"Jockey Sasaki, who do you think is the opponent to watch most closely in this Kikuka Sho?"
Most of the entrants in this Kikuka Sho were opponents they had faced before.
As the regular jockey, he would surely have the most firsthand answer.
Koichi glanced at Ayano Aoe, then spoke.
"As far as opponents go, I still rate Triumph Ballet very highly. In both of our encounters, I could tell that Triumph Ballet had a very powerful final kick and performed very consistently."
This question clearly had not been included in the outline they had prepared.
Without an outline to follow, he could only give his honest impression.
He was not really in a position to comment on how Triumph Ballet's jockey rode.
"Beyond that, there are Swiss Watch and Shonan Mighty."
Of the eighteen horses entered in the Kikuka Sho, he felt those three deserved the most attention.
Of course, how they actually performed would still depend on the circumstances during the race.
Even the strongest horse could be boxed in.
"Hahaha, Jockey Sasaki has certainly given us an excellent answer."
The host naturally directed that remark at the audience.
Any horse that caught the attention of Golden Masterpiece's regular jockey had to be strong.
When she heard Shonan Mighty mentioned, Ayano Aoe almost laughed.
During the Kobe Shimbun Hai, Yutaka Take had been caught out by Triumph Ballet's jockey.
Fortunately, he had still finished in the top five, so his place in this race was all but secured.
Most of the questions that followed were directed at Koichi.
"One final question. Miss Aoe, are you considering an overseas campaign for Golden Masterpiece next year?"
Naturally, the most important question had to be saved for last.
Given Golden Masterpiece's performance in the Tokyo Yushun, a great many people now