The next day, at the Training Center.
Round and round-
Koichi could only watch helplessly as Golden Masterpiece circled inside.
He really had given up trying.
After the last Kikuka Sho, Golden Masterpiece had enjoyed a long rest, but this time, his entire routine had been thrown into chaos.
It left Golden Masterpiece feeling deeply uncomfortable.
He had grown less and less cooperative during training lately. Fortunately, his underlying fitness was still there.
"Koichi, is there anything you can do?"
Hitachi Yosuke asked.
Golden Masterpiece was in the horse walker, which mainly kept horses moving so they would not keep gaining weight, while also giving them some exercise.
"No."
Koichi answered honestly.
His skills were not omnipotent. In the past, Golden Masterpiece had merely been throwing little tantrums.
"Then this race really will come down to luck. I think everyone's going to be in for a shock this time."
Hitachi Yosuke sighed helplessly.
The problem really did lie with the race schedule.
Of course, no one could have foreseen the incident on the track either. Without the disruption caused by having to retake the test, things might not have turned out this way.
"That's not something we can control either. Maybe Golden Masterpiece will find his form again once he's on the track."
Koichi offered him some reassurance.
He hoped so himself.
"Let's hope so. The Young Lady's been losing her temper quite a lot lately."
Hitachi Yosuke still looked a little frightened as he mentioned it.
"Wins and losses are part of the game. If we lose this race, we can win the next one. Besides, it hasn't even started yet. Who knows how it'll turn out?"
Koichi patted him on the shoulder.
Golden Masterpiece was almost finished, and then it would be time for Koichi to take him