The Shadai Stallion Station.
It was not Koichi and Ayano Aoe's first visit.
But when they had first come here, Koichi had only just entered the industry.
By the time he returned, he had become a top-class jockey and had built a very good relationship with the Shadai Line.
"Most of the other jockeys come to see the horses for their own shows. Of course, some come privately, too."
Ayano Aoe added that as she followed behind him.
She had naturally seen Golden Masterpiece several times, though he had been busy working lately.
Once June arrived, the breeding season was more or less over.
So the horses had all returned to their normal routine of grazing and resting.
With a good previous visit under his belt, Koichi felt quite relaxed this time, too.
Unlike last time, when they had wandered all over the place, they had a very clear destination this time.
Before long, they spotted Dream Journey grazing.
Dream Journey's first year had gone quite well, but unfortunately, his bookings had clearly dropped off this year.
That was mainly because Dream Journey had previously served as a stand-in for Golden Masterpiece. Now that Golden Masterpiece had retired, naturally far fewer people wanted to breed their mares to Dream Journey.
Dream Journey raised his head, glanced at the two of them, then went back to grazing.
Compared with the other horses, his workload could be considered very light.
"I heard that Dream Journey foal of yours was born?"
Ayano Aoe waved to Dream Journey as she spoke.
Dream Journey's temper had noticeably improved since retirement, but his personality was still the same. He could suddenly blow up at the slightest thing, and she had heard his handlers complain about it before.
"She's a filly. We're planning to keep