At the evening gathering, Koichi chatted quite a bit with his seniors.
They had all been through that stage themselves, so they shared plenty of stories about their earlier days with him.
"As a jockey, you're bound to make mistakes in judgment. Sometimes you'll fall straight into a slump, too. It's a stage everyone has to go through."
"I think Sasaki would have lost the Spring Tenno Sho no matter what. The front-runners' pace was just too good."
Ryuji Wada spoke as someone who had taken part in the race.
"I think the main reason was that we focused too much on Golden Masterpiece and overlooked the other horses, letting the two leaders have far too easy a run."
Although they had kept each other in check, Thunderbolt Steed had clearly found the better rhythm.
Wada, meanwhile, had chosen to lead at a slow pace in that race.
Still, he had to admit that going from the Hanshin Daishoten to the Tenno Sho had left too little time for a proper physical recovery.
"Golden Masterpiece being off form was a key factor, too."
Kenichi Ikezoe picked up a piece of sushi as he spoke.
Golden Masterpiece had started his move earlier, yet he still failed to beat Triumph Ballet in the final kick. That alone said a great deal.
Besides, horse number seventeen had bumped Golden Masterpiece wide right out of the starting gate, leaving him no choice but to run as a closer.
The jockeys' tactics had certainly worked.
"Golden Masterpiece really wasn't in great condition before the race. Of course, I'm not trying to make excuses."
Koichi gave a wry smile.
He had felt something was off as soon as they left the starting gate, and that feeling had only grown stronger in the final straight.
"Then we'll