The moment Koichi arrived, he felt every eye turn toward him.
This race had certainly drawn plenty of attention.
"Thank you to Jockey Sasaki and Golden Masterpiece for giving us such a spectacular race."
"I'm sure Jockey Sasaki has plenty to tell us in this interview. After all, everyone was left stunned."
The host spoke with a smile.
Countless people would surely remember this race for years to come.
None of the racehorses competing in this Grade 2 race were ordinary contenders. There were even two Spring Tenno Sho winners among them.
"I really do have a lot of thoughts about this one. Thankfully, we still took first place in the end, so everyone's support didn't go to waste."
Koichi took the microphone.
In truth, he was still a little worked up.
His adrenaline had skyrocketed on the final straight, sending excitement coursing through him. When they crossed the finish line, he had even stood up and shouted.
"Golden Masterpiece performed brilliantly in the first half, but there seemed to be a problem in the second half?"
The host asked.
The camera had been zoomed far out at the time. Without watching from another angle, he couldn't tell what had happened either.
"Golden Masterpiece did have a little trouble on the bend, which was why he lost speed. It wasn't a physical issue. If I had to sum it up, I'd say he had a mind of his own."
Koichi let out a light breath before answering.
He felt the most serious issue this time had been the way Golden Masterpiece veered sideways during the race.
Quite a few racehorses did that, actually, and Golden Masterpiece's sire was notorious for it.
"This isn't the first time Jockey Sasaki has said that. It seems Golden Masterpiece really does have a personality