A few days later.
Neigh-?
Golden Masterpiece, who was getting ready, gave Koichi a puzzled look.
Wasn't this reunion coming a little too soon?
"Asho, what's with that look?"
Koichi had only rested for a day after his race before coming to bring Golden Masterpiece to the assessment.
This was hard work, all right?
Besides, they had been told to pass the assessment on their first try, or their upcoming Spring Tenno Sho would be affected.
Hmph-
Golden Masterpiece snorted, then turned his head away.
For some reason, his break had been unusually short this time.
"This isn't a race, but we still need to work together and pass on our first try."
"Koichi's right."
Hitachi Yosuke nodded.
They were already short on time, and the officials also hoped they would pass on their first attempt. Otherwise, they would have to find another time.
Golden Masterpiece clearly wasn't listening.
"Are they still talking over there? They should be getting ready, right? This is Golden Masterpiece's first time running on a dirt track."
Hitachi Yosuke had no idea how Golden Masterpiece would perform this time either.
Not every racehorse was suited to dirt tracks, and Golden Masterpiece had never been tested in that regard.
In Japan, most horses that tried dirt racing were those that couldn't perform well on turf.
"They should be nearly ready. The staff have started working."
Koichi and Golden Masterpiece looked over together.
There had been no one over there before, so this at least meant that things were proceeding normally.
If they finished the test quickly, they could head back and rest sooner.
Clip-clop-
Golden Masterpiece, however, had grown impatient with the wait and pawed at the dirt beneath his hooves.
What exactly were they doing today?
"Mr. Sasaki, you can start warming up now."
"All