Wednesday's workout gallop and interview both went quite smoothly.
Koichi could naturally feel Epiphaneia growing stronger and faster.
That was much better than Gold Ship, who had been slacking off recently.
On Thursday, Gold Ship's vacation ended, and he successfully returned to his stall.
Koichi and Megumi Mitsumori naturally made a special trip to see him.
Although Koichi had only just seen him, he still came along.
Epiphaneia would wait until Saturday to depart.
Leaving on Saturday for a race on Sunday would certainly be no problem, and the horse trainer could use that time to keep Epiphaneia in better condition.
Before leaving, Koichi took another look at Gold Ship's training schedule.
As they left on the Shinkansen, Saki Ikegami also went over the arrangements for the week.
Besides the Derby, there was also the Meguro Memorial on Sunday.
"There's a Sunday Club horse entered in the Meguro Memorial, so you can rest for one race in between."
Although the horse was thirteenth favorite, he still had to ride in the race.
"Was that added at the last minute?"
Koichi remembered that he was supposed to be finished after the Derby.
But if it was a job from the Sunday Club, that was perfectly normal.
"The booking came in suddenly. For this race, you just need to give it an honest run, and then you're done for the day."
Saki Ikegami nodded.
Things like this had happened before.
He would spend Friday getting himself into condition, then enter the designated facility that evening to prepare for the week's races.
"Understood."
Koichi pulled his little blanket over himself and fell asleep.
There was still a long journey ahead.
Once he returned, he would have to focus on preparing for the week's races. Finding another chance to slack off would be difficult.