"How was Gold Ship after getting back to the Stable?"
"He seemed to be in pretty good shape after he got back, and his appetite was as good as ever. Next, he'll head to the Ranch for a short break before coming back."
Koichi and Megumi Mitsumori had a brief chat over dinner.
Gold Ship still had two races left in the first half of the year.
He had won today's race largely because his opponents weren't particularly strong, but the upcoming Spring Tenno Sho would feature Extraordinary Steed, who had won it two years running.
The Sunday Club's offspring of Stay Gold really was a dominant force over long distances.
Whether Gold Ship could beat him was a big question.
"That's good, then. I'll work with Epiphaneia tomorrow and the day after. I should be ready to leave on Wednesday."
It had been quite some time since he had last ridden Gentildonna, too. Naturally, he would need to ride her for a while to get a feel for how she had developed as a four-year-old.
Gentildonna had begun her rest after the Japan Cup.
This year, he had ridden her only twice while she was tuning up at the Training Center. After that, she had left the country for a racecourse in Dubai to continue her preparations and conditioning.
One advantage of the Dubai racecourse was that it suited fast racing, and its artificial surface was relatively easy to get a handle on.
"Sasaki, was that what the Sunday Club's manager was talking to you about today?"
Ayano Aoe spoke up.
This overseas trip also meant he would need to take four working days off in Japan.
The Authorities had naturally approved his travel application very quickly. After all, Koichi Sasaki was one of their leading representatives now.
Good