February 10, 2030, Kyoto Racecourse.
This book was first published across the web by
The 123rd Kyoto Kinen.
At the turn of the year, when horse transport had nearly come to a standstill, Chongli returned to the track from earthquake-stricken Hokkaido, with his partner since debut, Jockey Wada Haruki, in the saddle.
Though it was a completely different sky, whenever one looked up from the exit of Yodo Station, memories of Chongli's previous journey away inevitably came to mind.
On one side was Jade Record, in tremendous form and maintaining excellent racing condition throughout the year. On the other was Coolmore's battle-hardened runner,
King's Chosen Blade, who had posted results in Grade 1 races across several countries.
And Chongli, who had been unanimously expected to shine by racing fans and experts before the race, only to finish in a humiliatingly poor position.
It had been seventy-seven days since that crushing defeat, which still remained vivid in memory.
Though spring had already begun and the Rain Water solar term had arrived, the banks of the Yodo River were still bitterly cold. Most pedestrians wore a mix of winter and spring clothing.
Now four years old, Chongli was about to make his first start on the older-horse circuit.
Logically, Chongli, who had been moved to Tracen for stable training immediately after the earthquake, should have held a certain advantage over many opponents who had remained stranded in Hokkaido until only a few days before the race.
However—
Rather than information about the other runners or even the race itself, Chongli's condition had been the focus of attention for days.
"After returning to Tracen, he never let up. His training turned into a real tug-of-war."
A few days earlier, Wada had sent a message like that. The words alone made it easy to