Recaps

Koichi returned to Hokkaido, began working at Aoe Ranch, and took on the difficult Golden Masterpiece as his racehorse. After winning the Shinzan Kinen, he returned to Hokkai Ranch ready to focus on Gold Ship and prepare for what came next.

• Koichi returned to Hokkaido, learned his father had spent two hundred million yen on Gold Ship, and activated a jockey system that helped him recognize the yearling’s potential.
• Koichi joined Aoe Ranch and impressed Ayano Aoe by calming a runaway colt, earning the chance to ride the temperamental Golden Masterpiece.
• Koichi trained Golden Masterpiece, built a rapport with the horse, and prepared with Hitachi Yosuke for the Shinzan Kinen while arranging for Megumi Mitsumori to consider training Gold Ship.
• Koichi rode Golden Masterpiece to victory in the Shinzan Kinen, overtaking Danon Blue and finishing ahead of Red Davis and Appreciating Wisdom.
• Koichi told reporters that he and Golden Masterpiece aimed to challenge Grade 1 races, and Ayano Aoe proposed the Spring Championship as their next preparation race.
• Ayano Aoe entered Danon Blue in the Kisaragi Sho and decided to replace Matsutomo Kazuma as his jockey.
• Koichi returned to Hokkai Ranch, greeted Gold Ship, and asked Miku Kuchiki to pick up Megumi Mitsumori while he rested and waited for his prize money.

Koichi trained Gold Ship toward his first race while preparing Golden Masterpiece for the Spring Championship, balancing ranch duties with the mounting pressure of the major race. The stretch ended with Koichi mounted on Golden Masterpiece and heading toward the track as a young fan placed a bet on him.

• Koichi put Megumi Mitsumori in charge of Gold Ship’s training, and she began teaching the horse commands before his qualification test.
• Koichi took Gold Ship through the Ability Test, where the judges criticized his temperament but ultimately granted him a pass.
• Koichi returned to training Golden Masterpiece for the Spring Championship as Asho recovered his condition and Ayano Aoe monitored his preparations.
• Koichi and Hitachi Yosuke brought Golden Masterpiece to Hanshin Racecourse, where Koichi trained him despite other riders’ doubts about his form.
• Golden Masterpiece dominated a practice run, and Koichi discussed the race’s rivals with Ayano Aoe, who identified Free Flight as a threat.
• Megumi Mitsumori and Miku Kuchiki watched Gold Ship’s training and planned to follow Koichi’s race together.
• At Hanshin, Koichi used Calming to settle Golden Masterpiece and Dream Journey when the full brothers grew hostile, as Ikezoe confirmed Dream Journey’s impending retirement.
• Koichi mounted Golden Masterpiece before the Spring Championship, while a young boy cheered for him and persuaded his father to buy a betting ticket on the horse.

Koichi and Golden Masterpiece overcame concerns about the horse’s behavior and unfamiliarity with Tokyo’s left-handed track to win the Satsuki Sho by five lengths. As Koichi faced the next challenge of the Tokyo Yushun, he approached a chestnut horse running wild in the paddock.

• Golden Masterpiece won the Spring Championship after Koichi calmed him and launched a late sprint, earning their place in the Satsuki Sho despite the horse throwing him afterward.
• Koichi and Golden Masterpiece traveled to Tokyo, where Koichi worked with Hitachi Yosuke and Keigo Kudo to address the horse’s difficulty running counterclockwise and build his stamina.
• At Hokkai Ranch, Gold Ship befriended One-Way Passage while Megumi Mitsumori arranged temporary shelter for Ayumu Kusakawa’s horses after a fire damaged his stables.
• Before the Satsuki Sho, Ayano Aoe trusted Koichi to handle Golden Masterpiece, and Koichi continued preparing the horse despite Hitachi Yosuke’s ankle injury.
• Golden Masterpiece was boxed in near the back during the Satsuki Sho, but Koichi found an opening and guided him into a powerful inside sprint.
• Golden Masterpiece won the Satsuki Sho by five lengths ahead of Swiss Watch and Danon Ballad, and Koichi looked forward to the Tokyo Yushun.
• After the race, Koichi praised Golden Masterpiece in an interview and celebrated with Ayano Aoe, while she arranged introductions with racing officials.
• When a chestnut horse ran wild in the paddock and injured two staff members, Koichi activated his skills and approached it as others warned him away.

Koichi trained Gold Ship at Hokkai Ranch, visited Shadai Farm with Ayano Aoe, and returned to prepare Golden Masterpiece for the Tokyo Yushun. As the race drew closer, he made plans to help Gold Ship acclimate for his debut, while Fujitani Kotomi received a troubling message.

• Koichi signed the two-hundred-million-yen promissory note Fujitani Kotomi gave him, then visited Hokkai Ranch and trained Gold Ship alongside One-Way Passage.
• Koichi used a new skill to sense and influence Golden Masterpiece’s emotions, then adjusted the horse’s training as he prepared for the Tokyo Yushun.
• Koichi visited Shadai Farm with Ayano Aoe, saw Deep Impact, Tokai Teio, and Special Week, and discussed breeding and racing with her.
• Ayano Aoe and Shadai Farm signed a collaboration contract, and Koichi returned to Hokkai Ranch to review the Tokyo Yushun entries, including rivals Triumph Ballet and Swiss Watch.
• Ayano Aoe visited Hokkai Ranch, checked Gold Ship’s condition, and promised Megumi Mitsumori she would attend his July debut at Hakodate.
• Koichi continued preparing Golden Masterpiece for the 2,400-meter Tokyo Yushun, and he and Ayano Aoe agreed to keep the horse near the rear to avoid being boxed in, adjusting their approach to his draw.
• Koichi told Ayano Aoe he would go to Hakodate to help Gold Ship acclimate, then reviewed his interview script and arranged electric fans for the ranch.
• Fujitani Kotomi received a troubling message and began checking its details as Ayano Aoe and the driver left for a party.