Neigh-
Kuga Kai led Epiphaneia back to Nakayama Racecourse.
Last time, it had been the Yayoi Sho. This time, it was the all-important Satsuki Sho.
Epiphaneia-
Epiphaneia-
Many spectators cheered when their favorite racehorse appeared.
This Satsuki Sho certainly had plenty to offer.
Sometimes the field was hard to read; other times, it was a clash of titans. This time, the two strongest horses were obvious. Although they had never raced against each other, their performances suggested that either could win.
A glance to the left, then to the right.
Although Epiphaneia was walking around the paddock, he was still searching for Koichi.
Naturally, he wanted to race with Koichi again this time.
"Divine Might, stop looking all over the place."
Kuga Kai gave him a quiet reminder.
As things stood, Epiphaneia was clearly the least dependable of the lot. The other horses, at most, bobbed their heads or fidgeted a little.
He was outright searching for something.
Epiphaneia twitched his ears, then continued looking for Koichi.
Only after completing more than half the circuit did he spot Koichi chatting by the entrance.
Once he saw Koichi there, he settled down considerably.
Time to keep walking.
Seeing Epiphaneia finally behave normally, Kuga Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
As a stablehand, all he could really do was quietly say a few words to him.
Whether the horse listened was beyond his control.
A horse in his care was running in a Grade 1 race, so he was still extremely nervous. After all, not everyone got to be the stablehand of a champion racehorse.
"It looks like Epiphaneia has finally found his favorite jockey."
"There have long been reports that Jockey Sasaki and Epiphaneia share a very good relationship, and today has confirmed those reports once again."
"Judging by his physique