Morning Light Breaks Through

It was a peaceful morning, with time passing almost unnoticed.

He nibbled on a croissant bought from a street stall and waited quietly under the slightly awkward gazes of the racecourse staff.

"How is he, Mr. Ikeda?"

"Very well. He ate some hay in the van on the way here, and he's just finished all the water we brought from Japan."

As he spoke, Ikeda smiled and patted Baozuo on the neck.

The dark bay horse raised his head, too, wearing a smug expression that seemed to say, See? I'm doing great!

Worried that a sudden change in drinking water might upset Baozuo, Yoshida had followed Ikeda's advice and brought plenty of water from Miho. They mixed it with the local water, gradually increased the local proportion, and would slowly switch him over.

Overseas campaigns had become so routine that, unless transport was exceptionally difficult, few teams went to such lengths anymore.

But remembering their previous trips abroad, Yoshida and Ikeda had decided to take this seemingly unnecessary precaution.

As soon as Baozuo was unloaded from the horse van, Ikeda led him into the stable.

He had a stall provided by trainer Orix, who had said, "Let him use mine." Apparently, it was a quiet stall in the shade, with few other racehorses passing by.

In the morning sunlight, he leaned against the stable wall and chatted idly with Mr. Taniguchi, who had also arrived from Japan that day.

"It was freezing when we got off the plane."

"It was. And the fog was thick."

The memory of their hired car hurtling through the heavy fog still left him a little shaken.

"But I hear it'll heat up by race time."

"European weather really is strange."

According to the local French-language forecast, temperatures would reach around thirty-three or thirty-four degrees