the stable did not see it that way.

While their opponents spiritedly aimed for the Arima Memorial, the preparation policy passed to the stable remained the same: "Don't put too much pressure on her."

The depletion caused by overuse, and the timing of rest arranged to prevent further depletion, were issues the racing world could never avoid.

At the Fukushima Memorial on November 25, Pegasus, partnered with the recovered Yokoyama Kazuo, regrettably finished third after being disadvantaged in the stretch.

Wanting to race as often as possible while also ensuring a horse received sufficient rest before injury or declining condition—this was the first consideration for any owner consciously involved in racing affairs.

Yet in truth, it was a statement full of contradictions.

Since becoming an owner, she had accumulated some relevant experience, and had also learned quite a bit from scheduling races for club horses.

Personally, a pattern of "three races, one