Before the race began, the figures on the official website were updated once again.
Horse popularity, jockeys, and horse weights.
The spectators planning to watch in person were also boarding the Shinkansen bound for Kyoto.
Everyone wanted to know whether this race would produce the seventh Triple Crown Winner.
Although there were races in Tokyo and Niigata too, none could possibly rival the importance of the Kikuka Sho on the twenty-third.
The seats at the largest racecourse in Western Japan had long since sold out.
Naturally, the country's top jockeys had all gathered for this grand occasion.
Yutaka Take.
Masayoshi Ubaname.
Katsumi Ando.
Yuichi Fukunaga.
Yasuo Iwata.
Their trainers had all given them a mission this time: keep Koichi Sasaki and Golden Masterpiece firmly in check.
Only by keeping Golden Masterpiece in check would they have a chance.
Of course, Katsumi Ando considered himself the one with the best chance. After all, he was riding Triumph Ballet.
And this time, he would break his curse of always finishing second at the Kikuka Sho!
Yutaka Take felt the same way. He had yet to win a single race against Koichi Sasaki.
"Oh, you're here early, Yutaka."
"Yeah, I came early to get a feel for how my horse is doing."
Yutaka Take nodded.
He would once again be riding Shonan Mighty, his mount from the Kobe Shimbun Hai.
Only this time, they weren't attracting much support in the betting.
But he felt that as long as his tactics worked, he could certainly hold Golden Masterpiece back for a short while.
"Well, look at you, all fired up for once."
Masayoshi Ubaname, who had just arrived, smiled.
These veteran jockeys naturally got along well. They won and lost against one another on the track, but off it, they were friends.
"I'd say