Bedford's Trainer

July after the auction ended.

Instead of returning home early as usual, he remained in Europe after emailing the auction results back to the farm.

Even against powerful opponents, the gap could be somewhat compensated for by improved condition—if there was any racing experience he had accumulated as an owner over the years, it was probably this.

Still, compared with the ace combination of Trainer Ikee and Yutaka Take, he could not help worrying whether Baozuo could handle European turf racing.

After all, the turf here was completely different from that of Japan, Hong Kong, or even North America.

Even an owner who was only half an outsider could recognize the obvious difference in turf between Deauville-La Touques Racecourse and Japanese racecourses after inspecting the venue in person.

"This is a little troubling."

That morning, Trainer Yoshida and Yutaka Take had walked the entire Prix Jacques Le Marois course together.

The turf texture already differed from Japan's, and the section near the inner rail had deteriorated even further due to inadequate maintenance.

If they drew a gate near the inner rail in the straight-course race, it would probably turn into an energy-sapping run from the very start.

Trainer Yoshida and Yutaka Take shared the same assessment of the track.

What was more, once Europe entered its common rainy weather, the turf here could quickly become so heavy that even people found it difficult to walk on—something hard to imagine in Japan.

Though the distance was the same 1,600 meters, these conditions would place even harsher demands on Baozuo, whose stamina was not particularly reliable, than the NHK Mile Cup had.

By Japanese standards, even under the current clear skies, the going had already reached slightly heavy conditions, not to mention race day, when the weather would most likely be unsettled.