"No. 1, Extreme Peak, claimed a Grade 1 victory earlier this year. A longtime rival of Gentildonna, Extreme Peak will once again be partnered with Yasuo Iwata."
"No. 2, Nakayama Knight, is another horse we know very well, with regular jockey Yoshitomi Shibata still in the saddle."
"No. 4, Eishin Flash, a Derby winner and a formidable horse who has remained active at the highest level, will once again be ridden by Christophe Lemaire."
"No. 5, Japan Jordan, won the Japan Cup two years ago and also performed well in the Autumn Emperor's Cup last time out. This time, William Buick takes over the ride!"
"No. 7, Gentildonna, the Filly Triple Crown and Dubai Classic winner, now has world-class jockey Ryan Moore in the saddle!"
"No. 13, Gold Ship, the Colts' Triple Crown winner and this year's Takarazuka Kinen champion, will be ridden by regular jockey Koichi Sasaki."
Amid the welcoming cheers of the crowd, the commentators introduced all seventeen horses.
Naturally, they focused mostly on the leading favorites, while giving the three overseas entrants only a brief mention.
After all, no Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe or Breeders' Cup winner from last year had come to compete.
No. 10, Doldrums, and No. 17, Rock'n'Roll Album.
Both horses had won international Grade 1 races, but neither had been in particularly good form since arriving here.
Gentildonna was still a little keyed up during the warm-up, a sign that she was in excellent condition, while Gold Ship remained as calm as ever.
After running for a while, Koichi gave the command and guided Gold Ship to the designated warm-up area.
He let out a soft breath of relief when he saw Yamana Takuto hurry over.
Listening to all those cheers, he felt the pressure mount.
His biggest regret was not drawing