"Second place, Yamada Tiger."
"Third place, Kaminogahara."
"Fourth place, Password."
Several racehorses crossing the finish line together made quite a spectacular sight, especially when there was so little distance between them.
That kind of finish was also the most thrilling.
A horse locked in a tight battle might just overtake the one ahead and secure a better placing by the slimmest of margins.
Snort-
Snort-
Epiphaneia was extremely excited after winning the race. Even after Koichi gave the signal to slow down, the horse kept running forward for a while.
Pat, pat.
Koichi smiled and patted Epiphaneia's neck.
Honestly, he felt that Epiphaneia had still lacked a little strength for this run at Nakayama Racecourse.
He could mention it to Megumi Mitsumori when he got back.
"Congratulations, Wada. You've secured your ticket to the Satsuki Sho."
"Hahaha, I was just following your pace."
Ryuji Wada was naturally delighted too.
For the tenth favorite to take second place was a major upset.
After all, there had only been twelve horses in this race.
"It was all right. I felt we were still a little lacking down the final straight."
Koichi thought for a moment before answering.
Breaking free from between several horses really had not been easy.
And Epiphaneia was still growing, so something like this was perfectly normal.
"Come on, both you and Epiphaneia did very well today."
Ryuji Wada pointed out that he had followed them the whole way, even eating plenty of dirt in the process.
Things had gone well for them, but not so well for Deep Bond.
On the way back, Koichi waved to the stands.
Seeing him wave, the spectators responded with their most enthusiastic cheers and congratulations.
This was also Koichi Sasaki's first Yayoi Sho victory.
Compared with his previous major races, Koichi Sasaki