The next day.
On the second day, Koichi had no dirt races and focused more on turf races instead.
This was part of the schedule his agent had arranged for him.
He had originally had a dirt race today, but after considering various factors, they had decided to pass on it.
Of course, the main reason was that the dirt horse was simply too weak. Its connections only wanted Koichi Sasaki to give it a try; whether it worked out did not matter.
Passing on the least-favored horse in the field would not make much difference.
Koichi had no objections either. They had already discussed the matter.
Sometimes, choosing a horse like that really was just putting himself through misery.
In the jockeys' waiting room, Koichi chatted with his seniors.
Naturally, today's topic was the Tenno Sho.
"You're looking very confident today too, Take."
Masayoshi Ubaname spoke with a smile.
In their previous races, there had indeed been a huge gap between Yutaka Take's mounts and Golden Masterpiece, but this time was different.
He felt that the club had arranged it deliberately.
No matter how he looked at it, this was a major publicity draw.
Previously, Triumph Ballet had always been ridden by Katsumi Ando.
Ando had certainly performed well, but Golden Masterpiece was last year's Horse King.
That was not something a jockey alone could change.
"I suppose so. I'll definitely need to give it everything I have in the upcoming Tenno Sho."
As a veteran, Yutaka Take was naturally well prepared.
During an earlier race interview, he had already said that his goal this time was first place.
He also had high hopes for Triumph Ballet's ability.
And judging by the rumors, Golden Masterpiece had not been in very good form lately, still affected by the retest.
Yasuo