"Does Asho seem to be in a good mood today?"
Hitachi Yosuke had also taken a shower and eaten breakfast in the meantime.
But judging by how lively Golden Masterpiece was, the horse's mood seemed to have changed dramatically.
"I guess so. Probably just eager for a bath."
Koichi swung down from the horse and handed him the reins.
His work for the morning was done, but he still planned to spend some time checking out the racecourse.
He also had to do a trial run on the race track that afternoon.
"Is that so? Let's go, then. You can rest once you've had your bath."
Seeing Asho in such a good mood made Hitachi Yosuke happy, too.
It would make his work a lot easier.
Compared with their last trip to Tokyo, Asho was behaving several times better.
If anything had changed, it was Asho's jockey.
Sasaki really was the key.
Neigh!
Seeing the Stablehand still standing around, Golden Masterpiece let out a neigh.
The horse was in a hurry to get a bath!
The morning workouts always worked up a heavy sweat, so a bath was undoubtedly the most enjoyable part of the day.
Golden Masterpiece thought this Stablehand was really asking for a kick!
Hiss-
Under Golden Masterpiece's intimidating stare, Hitachi Yosuke shuddered.
There was that familiar feeling again.
He sensed that Golden Masterpiece was on the verge of exploding.
"We're going, we're going..."
Sasaki was already far away. If Asho threw a tantrum now, there really would be no one who could stop the horse.
Hmph-
Golden Masterpiece snorted, then swished that beautiful long tail.
Clearly, this Stablehand couldn't be allowed to get complacent.
After taking a shower, Koichi returned to the racecourse.
With his credentials, he could naturally come and go as he pleased.
Of course, admission here in Kyoto wasn't expensive anyway. At just two hundred yen, it didn't even cost as much as a large bottle of cola.
Watch more, learn more.
As a newcomer, Koichi went straight into learning mode.
His own training was scheduled for the afternoon, but that didn't mean the other jockeys had the same schedule.
After all, there were sixteen Racehorses entered in this race.
"I came at just the right time."
As soon as he reached the track, Koichi saw that some Racehorses had already entered the starting gates.
Red Davis, bay, front-runner.
Macherina, bay, closer.
Both Racehorses looked considerably bigger than Asho.
If he remembered correctly, Asho had lost this race to Red Davis.
Of course, the gap between them hadn't been very large.
A front-runner's strategy was naturally to leave the others behind right out of the Starting Gate. Without opening up a sufficiently large lead, that advantage would gradually dwindle.
Danon Blue from their own farm used the same running style.
However, compared with Danon Blue, the daughter of a Triple Crown champion, Red Davis certainly wasn't as well known.
There were still far too many uncertainties in a race.
But after seeing the track today, he knew he had to gain an advantage once he rounded that big bend.
He would use Asho's powerful Final Kick to overtake the closer leading up ahead!
As for exactly when to make his move, that would depend on their later training.
Beep, beep, beep!
After a series of flashing red lights, both Racehorses surged out from the starting line.
Neither Racehorse was slow out of the Starting Gate. Both burst out almost the instant the gates opened.
Within seconds, Red Davis had left Macherina behind.
The distance between them continued to grow as time passed.
Clop, clop, clop-
Clop, clop, clop-
The hoofbeats ringing across the track grew ever more rapid.
Of course, this early gap didn't prove anything. The two jockeys had simply chosen different strategies, and until they reached the finish line, no one could know who would ultimately win.
"Everyone really is good..."
Koichi's gaze remained fixed on Red Davis out in front.
For a moment, it felt as though he were the one riding that horse.
Click.
As soon as the horse reached the finish, Koichi quickly stopped the stopwatch on his phone.
One minute and thirty-seven seconds.
His timing might have been slightly off, but at least he and Asho now had a target.
Everyone was still training, so they certainly wouldn't be giving it their all.
Know yourself and your opponent, and you could win every battle.
Once the Racehorse had finished its run, he had nothing else to do, so he began wandering around.
He had to admit that Kyoto Racecourse was quite scenic. It was just a shame he couldn't see any swans on the central lake right now.
The grandstand beside him stood a full seven stories high.
The Luxury Swan Stand and the Great Swan Stand.
On race day, Ayano Aoe would certainly be on the seventh floor of the Luxury Swan Stand.
He just didn't know whether she would be there for Golden Masterpiece or for Deep Impact's daughter, Danon Blue.
Although he had witnessed that young lady's ambition the other day, he also knew she would never pin too many hopes on him.
Beep, beep, beep-
As Koichi walked along lost in thought, the sound of his phone suddenly interrupted him.
"Young Master Koichi, I hope I'm not interrupting your training?"
On the other side of the screen, Miku Kuchiki stood in front of Gold Ship's stall, peering at her phone.
"You are. I was just thinking about something important, and you interrupted me!"
Koichi cleared his throat twice and put on a grave tone.
With worries weighing on his mind, he decided to tease his family's little maid a bit.
"Ah, ah... Young Master, I didn't mean to! I'm sorry... boo-hoo..."
Miku Kuchiki immediately looked distressed.
She had thought it was about the right time, so she had wanted to cheer the young master on together with Ship.
She hadn't expected to mess it up again...
"All right, I was teasing you. Don't cry. You're too old for that."
Koichi headed straight for a secluded spot.
He hadn't expected such a strong reaction from her.
"Oh, okay..."
Miku Kuchiki sniffled, then raised her phone.
Now the young master could see both her and Ship.
"Good luck, Young Master! Ship and I will both be cheering for you!"
With that, she even pumped her fist.
This would be the young master's first race, and a very high-level Racehorse race at that.
As for the online poll for the race, she had persuaded plenty of her good friends to vote, too.
But the young master's ranking just wouldn't rise.
Meanwhile, Gold Ship in the stall naturally had no idea what was going on.
The horse was still leisurely eating mixed forage in the stall.
"Ship, say something to the young master."
Neigh~
Gold Ship, busy eating, simply turned away.
This has nothing to do with me.
"No problem! Your young master will definitely get a good placing!"
Seeing Miku Kuchiki cheering him on so earnestly, Koichi felt more energized, too.
Whatever happened, Ship and Miku were counting on him now.
(End of chapter)
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