Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 29 The Finale
"Okay, as usual, I'd like to thank you all for your support at this year's Hokkaido Selection."

Finally, the selection meeting is about to officially begin.

"But before we get to the number one horse in the Selection, please allow me to introduce a horse from this year's Selection that has a good record."

It turned out to be a feint.

"Maybe they'll use Götze as their star player again next year."

Ogawa Masaru yawned a little bored.

The last G1 horse from the Hokkaido Select Club was Jin Jiji in 2019.

If the milk is blocked, use a warm towel to apply. If that doesn't work, use a lactation injection to release the milk. Then, inject the bibutan solution intramuscularly. Remember to strictly control the dosage according to your weight.

If cysts are common, try placing cushioning pads or mats on hard surfaces where the cattle can easily access them.

Tapping the screen of his mobile phone, Kitano clicked on the unread messages one by one.

"And I want to thank those who came from overseas, such as the United States and Europe."

Is there really such a thing?

He raised his head.

Well, there really is.

In the venue, a few scattered figures with golden hair were indeed spotted.

"There is a 4 to 5 second delay between the live broadcast and the actual event, so please be aware of this if you choose to participate online."

Finally, all the precautions were read out.

"Well, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Before the Hokkaido Market Yearling Selection officially begins today, I would like to invite Hokkaido Market Manager Furukawa to give an opening speech."

With a slight bow, Market Manager Furukawa took the microphone.

He is not tall and his hair is a little gray, but his voice is very energetic.

"Like last year, this year's Hokkaido Select will also last three days, with the auction of the first batch of Select foals taking place on the first day, just like last year."

"I'm counting on everyone who participated in the selection meeting this year as well."

After saying this, Market Manager Furukawa bowed slightly.

There was scattered applause around.

The commendation session for outstanding horse owners and trainers at last year's selection meeting ended quickly in an awkward atmosphere.

Kitano couldn't help but be slightly stunned when he heard the main victory in G3.

Then I sincerely admired the host who continued to explain without changing his expression.

Both the horse owners and trainers seemed relieved at the end of the commendation ceremony.

Especially the horse owner who was still holding the trophy in his hand, his face looked like he was ready to withdraw from his career as a horse owner.

The five staff members seated at a podium marked "HOKKAIDO HORSE SALE" nodded to each other, confirming they were ready. The female auctioneer in the middle announced, "The first day of the 2025 Hokkaido Selection Sale, the yearling auction, begins with horse number one."

After waiting for a while longer, until the professional smile on the auctioneer's face became a little stiff, Ichiban Ma reluctantly entered the venue.

"The next horse is number one, Magny Cours 2024, a male, deer hair, born on February 20th. The sire is Northern Black, and the dam, Magny Cours, has a long American dirt track pedigree."

"Good offers start at 20 million yen, 20 million—"

“Oh eh—”

An uncle, a horse owner standing behind Kitano, raised his hand and shouted.

Is it really necessary to shout so loudly?

Moreover, the offer was outside the acceptable range from the very beginning.

Kitano decisively buried his head in the booklet.

"Okay, twenty-one million—is there a higher offer than that? Twenty-one million—"

"Is there really no other bid at 21 million yen? — 22 million!" A subtle sense of déjà vu suddenly arose.

"Oh!"

Not far to the left, another horse owner made an offer.

"Twenty-three million—now twenty-three million! Twenty-three million yen—"

Although it is packaged more brightly and beautifully——

But there is indeed no essential difference between it and the livestock auction in the county.

Adjusting himself to a more comfortable sitting position, Kitano observed the competition on the field as a spectator.

The No. 1 deer-haired horse seemed to be a somewhat difficult type. Not only did it have some trouble making its debut, but it also showed signs of restlessness as if it was about to kick its hooves several times during the auction.

Although it is unclear whether this will have a specific impact on the market price of Deer Hair Horse, the transaction price ultimately only reached 30 million yen.

Judging from the expressions on the staff's faces, the price was still some distance from their expected range.

However, this is also an unattainable number for Kitano.

His ideal price is 6 million yen.

The target is those lower-ranked horses between those that failed to sell and those that were sold at the reserve price.

Of course, it doesn’t matter if it’s not achieved.

I didn't attend the selection meeting with the idea of ​​"I must buy a horse to prove my vision" or "It would be a shame if the [detector] is not used."

Just let nature take its course.

"Is there really no other offer for 30 million yen?—A northern black colt with mud-track blood from its mother's side, 30 million yen is there no objection—"

The auctioneer is still making his final efforts.

However, the price should not go up any further.

It seemed that even the horse owner who had just shouted out 30 million yen had begun to regret it.

"Then let's take this customer's 30 million yen as the final price."

After hearing the clear sound of the gavel, the sweaty staff finally breathed a sigh of relief and led the deer-hair horse away.

Then came the second, third, and fourth rounds. Even after the twentieth round, Kitano still had no intention of taking action.

"Mr. Kitano is really patient."

Ogawa Jō admired Kitano's composure.

The first twenty lots of today's selection meeting had several one-year-old horses that were very good in terms of price and physique. Even he couldn't help but make a few unplanned bids.

As a new horse owner who has only recently started horse racing, Kitano has remained silent until now.

"I just haven't met my ideal target yet."

This is a euphemism.

To put it more bluntly, the starting prices of the first few horses alone exceeded his budget.

"Then please keep up the good work, Mr. Kitano!"

It sounded like words of comfort.

Until the day's selection meeting was about to end, Kitano still hadn't made a bid.

Many owners of spring-autumn colts who are planning to compete for the final appearance have secretly marked him as a strong rival.

"Next up is number 136, Ocean Fleet 2024, a chestnut-haired female born on March 7th. Her sire is Kobayashi Riki, and her dam, Ocean Fleet, has a Raise a Native three-by-five pedigree."

The female auctioneer calmly introduced the second to last yearling to appear today.

However, there was no sign of Ocean Fleet2024 on one side of the display channel.

(End of this chapter)