Once everything was done, Koichi and his agent returned to their rented accommodation.
"How did you feel about today?"
Saki Ikegami asked as she looked at Koichi sitting by the table.
The contract was almost ready now. They could sign it tomorrow, then announce the change of jockey for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Before this race, Aoe Ranch had naturally reached an agreement with the original jockey.
Whether he would ride Golden Masterpiece in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe depended entirely on his performance in this race.
"What is there to think about? I've already braced myself for the backlash. It'd be hard to stay out of the news after today."
Koichi spread his hands, making it clear that he was taking whatever came.
He could handle quite a lot of pressure now.
"I thought you'd be pretty happy about getting to ride Golden Masterpiece in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe this time."
All they could say now was that life was unpredictable. No one had expected all those twists and turns to bring them back to where they had started.
Ayano Aoe had already made the final decision.
"I'm doing all right. It's just more pressure than I've ever felt before."
Koichi paused the show he was watching.
He had thought he no longer had a chance, only for this to happen.
From his perspective, though, it was undoubtedly a good thing.
If Golden Masterpiece was going to retire after the upcoming Arima Kinen, this would also be their last race together.
"Pressure gives you motivation. You're not as unfamiliar with Longchamp Racecourse as you were at first, Sasaki, and plenty of strong rivals won't be competing."
Saki Ikegami felt that this year offered their best chance.
Their only major threat was the formidable Imperial