The next day, at the stables.
"Morning, Yosuke, Asho."
Dressed in his riding gear, Koichi greeted the man and horse inside the stall.
Today was naturally his first day back in training after his break.
Neigh-?
Golden Masterpiece, who was eating breakfast, turned to look at the doorway.
Munch, munch, munch-
The carrot dispenser was actually back?
Naturally, it was rather happy about Koichi's return.
After all, that new deadweight had been a little too stupid.
"Asho, Koichi will be training with you from now on."
Hitachi Yosuke picked up the pace of his brushing.
His workload would be much lighter today.
Once this race was over, he could enjoy a comfortable summer break with Golden Masterpiece, too.
They would rest right up until the prep race before the Kikuka Sho.
"Today, I mainly want to give things a try. The results might not be quite what we're hoping for, but we can make adjustments gradually."
Koichi stood at the doorway without making any move to enter.
He already had a rough plan, and the upcoming training sessions would also be a good chance to try out his new skill.
"Understood."
Hitachi Yosuke knew, of course, that Koichi was a fairly modest person.
Any other jockey with results like his would have let it go straight to his head.
"I'll take another look around, then. I'll come back when you're ready."
With that, Koichi wandered around the stables.
Most of the racehorses had already started breakfast and were being groomed by this time. After all, daily morning training was essential.
Of course, a few horses were still refusing to get up.
No matter how their grooms called them, they stayed sprawled on the floor. They weren't injured or anything; they simply wanted to lie in.
After making a circuit, Koichi