Once the commentators finished their introductions, it was time for the jockeys to appear.
Although Nakayama was hosting a similar race that day, it clearly drew less attention than the Oka Sho, so the jockey lineup here was naturally stronger.
Koichi Sasaki, Yutaka Take, Katsumi Ando, Christophe Lemaire, and Yuga Kawada.
Koichi came out alongside Kenichi Ikezoe, of course.
Before this race, Koichi had already singled out all the opponents he needed to watch.
After the setback he had suffered last time, he would naturally be more careful this time.
If he wanted a good result, he would have to find a way to break through the others' efforts to box him in.
Quite a few people had come to cheer him on today. After all, this was his first major race for mares.
It was also his first Grade 1 race of the year.
Most of the other jockeys had already competed in the earlier sprint race.
Koichi hadn't had the chance to take part in that. He had only been in the industry for a short time, after all, but he was already delighted to be competing in a major race for mares so soon.
"Let's go. The horses and trainers are waiting for us."
After briefly greeting the spectators, the jockeys went to find their partners.
Koichi looked around but couldn't spot Gentildonna anywhere.
Eighteen horses really were too many for him, and most of them looked exactly alike. He couldn't tell them apart at a glance.
Fortunately, the stablehand waved to him, and he finally spotted Gentildonna and her trainer.
"Sasaki, we're counting on you in this next race. I hope you can claim your first Grade 1 victory of the year here."
Tadashi Ishisaka looked at Koichi as he spoke.
This was their chance to