Kyoto Racecourse.
Before they knew it, it was time for Sunday's race.
Koichi had performed quite well on Saturday, taking three wins outright.
Unfortunately, none of that could cheer him up.
Gold Ship was the biggest problem.
Although the journey had not taken much out of Gold Ship this time, his condition kept fluctuating and was nowhere near what they had hoped for.
Everyone knew Gold Ship was not in great form, but they were still willing to support him.
If anything went wrong, they would curse the jockey first, then the horse trainer.
The favorite: Gold Ship.
The second favorite: Extraordinary Steed.
The third favorite: Sun God Steed.
A foreign racehorse, Red Gift, was also competing this time.
He had delivered an unremarkable performance in last year's Japan Cup but achieved excellent results in Hong Kong and Dubai. This time, he was challenging the Tenno Sho again.
Koichi naturally exchanged a few words with his seniors.
Gold Ship and the other racehorses had also arrived at the Parade Ring.
The betting support alone showed everyone's enthusiasm for Gold Ship, a talented four-year-old star.
They had also applied to race Gold Ship with horse tack this time, and Koichi had simply asked Megumi Mitsumori to fit him with the full set.
Gold Ship had developed far too many problems since turning four, leaving them no choice but to use all the tack they could.
Previously, they had relied on his own ability and his skills.
But with his condition affecting him this time, adding tack was the safer option.
This also gave the spectators a look at a very different Gold Ship.
Mirai and Yamana Takuto naturally continued following their usual routine.
"I never thought Gold Ship would end up needing an application for so much tack this time."
"Although