Kyoto Racecourse

Kyoto.

One, two, three, four.

Two, two, three, four.

Koichi Sasaki put on his new clothes and began warming up.

Even after coming here, they still had morning training to do.

But all such activities had to be reported to the racecourse, so their main task today was to familiarize themselves with the grounds.

It had already been evening when they arrived yesterday. They had grabbed a quick meal nearby and then gone straight to bed.

"Yawn-morning, Sasaki."

Hitachi Yosuke came out from next door, rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes.

He really did prefer his own bed. The two-story building here was nice enough, but it still fell a little short.

"Morning. Want to get breakfast together?"

Koichi turned and asked him.

As a jockey, he had been free of duties once they arrived yesterday, but things were different for Hitachi Yosuke, the groom.

He still had to take care of Golden Masterpiece.

"You go ahead. Asho's probably hungry by now."

Hitachi Yosuke had completed the handover with the staff here last night.

The Gold Ship Family was notorious for its bad temper, and none of the staff here wanted to get close to Golden Masterpiece.

"All right. I'll come find you after I eat."

Koichi stretched. Today was their first day getting used to the grounds.

Now that they were here, most of their training would consist of running laps to stay in shape.

If they had time, they could take the horse for a little stroll around the area.

"No problem. I'm not that hungry yet."

Hitachi Yosuke waved and jogged off toward the stables.

He had actually gotten up a little late today.

Hopefully, His Lordship won't throw a tantrum.

As soon as Koichi reached the dining hall, a Kyoto Racecourse employee handed him a list of guidelines.

The racehorses and jockeys all arrived at different times, so staff were always on hand to distribute these guidelines during the period before the races.

After thanking the employee, Koichi took the meal card he had been given and went to get his food.

Breakfast was pretty much the same anywhere. He only needed a little something to eat.

Back at the ranch, Miku Kuchiki had made breakfast for him every day.

He had to admit, that girl was quite a good cook.

"Well, if it isn't Jockey Sasaki. We're certainly looking forward to your performance this time."

Koichi had only just sat down when he saw Danon Blue's groom standing beside him, his face dripping with sarcasm.

Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the jockey.

"Let's all do our best."

Koichi glanced at him, then lowered his head and went back to eating.

He couldn't be bothered to argue with the man.

Asho and Hitachi Yosuke were still waiting for him at the stables.

"Hahaha! Jockey Matsutomo, let's go. We shouldn't disturb our rising star's breakfast any longer."

Koichi had to admit that hearing those words really made him want to punch the man.

But for the sake of the race, he held himself back.

"Let's go."

Matsutomo Kazuma didn't even spare him a glance and headed straight for a spot as far away as possible.

He didn't want the other jockeys to know they were from the same ranch.

Rather than talk to Koichi Sasaki, he wanted to chat with the other jockeys.

After all, getting to ride a good racehorse was something well worth bragging about among jockeys. Perhaps he might even win a G1 with Danon Blue someday!

"Haha, isn't this Jockey Matsutomo? I heard you found yourself a good horse this time?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I just got lucky this time. How have you been lately, sir?"

"Let's go, Asho. After our laps this morning, we still need to try out the track."

After taking Golden Masterpiece from Hitachi Yosuke, Koichi mounted him right away.

It only took about ten minutes to get from these stables to Kyoto Racecourse.

But because of what had happened yesterday, Asho wasn't in a very good mood today.

Neigh-!

Golden Masterpiece neighed, but still headed toward Kyoto Racecourse under Koichi's guidance.

It really was a strange feeling for him.

Every time, he wanted to take this human down single-handedly, but every attempt came to nothing.

This was also Koichi's first time commuting to work on horseback.

Unlike back at the ranch, Golden Masterpiece had four protective boots on this time.

They still had to watch the intensity of their training during this period. If a racehorse got injured in training, they could kiss this race goodbye.

After passing through the main gate, Koichi and Golden Masterpiece entered Kyoto Racecourse's paddock.

This was mainly a place where racing fans could observe the condition of their favorite horses and make their judgments.

Its circular design could also be considered one of a kind.

"Wow-that big chestnut horse looks so handsome!"

"That one's Golden Masterpiece, isn't it? I heard he has a pretty bad temper."

"Well, of course. His father is Stay Gold, the legendary horse who liked biting other horses' tails."

"He looks good, but I think I'll pass. I heard Golden Masterpiece has a rookie jockey this time. This is even his debut race."

"Forget it, then. Let's look at the others."

The male racing fans naturally cared more about whether their favorite horses could produce good results.

Although they still had faith in Golden Masterpiece's ability, they didn't believe a rookie jockey could show any great skill.

As for the female racing fans, they didn't care about that.

Click, click, click-

As long as the horses they supported were handsome enough, that was all they needed.

"Asho, let's go."

Feeling they had spent enough time there, Koichi gave a slight nod in that direction and moved the reins.

Although this wasn't his main job as a jockey, it was still a part of their duties that they had to do well.

The development of horse racing depended on these people's support.

Back at school, their teachers had told them that how they presented themselves in the paddock was quite important.

Neigh-

At the command, Golden Masterpiece immediately broke into a trot.

He had no interest in these two-legged creatures.

He would rather finish training early and go back to rest.

"Golden Masterpiece is actually this obedient?"

"Could there be something fishy going on?"

After horse and rider left, the racing-paper reporters were all puzzled.

This was nothing like Golden Masterpiece's behavior in Tokyo last time.

It looked like a story well worth digging into. The jockey was a rookie, and according to inside information, the two had only had a very short time to get used to each other.

"Could Aoe Ranch be trying to repeat the T.M. Opera O story?!"

One reporter's eyes suddenly lit up.

Even looking back on it now, that truly had been a legend.

"That doesn't seem likely. I heard Aoe Ranch has a very strong daughter of Deep Impact this time, besides Golden Masterpiece."

Another reporter shook his head.

Clearly, Aoe Ranch hadn't put all its chips on one person this time.

But that wouldn't stop them from giving this story plenty of hype!

(End of chapter)