That evening.
"Have you made up your mind?"
"I'm planning to retire him this year. Once he's run the Arima Kinen, Gold Ship's racing career will have reached its end."
Koichi nodded as he looked out at the river.
For a racehorse, proving his value was enough. After all, standing at stud made more money than racing.
Gold Ship's stud fees would certainly be high in his first and second years, and he would have a considerable number of mares booked, too.
Still, Golden Masterpiece would undoubtedly take a fair share of those bookings.
They would certainly set his fee a little lower than Golden Masterpiece's. If a mare couldn't be booked to Golden Masterpiece, Gold Ship would be another option.
"If he wins the Arima Kinen, that does feel like a good place to stop."
Ayano Aoe also knew about Koichi Sasaki's idea of taking Gold Ship overseas.
Going overseas was inherently unpredictable, and there were very few races that could prove his value. Given Gold Ship's current record, there really was no need.
"This next month will probably get busy, too. The main thing is that I still haven't decided where to send him after he retires."
That was giving Koichi a headache as well.
Being a brilliant racehorse didn't mean his offspring would be equally good, and that was one of the things making him hesitate.
"Right now, sending him to Shadai is definitely the best option. They have plenty of resources, and lots of breeders take their mares there. If anything goes wrong, they can switch to another stallion for that day's covering."
Ayano Aoe still recommended sending him to Shadai's stallion farm.
Broodmares couldn't wait. When the time came, they needed a stallion, and that depended entirely on Shadai's arrangements for the day.
Golden Masterpiece