"We won—"
"Yes, we won!"
By rights, they had already experienced many victories as owners by now.
Even so, the moment Sawin crossed the finish line, he and Mr. Yan Zhu'an beside him embraced, and the two of them let out shrieks that were almost too loud, like children.
Even the lips that Trainer Wada so often kept tightly pursed had somehow relaxed, revealing an unmistakable smile.
"Congratulations, everyone!"
Walking over from the track, the first to offer congratulations to those connected with the stable was jockey Du Manle, younger brother of jockey Duman Lai.
The Italian jockey, who had also competed in the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, waved to everyone from atop Tabriz, who had returned earlier.
On the track, Trainer Wada, who had climbed over the rail and jogged forward to greet him, also embraced jockey Duman Lai tightly atop the horse.
Everyone on this side of the rail began bowing or shaking hands regardless of rank, celebrating amid the repeated clicks of cameras.
While Sawin was being unsaddled and cooled down, those connected with the stable followed the staff's directions to the awards area that had been arranged in advance.
Three bottles of Krug Champagne, presented as supplementary prizes, were neatly arranged on a white marble table, along with exquisite gift boxes containing three golden salver trophies of different sizes.
At the center of the marble table stood something even brighter in gold.
The Guineas trophy looked plain and unadorned, even somewhat weighty.
"Please lift the trophy and the gift boxes... Also, Mirko, do you really not need to wipe yourself off?"
Just before pressing the shutter, the race organizer's photographer lowered his camera and asked jockey Duman Lai.
"No, this is fine."
With that, the Italian, who had not yet wiped the mud from his face, was