At the testing grounds.
Kenichi Ikezoe was still getting used to Epiphaneia.
Although the horse was not particularly cooperative, he would still follow instructions, which was a good thing as far as Ikezoe was concerned.
At least he was willing to listen a little.
Besides, Ikezoe had prepared himself for this beforehand.
Most jockeys in the racing world now had clear reputations of their own, and most of the racehorses he rode these days had bad tempers but plenty of ability.
That job had naturally belonged to Yutaka Take before, but with his ability and connections, he no longer needed to go out of his way to handle ill-tempered racehorses.
Riding bad-tempered racehorses really was dangerous work.
Golden Masterpiece had thrown him off during his Newcomer Race, and Ikezoe had been sent straight to the hospital without even getting to do an interview or take any photos.
He had to be careful this time.
Neigh-
After training for a while, Epiphaneia let out a neigh of protest.
Was this ever going to end?
"Jockey Ikezoe, everything is ready over there."
"Okay, no problem."
Kenichi Ikezoe nodded, then gave the command to move forward.
Since his junior had specifically asked him for this favor, he would make sure to get it done in one go. At the very least, the horse had to meet the standards for entry into central racing.
Plenty of racehorses failed the test every year and had to retake it.
But he felt certain Epiphaneia would not be one of them. One look at this racehorse was enough to tell him how strong he was.
"Will everything really be okay?"
"I don't know either, but Divine Might does seem to have a bit of a temper."
Kuga Kai was a little worried too.
But all they could