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Osaka Cup, victory.
Although they had laughed with Trainer Wada at Haruki crying in public during the celebration afterward, as an owner, they could understand how he felt.
That feeling of standing at the edge of a cliff was probably exactly like this.
Being able to overcome the immense pressure from both outside and within to win this race, Haruki really was remarkable.
Even Trainer Wada, who looked so relaxed now, had apparently carried such a tense aura since Racing Week at the beginning of the year that nobody had dared speak to him.
According to information from Haruki.
"So then, what's the president's next target?"
About halfway through the celebration, when their tongues had already started to go numb, Trainer Wada casually asked that question.
Haruki swiftly put on a serious expression as well and turned to look this way.
"Hmm... the next race..."
Remembering the consultants' evaluations of Chongli before the Osaka Cup, they silently abandoned the idea of an overseas campaign.
"How about going straight to the Takarazuka Kinen?"
After giving it some thought, they spoke.
Aside from the clearly unworkable overseas campaign, having Chongli carry top weight among older horses in a Grade 2 stakes race would not be a particularly good choice either.
As for the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup, whose distance, timing, and level of competition all seemed suitable at first glance—
After briefly discussing it with the trainer and jockey, they still gave up on that projected next start.
Leaving Chongli, who was not especially good at handling summer to begin with, in Hong Kong in May would be bad if anything unexpected happened.
Whether it was Chongli or any of the others, once an owner had set a racing