First-Year Prospectus Viewing (4K)

The day after the Fuji Stakes.

At some point, the cold morning air had slipped in through the gaps in the blanket. Before even opening my eyes, I instinctively rubbed my feet together to warm them.

With winter approaching, it would only get colder from here on out, and the battle to leave the warmth of the bed would become even harder.

Even so, I kicked off the covers and forced myself up.

The alarm went off almost at the same time, so I jabbed at my phone screen with a little personal resentment.

I won—

There was no point competing with an alarm clock, but that tiny victory was still enough to lift my spirits for a while, especially on the day after a loss.

Today was the club's first viewing session for its prospective offerings.

Including Dawn and Pegasus's full sister, FIa2028, whose details had already been announced, next year's lineup currently consisted of four horses: two colts and two fillies.

Of those, the two from New Life Ranch and Afleet Farm had ultimately been placed below Dawn, in the third tier.

Even with the advantages of related successful horses, pedigree, and physical build, that decision had been made after internal deliberations within the club.

Of course, it also had a lot to do with Dawn being assigned to the second tier from the very beginning.

At first glance, it did seem a little hard to present proudly.

However, even Yahagi and Matoba, the two trainers who had initially advocated raising Dawn to the first tier, did not recommend changing the already established tiering standards at this point—at least not for the club's first year of offerings.

"President Kitano is way too strict."

That sort of complaint had come not only from within the club, but also from