After returning to Tokyo, Koichi competed in the NHK Cup.
This assignment was naturally another job from the Sunday Club, and they had specifically found him a horse ranked high in the betting.
The Tenno Sho had not affected Koichi's own condition.
He rested when it was time to rest and trained when it was time to train. When race day arrived, he was in excellent competitive form.
He would be staying here throughout May.
He was based here, while Yuichi Fukunaga, Yutaka Take, and the others were only visiting.
The 18th NHK Mile Cup.
After entering the starting stall, Koichi soothed his horse.
The trainer's instructions were clear: accelerate right from the start, secure a good position, and keep an eye on the fourth favorite ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga next door.
The number four horse was certain to take the lead in this race.
The battle for position was fierce as soon as the gates opened.
Fukunaga was beside him on the right, while Hiroyuki Uchida charged up from the outermost gate on his left.
"There's a fierce battle for position up front! The favorite, second favorite, and fourth favorite are all fighting for the lead!"
Eighteen horses vying for position made quite a spectacle. Unfortunately, some could only settle at the rear because of how they had broken from the gates.
The sixteen-hundred-meter course had only two turns.
That placed high demands on both the horses' starts and their speed.
Koichi was also gaining experience for bringing Man o' War to this race next year.
Although Man o' War would eventually have the ability to run two thousand meters, Koichi had no intention of entering him in the HNK Cup after the Satsuki Sho.
It would be better to perform well in the earlier graded stakes, then go