"Then I hope the next race won't disappoint you."
Koichi smiled.
His opponents in the next race would only be stronger, both the jockeys and the horses.
It would be a major challenge for him.
One tiny mistake could cost them the entire race.
Everyone else might consider that perfectly normal. There was no shame in losing to those people.
But as the one actually competing, he certainly wasn't willing to let that happen to him.
"There are always winners and losers on the racetrack, and unexpected things happen all the time. Don't get too hung up on it."
Ayano Aoe offered him a few words of comfort.
Koichi Sasaki was climbing ever higher now, but she knew that someday, he would start going downhill too.
She just didn't know when that day would come.
"Actually, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. If you were riding Golden Masterpiece, do you think you could win the Autumn Tenno Sho?"
Golden Masterpiece hadn't yet had a chance to face the older horses.
That made the upcoming Arima Kinen crucial!
"Judging by Masterpiece's form in the Kikuka Sho, winning the Autumn Tenno Sho would've been no problem at all. But if we entered now, we'd probably lose."
Koichi answered.
As long as Golden Masterpiece didn't decide to slack off, their chances of winning were still very good.
Of course, they also had to watch out for trouble at the start. As long as Golden Masterpiece secured a position in the first half, he would definitely find an opening to break through in the second.
"Good. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."
Ayano Aoe nodded.
She knew Koichi Sasaki wasn't one to make empty boasts. If he said he could win, he really could.
Unfortunately, with Golden Masterpiece in