A day off.
Gold Ship had been behaving so well lately that Koichi was willing to give him a day off. After all, their race was only two or three days away.
"Come on, let's take you out for a stroll."
Koichi fitted Gold Ship with his gear, then led him out of the stable.
They could just follow the coastline today.
This would also give Mirai a little break. Her workload had been pretty heavy lately.
Once Gold Ship finished his walk, Koichi could use up all his Lucky Draws as well.
He would have to count on Golden Masterpiece for this year's remaining Lucky Draw chances.
One for the Kikuka Sho, and one for the Arima Kinen.
Last time, he had drawn something good after Gold Ship ate a carrot, so he planned to try that again.
If it really worked, he could save all his future Lucky Draw chances until he returned to Hokkai Ranch.
"Taking Gold Ship out again, Jockey Sasaki?"
"Yes. I thought I'd take him for a walk before the race."
"You could try the forest over there. Quite a few racehorses like walking there."
The Stable Manager pointed toward the forest.
Most of the horses' time at the stable was spent training, though they were occasionally taken out for walks. Their racecourse might not have been a major one, but it still had all the necessary facilities.
Gold Ship had not been there long, but everyone liked the gray horse.
Still, the red ball behind his rump constantly reminded everyone to be careful.
"Oh, there's a forest over there? All right."
Koichi nodded, then swung himself onto Gold Ship's back.
Although he was from Hokkaido, he had only visited Hakodate a few times and did not know the area very well.
He had