"Sasaki, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, really. It's just been a long time since I raced, so the first one back was a little tiring."
Koichi took off his helmet and shook out his hair.
That race had really worn him out.
Of course, that might also have had something to do with how long his break had been.
He had been rebuilding his fitness all this time, but his first race back still felt a little uncomfortable.
"That's good."
Li Muhua nodded.
For his first ride abroad, Koichi had put in a performance like that, and Li Muhua had seen how hard he was trying when he came up from behind.
Youngsters really were youngsters.
But his lack of experience had shown, too. Throughout the race, Koichi Sasaki had barely shown any tactical judgment of his own.
Still, it was his first race here, so that was perfectly normal.
He had familiarized himself with the track beforehand, but actually racing on it was clearly a different matter.
Racehorses weren't machines that could follow a jockey's rhythm perfectly. With so many other horses around, getting the position he wanted was difficult, too.
Experience could only be built up gradually.
After exchanging a few more words, they went their separate ways to rest. Naturally, Li Muhua still had the next race to ride in.
"Sasaki!"
Saki Ikegami came over with a towel.
Finishing fifth this time was a decent result. Although there had only been seven horses, the important thing was that he hadn't finished too far behind those ahead of him.
"Thanks. Racing here really is exhausting."
Koichi wiped the sweat from his forehead.
It was practically dripping off him.
"You did very well in that race. I'm sure the horse trainer will be pleased, too. But you're feeling