Neigh-
Neigh-!
I want to clock out!
Gold Ship stopped cooperating during the final photo session.
He had felt pretty good for a while after the race, but being led around the racecourse over and over had soured his mood.
"We're almost done. Just two more photos."
Koichi patted Gold Ship.
Gold Ship was impatient, but Megumi Mitsumori and Mirai were delighted.
Seeing the two of them so happy made him feel good, too.
He had done justice to all their hard work and effort by successfully taking first place in this race.
Naturally, he wasn't sitting on Gold Ship's back this time. He stood beside him instead. Their team was small enough that they had plenty of room however they arranged themselves.
He wore his Racing Silks and held the cloth bearing the number three.
Unfortunately, no one from the ranch had come this time.
"Ship, look at the camera."
Mirai patted Gold Ship, too.
This was their first graded stakes win since coming to Tokyo.
Snort-
Gold Ship snorted, but still looked straight ahead.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Ship."
Once the photos were finished, she quickly hugged Gold Ship.
She slipped in a quick hug while he wasn't paying attention.
Now everything could proceed as they had hoped, with a bid for the Triple Crown.
Neigh-
By the time Gold Ship reacted, she had already darted behind Koichi.
That was the safest place.
"We'll take Gold Ship back first, then."
Yamana Takuto kept a firm grip on the reins.
With all the formalities over, they needed to take Gold Ship back to rest. Once they had finished caring for him, they would still have to wait for Koichi's race to end.
"Thanks for taking care of him. I'll wait until Sasaki's race is over, then leave