At daggers drawn.
Koichi continued to target Yasuo Iwata in the races that followed.
No one said much about it, though. Riders were bound to target one another on the track.
But Koichi was clearly doing it on purpose.
It had to be because of that earlier fall.
Youth was youth, after all-he paid back every grudge. Yasuo Iwata had a miserable time in the next few races.
Although this was only Koichi's second year, his talent in this area rivaled that of seasoned jockeys. Sometimes, Koichi Sasaki even deliberately left an opening to lure him in.
To Yasuo Iwata, that made him an exceptionally troublesome opponent.
And even while obstructing him, Koichi could still find a relatively good opportunity to break out.
The other jockeys simply watched. It had nothing to do with them.
This was a problem between the two of them.
Still, Koichi's behavior made it clear that he really was angry.
Having witnessed him turn into a ruthless racing machine, everyone knew how frightening an angry Koichi could be.
Everyone had a temper.
This duel between the two of them actually delighted the spectators. It was the first time Koichi Sasaki had clashed with another jockey since his sudden surge in performance last month.
Some people had also heard that Gentildonna was originally supposed to go to Yasuo Iwata.
Yet Gentildonna had won the Oka Sho under Koichi Sasaki. After the Spring Tenno Sho incident, Yasuo Iwata had thought he could get her back, only for the club to decide to stick with Koichi Sasaki.
The tension between the two had finally erupted today.
The horse racing newspaper reporters took out their laptops and began rapidly writing up the day's events.
Now there was truly something worth watching.
The old guard against the new.
Of course,