As the team arrived at the racecourse, the spectators burst into cheers.
A familiar place, a different race.
Last month, Epiphaneia had won his second graded stakes race here with Koichi Sasaki.
Clip-clop, clip-clop-
Epiphaneia was quite happy running during the warm-up.
He was already fairly familiar with this place.
Flagship was in front, with Epiphaneia behind.
Ohhh-!
Flagship-!
Epiphaneia-!
Since the starting stalls stood right in front of the stands, the spectators' cheers were particularly enthusiastic here.
Besides cheering, plenty of people took out their phones and cameras.
The track was only a short distance away, giving them a clear view of the jockeys and horses.
That made the area around the starting stalls prime real estate when spectators claimed their spots.
Neigh, neigh-
After bringing Epiphaneia to a stop, Koichi began the final warm-up.
They ran a short distance, then walked in circles.
"Preparations for the Satsuki Sho are underway. All eighteen horses have reached their designated positions and are making their final preparations. Our staff have also taken their places."
The horse handlers and stablehands hurried over as well.
Led by his own stablehand, Epiphaneia began circling in the designated area.
This was the final sign that it was time to get to work.
Koichi adjusted his equipment and checked how the saddle felt.
He gave the spectators waving at him a faint smile.
That served as his acknowledgment.
The commentators, naturally, were still predicting the tactics for this race.
There would certainly be front-runners, while Flagship's team had stated that he would run from mid-pack.
What about Epiphaneia, who was drawn beside Flagship?
Most people guessed he would either press the pace or run from mid-pack, based on his exceptionally powerful final kick.
He had also drawn a very good stall this time, making those tactics