Nakayama Racecourse. 65th Asahi Hai Turf, right-handed outer course, 1,600 m Weather: clear Turf: good Post time: 15:25
"Following last week's Hanshin race for fillies, the open-division Asahi Hai is about to begin."
"Here at Nakayama Racecourse in the closing days of winter, who will claim the title of strongest two-year-old!"
"The 1,600-meter race at Nakayama Racecourse is about to get underway."
"The seventeen horses are entering the stalls one after another. There have been a few minor issues, but the staff quickly resolved them."
The minor issues were, of course, with loading into the stalls.
That was fairly common. Not every horse would cooperate with loading, after all, and a little tantrum before entering was almost inevitable.
Man o' War had no trouble, walking quickly into the starting stall under the stablehand's guidance.
Clack.
As the gate closed behind them, Koichi patted Man o' War's neck.
This would serve as a warm-up before the Arima Kinen.
Man o' War, meanwhile, looked curiously from side to side.
Most of these horses were ones Man o' War had never encountered before.
The same went for the course.
Of course, this would most likely be the last visit, too. Given Man o' War's preferred distances, there was little chance of racing at Nakayama Racecourse again.
That made it all the more important to seize this opportunity.
After encouraging Man o' War, Koichi pulled on his goggles.
Keep an eye on Yutaka Take in stall one.
Before the race began, he naturally went over his tactics once more.
"It looks as though Beautiful Voice in stall one is ready."
"This horse has shown solid ability before, and this time will be looking to dictate the pace throughout the race."
"Quite a few horses will be vying for the lead today, so