After a month of buildup, Tokyo Racecourse was packed with spectators that day.
The race at the end of November was finally about to begin.
It was also the final race of the week.
After lunch, the spectators arrived at the racecourse right on time and waited for the race to begin.
The entrance was bustling, with plenty of people bringing their friends along to watch.
On the way, they also chatted about the Japan Cup and how the upcoming race might unfold.
"There really are a lot of people here today. It feels like there's barely room for anyone else."
A young man wearing Gold Ship merchandise spoke.
He had finally managed to make it this time.
Work had always kept him from coming before, but he happened to have a day off that weekend, so he had bought his seat for the race well in advance.
"Well, this is the Japan Cup everyone's been waiting for, and it's Gold Ship and Gentildonna's second showdown."
The middle-aged man holding a Horse Racing Newspaper spoke.
He was a longtime racing fan, and naturally, he had come to support Koichi Sasaki and Gold Ship.
In his younger days, he had been a Stay Gold fan. Later, he had started following Dream Journey, Golden Masterpiece, and the other racehorses in the Stay Gold line.
And the most active of them now was naturally Gold Ship, who always put on quite a show.
"Sir, do you think Gold Ship has a chance this time?"
The Gold Ship fan asked.
As things stood, Gentildonna clearly had more support than Gold Ship.
As a fan of the gray-coated ship, he wanted to hear the other man's opinion. No matter how he looked at it, the man was clearly a veteran racing fan.
"There's definitely a