The following afternoon.
It was both the finale of the spring Racehorse season and the starting line of the summer Racehorse season, and the field differed greatly from year to year.
As a result, even veteran racing fans supposedly found it difficult to form any fixed impression of the Takarazuka Kinen.
If there was one thing they had in common, it was probably the Takarazuka Kinen's distinctive feeling that "watching on-site is hot as hell." Once the wind died down, the midsummer heat on Honshu quickly left a thin sheen of sweat on the skin.
Even after downing an ice-cold beer before heading to the parade ring, one could easily become dehydrated at once in the sweltering, steam-bath weather.
The feeling of emptying an entire water bottle in no time while watching on-site seemed to exist only on Takarazuka Kinen day.
Even the pre-race announcement, which normally prompted cheers in the owners' room like "Here we go," "We're definitely winning this time," and "Good luck to you too," was followed only by the intermittent sound of antiperspirant being sprayed after the clear voice of the JRA staffer.
The moment I stepped through the glass doors and outside, the humid air made my chest feel a little tight.
Why was the track rated good, anyway? I could not help wondering as I looked at the screen on the far side of the paddock.
It had rained nonstop until yesterday, yet the track condition had been upgraded from yielding to good before the Hanamichi Stakes, the race preceding the Takarazuka Kinen.
Drainage system, you really did not need to work that hard.
"President Kitano, good luck to you too."
As I headed toward the center of the paddock, idly mulling over such thoughts, Mr. Inoguma caught up from behind and said that.