Neigh-
Gold Ship poked his head out and called.
With his racing season over, One-Way Passage had gone straight back to the ranch to rest, while Gold Ship still had to prepare for two races in the second half of the year.
He had been training with Man o' War lately.
Although his old training buddy was gone, Man o' War was quite good company too. He was just the sort of racehorse who always trained seriously and hardly interacted with anyone.
"Get yourself ready. I'll take you out for a few laps at the Training Center this afternoon."
Koichi spoke as he watched Gold Ship craning his head from side to side.
Tokyo's 2,400 meters was a rather punishing distance for Gold Ship.
He had won last time, but that had been thanks to an excellent start, and the overall field had certainly been weaker than this time. Winning would be extremely difficult.
They also had to face Gentildonna, who had put in a dazzling performance in her race over the past couple of days.
"He's been a little unsettled lately, possibly because One-Way Passage left, but he's getting along quite well with Man o' War now."
Megumi Mitsumori spoke from beside him.
His weight was under control, and his form was still improving.
Their advantage also lay in the considerable amount of rest he had enjoyed.
Gentildonna and Eishin Flash, of course, had finished the Autumn Emperor's Cup and were now preparing for their next race.
One had finished second, the other third.
They still couldn't know how much form those two would recover before the Japan Cup, but judging by the current situation, Lady was certainly continuing to improve. Her team had also secured Ryan Moore, who had come to Japan, as her jockey for this race.