Pre-Race Walk

Ochiai dismissed the alarm that kept vibrating on his phone and struggled to sit up in bed.

It was 2:30 in the morning.

Though it was still very early, it was already time for morning exercise.

Ordinarily, this sort of thing would be handled by the training assistants.

The race tomorrow was not particularly important, either.

Even so, he had proactively asked his mentor, trainer Tanaka Junji, for permission to join the training session.

"I want to understand that horse better."

That was the reason he gave.

Although he was Mejiro Tenma's regular jockey and had ridden him in both of his races so far,

his understanding of Mejiro Tenma was still far below what a regular jockey ought to have.

Judging from their performances in races, Mejiro Tenma had more often been the one actively accommodating him.

There had even been more than one mistake caused by their lack of coordination.

Mr. Kitano, the owner, had given him [trust], while Mejiro Tenma had given his [all].

So what about him, the jockey?

At the very least, he had to act like a proper regular jockey.

"If you want to do it, go ahead. Just don't oversleep tomorrow."

Tanaka had always been lenient with this disciple of his.

With his mind still a haze, Ochiai completed his morning routine almost entirely on instinct.

He casually pulled on his riding gear and plunged headfirst into the night.

Before the rows of stables, the training assistants responsible for the morning exercise listlessly greeted one another.

Most of the racehorses beneath them looked equally sluggish.

Ochiai easily spotted Kobayashi, the groom from Tanaka Stable, among the crowd.

"He was a little rowdy when he first came out of the stable, but he quickly got into the mood. It was like he knew he was going to train."

Kobayashi said as he patted the gray horse's head.

Ochiai followed his gaze.

Sure enough, Mejiro Tenma wore a stern expression that seemed to say, "I'm going to get serious now."

As for whether he had physically matured since his last race,

at least as a jockey, Ochiai could not tell just by looking.

Gray horses were creatures that were difficult to pin down in every sense.

Mejiro Tenma swung his head and studied Ochiai with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Can this guy handle it?"

Ochiai felt that was the test hidden in his eyes.

He was a remarkably intelligent and troublesome racehorse.

If Ochiai backed down now, or even showed the slightest hint of timidity, Mejiro Tenma would probably look down on him.

And then there would be no hoping that Mejiro Tenma would cooperate properly during training.

Without changing expression, Ochiai swung himself into the saddle.

The moment he settled onto the horse's back, he sensed Mejiro Tenma's excitement beneath him.

Just as Kobayashi had said, he had entered his pre-race condition beautifully.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you two."

Kobayashi unclipped the lead rope and waved to horse and rider.

"Leave it to me."

That was Ochiai's reply.

They were about to do fifteen minutes of walking for tomorrow's race, with one or two thirty-second light accelerations mixed in depending on the situation.

Walking kept a racehorse's muscles active, promoted blood circulation, and prevented excessive fatigue from building up and affecting its condition for the race.

If a horse had not trained enough, a trainer might also arrange a short fast workout to quickly awaken its condition.

But Mejiro Tenma had no such concerns.

In his current condition, he would have no problem even tackling a graded race.

Of course, ability was another matter entirely.

"Let's begin."

Ochiai gave the command.

Mejiro Tenma lowered his head slightly and snorted.

Then he began to walk.

Ochiai focused intently, carefully feeling every rise and fall beneath him.

For a jockey, walking was the best opportunity to build rapport with a racehorse.

During high-intensity training or races, horses were more likely to resist their riders.

And Mejiro Tenma was different from the other racehorses in the stable. Outside of races, Ochiai had very limited time with him.

He valued this opportunity all the more.

He cast aside his distractions and focused on the feel of the horse beneath him.

There really had been growth.

Though it was extremely subtle, Ochiai could feel the change from the saddle.

Mejiro Tenma's muscles were becoming firmer.

Mentally, he also seemed to have become sharper.

As for his temperament, rather than a five- or six-year-old child, he gave more of the impression of a young master from a traditionally prominent family.

He threw tantrums from time to time, but he had his own principles when it came to training and racing.

With riders he acknowledged, he would also do his best to cooperate.

He was not merely a troublesome presence that gave people headaches.

The first lap of walking quickly came to an end.

Ochiai drew out his crop and began checking how well Mejiro Tenma carried out various commands.

Whether accelerating, slowing down, or turning, he performed them all well.

His condition was also completely ready for a race.

So when they passed the grandstand, Ochiai pulled on the reins and brought him to a stop.

Mejiro Tenma let out a somewhat dissatisfied snort, but he stopped nonetheless.

"Master, I don't think there's any need for acceleration work."

He called up to Tanaka in the grandstand.

"His condition is completely fine!"

Certain of that, Ochiai did not want to waste Mejiro Tenma's stamina on unnecessary pre-race training.

"Is that so?"

Tanaka narrowed his eyes and looked down at the gray horse before him.

In the darkness, he could only make out a vague, dusty-gray outline.

His steps looked steady, and he seemed fairly relaxed as he moved.

But as for the horse's exact physical condition, it was still difficult to say.

However, Tanaka was not the inflexible type.

On the contrary, whether it was an opinion from a jockey, groom, or someone involved such as the owner, he would actively listen.

Though he had quietly been labeled as someone who "lacked principles," Tanaka had no intention of changing.

"Then let's do that!"

He agreed to Ochiai's suggestion, rose to his feet, and gave the track an "OK" gesture.

Ochiai dismounted, took the reins, and began an early cooling-down walk.

At the same time, he began forming a plan in his mind for tomorrow's ride.

Mejiro Tenma's race was the fifth, the two-year-old-only Niikappu Town-Bred Two-Year-Old Special, run over an untested distance of 1,500 meters.

Among the ten runners, he had drawn gate six, a position slightly toward the outside.

"At the start, I should still try to move toward the inside as much as possible."

"But if I do that, we can't give up too much ground at the break."

With that in mind, he raised his head and glanced at Mejiro Tenma.

The gray horse was breathing slightly heavily as he warily watched the horses still training.

It should be fine.

As he stroked the slightly damp back beneath him, Ochiai thought so.