Kyoto Racecourse.
"There really are a lot of racehorses here. No wonder it's one of the four major racecourses."
By the time Koichi and Golden Masterpiece arrived, plenty of other pairs were already training on the course.
At the very center of the racecourse was a huge lake, where swans often played in the water when the weather wasn't cold.
Around that was the dirt track, with two turf tracks farther out.
The horses here were all three-year-olds. If they still couldn't produce results at three, their racing careers had pretty much reached the end of the road.
A horse like Golden Masterpiece, who had already achieved good results at two, naturally had an advantage over them.
"Let's go. Five laps again this morning, then we'll rest a bit and take a look at the Racecourse Track we'll be racing on."
Neigh-
Seeing that they would be running on turf today seemed to put Golden Masterpiece in a much better mood.
Turf was far more comfortable to run on than dirt.
Let's go!
With other racehorses on the track, Koichi naturally focused even more closely on controlling Golden Masterpiece's pace.
A closer was much harder to control than a front-runner.
Each lap was 3,200 meters, making this Japan's longest turf Racecourse Track.
They would definitely return someday to compete in a 3,200-meter G1 race!
Clip-clop, clip-clop-
As one racehorse after another sped past, Golden Masterpiece's mood visibly soured.
How could those other horses pass me so easily?!
Golden Masterpiece had complete confidence in those physical abilities. If allowed to run freely, none of these horses would stand a chance.
But Koichi's commands still had to be obeyed.
The rage meter was filling up.
"Behave yourself today. Remember that carrot I gave you last time? I've still got plenty more."
After a brief tug-of-war with Golden Masterpiece, Koichi sighed.
Sure enough, Asho became harder to control with so many racehorses around.
Neigh-
At the mention of carrots, Golden Masterpiece noticeably stopped struggling so much.
Well, if there's something tasty in it for me, we can talk!
Still, this morning's training meant a great deal to Koichi. It had shown him which areas he needed to keep working on.
Golden Masterpiece and Koichi Sasaki, who stayed on the Racecourse Track throughout their morning training, drew the attention of quite a few jockeys.
The jockey community was only so big, and everyone who could train here was a JRA jockey.
This newcomer was still quite unfamiliar to them.
As a result, several people briefly greeted Koichi while he trained.
Koichi returned those friendly greetings from his seniors.
Snort-!
Snort-!
After one lap, Golden Masterpiece gradually began to pick up speed.
As a future Hall of Fame horse, long-distance turf races were Golden Masterpiece's greatest strength.
The sight drew the other jockeys' attention, along with envious looks.
What a fine racehorse!
A moment's thought told them this pair must be here for next year's Nikkan Sports Shinzan Kinen.
This horse was on an entirely different level from their own!
Koichi, meanwhile, concentrated even harder on the morning's training.
This was his first time training at a racecourse.
Once on the turf, Asho's speed improved noticeably, far exceeding what he had predicted.
"Asho, keep it up."
Koichi counted the laps, then spoke.
Judging by Asho's condition, the horse was doing even better now than back at the ranch.
That was certainly good news for him.
"Morning training's over. Here's your carrot."
After finishing their laps, Koichi had Golden Masterpiece walk around the outside for a while before heading toward the Racecourse Track they would race on.
Crunch, crunch, crunch-
Golden Masterpiece soon finished the carrot.
Nice, very nice.
After eating the Carrot, Golden Masterpiece distinctly felt a good deal of strength return.
Clip-clop, clip-clop-
With some stamina restored, Golden Masterpiece's steps grew livelier.
"1,600 meters, two straights, and one big turn?"
Koichi pulled up a photo on his phone to compare.
With their morning training finished, they would have a trial run here in the afternoon.
He and Golden Masterpiece would spend the next half month following this routine.
Straights were excellent for closers, since they made accelerating easy, but breaking out of the pack could sometimes be difficult.
As for breaking from the gate, Golden Masterpiece had already practiced that in previous races.
There was no need for him to train that separately.
Neigh-?
After inspecting the Racecourse Track, Koichi Sasaki dismounted.
"You want more?"
He asked when Asho nudged him with that muzzle.
Those carrots really were addictive.
Fortunately, he still had over sixty left.
"All right. To celebrate our first trip to Kyoto, you can have one more. But I'm warning you, no funny business."
Koichi remembered how Ship had bitten down on him and refused to let him leave.
With so many jockeys and racehorses around, he didn't want any accidents.
Otherwise, they would definitely end up in the racing papers.
Until he had results to show, Koichi preferred to keep a low profile.
Snort-!
Golden Masterpiece simply kept staring at Koichi.
Are you giving it to me or not?
"This is the last one today. Once you finish it, we'll head back for a bath."
Koichi glanced around, then produced another carrot.
Only the two of them knew he was secretly giving Asho carrots.
Neigh-
After finishing the second carrot, Golden Masterpiece's neigh sounded much happier.
That feels good.
Nothing beats eating two carrots after a workout.
Except adding a bath afterward, of course!
"Now that you're happy, let's head back. Your groom's still waiting for you."
Koichi smiled and gently patted Asho's neck.
He really was fond of his partner.
Neigh-
Golden Masterpiece tossed that head, signaling for Koichi to hurry up and climb aboard.
At Koichi's pace, who knew how long it would take to get back?
"All right."
Koichi swung himself up again.
Off we go~
Once Koichi was seated securely, Golden Masterpiece immediately began running at a favorite pace.
"Not this way. The exit's over there."
After a few strides, Koichi realized something was wrong.
They had come in from this direction, but the exit wasn't here!
Fortunately, the staff hadn't noticed!
Let's get out of here.
Koichi hurriedly turned Golden Masterpiece toward the exit.
"Ah, to be young."
"Hahaha, those two seem to get along really well."
A nostalgic look crept into a middle-aged jockey's eyes.
It had been a long time since such a happy smile had appeared on his own face.
"What are you talking about, old friend? That's Aoe Ranch's Golden Masterpiece."
"Oh! I've misjudged that."
Stay Gold and Golden Masterpiece's older brother, Dream Journey, were notorious among racehorses for their tempers.
In that respect, Golden Masterpiece was, at best, only a little better than those two.
(End of chapter)
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