Tokyo.
After a busy day, Koichi went to the draw venue with Megumi Mitsumori.
The venue was quite lively that day.
There were three hosts and sixteen teams, though each team consisted of only two people.
With the staff included, however, it made for a sizable production crew.
While they waited for preparations to finish, Koichi naturally chatted with the senior jockeys.
"Sasaki, what number are you hoping to draw this time?"
"An inside stall, of course."
"Looks like we're all thinking the same thing. An inside draw really does give you an advantage in the Arima Kinen."
"Not necessarily. If Golden Masterpiece draws the inside, he could easily end up boxed in."
"Hahaha!"
Whatever happened, Golden Masterpiece was bound to be the horse everyone targeted in this race.
Everyone agreed on that.
Although Koichi Sasaki had previously been Golden Masterpiece's regular jockey, he certainly could not afford to hold back in this race.
The wait was rather boring. Once he had chatted enough with the others, he went back to talking with Megumi Mitsumori. As a newcomer here, she really did not know many people.
Koichi had to look out for Megumi Mitsumori, of course. They had come together, after all.
He certainly had to consider her feelings.
"You look pretty nervous."
"It's my first time on a show. Of course I'm a little nervous."
Megumi Mitsumori glanced around as she spoke.
She knew where she stood as a newcomer. Fortunately, she had managed to exchange a few words with several horse trainers earlier.
With Gold Ship and Epiphaneia under her care, she was now a fairly well-known horse trainer.
Horse owners, however, cared more about consistent results over the long term. Perhaps she had simply been assigned strong horses for now; how things would turn out later was