An izakaya.
"Sasaki, you did pretty well today."
Because of the races, none of them had eaten properly all day.
"I really felt in good form today. At least I managed to take first twice."
Koichi dug straight into the fried chicken he had ordered.
He would be staying in Kyoto for the remaining two weeks or so, rather than shuttling back and forth between the two places.
His entire schedule had already been arranged.
As for visiting Gold Ship, he had already spoken to Saki Ikegami.
She would help him find a slot in his schedule.
"By the way, isn't that Gold Ship of yours going to make a bid for the Triple Crown this year?"
Kenichi Ikezoe suddenly remembered the gray horse from Sapporo Racecourse.
Gold Ship had certainly left a deep impression on him.
They would probably meet again in this year's Triple Crown races.
"Yes, he'll be making a bid for the Triple Crown this year. He's already started getting back into form at the Training Center."
Koichi nodded.
"A horse from your family's ranch, Sasaki?"
Ryuji Wada glanced at the photo on the phone.
"He's by Stay Gold, isn't he?"
The eyes, with white showing on three sides, were probably the only recognizable feature.
With that build, he really didn't look like Stay Gold's offspring.
"Of course he's by Stay Gold. But his damsire is Mejiro McQueen, so he looks a lot like McQueen too."
Kenichi Ikezoe smiled as he spoke.
Mejiro Ranch was already a thing of the past, and the original ranch had undergone restructuring.
The Mejiro prefix would no longer appear on the country's racetracks.
"McQueen, huh? Then yes, there is a bit of a resemblance."
Ryuji Wada nodded.
The king of long distances-he certainly wouldn't forget the Mejiro family's former glory.