Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 377 Intersecting Schedules

"Then I'll leave it to you today as well."

"Please leave it to me, Ryu and Master Tian."

As he spoke, Wu Feng, dressed in his rider's final battle uniform, bowed quite earnestly to He Tian, ​​who was dressed in a suit and tie.

In that instant, the sense of reality vanished from my sight.

The expressions of the horse racing fans who noticed this scene also became subtle, and they uttered things like "Eh—" and "That's really strange."

This scene occurred before the second game of the first day of WASJ.

The focus quickly shifted back to Moya, who was enthusiastically interacting with fans in front of the railing.

Although he said he was far from being 100% recovered, Moya had a good grasp of the flow of the game from the very beginning in the last match. He relied on his gradual advance from the middle game to take control in the later stages and secure the victory.

Even during the second review, the horse racing fans by the railings remained enthusiastic, cheering and shouting "Congratulations on your return!" and other congratulatory messages.

After crossing the exit line, Moya smiled and waved to the surroundings like the other riders, then took the autograph boards handed out from behind the railing, bent down, and carefully signed her name.

This is Sapporo—

Thinking of this, he quickly withdrew his raised head and took a step before the inspection ended.

However, many horse racing fans shared similar sentiments, and the walkway leading to the grandstand area suddenly became very crowded.

After spending several minutes in the surging crowd, I finally reached the finish line, only to find that the second race was already over.

The next moment, I heard a series of synchronized "Sakai" calls, sounding like they had been professionally trained.

—It's obvious without even looking that the winner is none other than rider Sakai.

It was a little disappointing not to be able to witness the crossing of the finish line.

Sapporo at dusk.

Sapporo during the WASJ era was even more chaotic than during the Jusho-nii-Natsu period, with vehicles exiting the parking lot on the west side of the racetrack merging into the already congested ring road where even ants couldn't squeeze through.

Beyond the horizon lies the brightly lit JRA Equestrian Centre, with the sky in the background gradually shifting from red to blue.

We met up with Yoshida in front of the racetrack's main entrance and then headed together to an Italian restaurant called "Amore".

Although it was already close to 6 p.m., the reserved seats were for 6:30 p.m., so there was plenty of time.

It was unusual that I didn't use any transportation and instead walked to the building where the restaurant was located.

During the journey, I discussed topics related to Baozuo with the horse trainer.

—The Breeders' Cup invitation has been confirmed.

This is the first piece of good news for the camp since September.

Despite having Ikeda, a stable staff member, assisting him, Yoshida was still struggling to handle issues such as blood tests and various vaccinations before leaving the country.

After crossing three consecutive intersections for several minutes, you arrive at the restaurant you had booked in advance.

At this time of day, Sapporo is filled with horse racing fans who have finished watching the race and are looking for food. Across the street, another Italian restaurant that doesn't require reservations already has a rather long queue.

"Excuse me, is it okay to take a group photo?"

"no problem--"

Despite failing to continue her winning streak in the second match, Moya showed no sign of gloom on her face.

As soon as he entered, he was recognized by two horse racing fans who were also dining, and they happily took a photo together.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, both sides took their seats.

The first dish served was a platter known in Italian as "antipasto".

Ham, cheese, mushrooms, and various familiar and unfamiliar vegetables are arranged together in a way that is only enough for one bite.

After an appetizer served with an aperitif, the two began to get down to business. "Moya is very interested in this commission, and if possible, he would be very happy to ride such a promising racehorse to the Breeders' Cup."

The chubby agent spoke first, and Mo Ya nodded in agreement.

"We are also honored to have the opportunity to work with a rider of Mr. Moya's caliber."

Yoshida's voice carried a hint of nervousness, and he would occasionally steal glances at her, seeking her opinion.

After the initial contact, the rider did not immediately give a "yes" or "no" answer.

It seems that today's negotiations will not go so smoothly.

As I was thinking this, the agent at the opposite table continued speaking.

"Moya will begin a short-term riding trip to Japan in the next month, so he may have the opportunity to train that horse once or twice in Japan."

This is good news for most of the camps that invited overseas riders.

However, upon learning of this arrangement, the two looked at each other in surprise, and then simultaneously looked at the other side of the table with somewhat astonished eyes.

"Actually, we plan to depart for the United States next week after we pass the domestic quarantine."

“Oh, is that so?”

This time it was the other party's turn to be surprised.

After briefly explaining the camp's plan, Moya exchanged glances with her agent for a while.

He gave a somewhat ambiguous answer, and the large-statured agent lowered his head slightly and remained silent.

The atmosphere here paused subtly for a moment.

Just then, the main course was served.

A Japanese-style pasta dish, fragrant with broth, was placed in front of Moya, while the three Japanese dishes were classic tomato or cheese flavors.

Moya deftly twirled the noodles with her fork and put them in her mouth. Just as her agent seemed to be trying to bring up the topic again, Moya spoke first.

"No problem, I accept."

Moya readily agreed to the request, saying she would head to the United States as soon as possible to rejoin her team after her short-term riding mission in Japan.

After a simple toast, the two sides could be considered to have reached an agreement.

—Although the agent seemed visibly dissatisfied.

During the main meal, after finally finishing the pasta and fried fish in front of me, the waiter brought out tiramisu, which was supposedly a complimentary dish.

I only intended to eat until I was full, but the portion size of the set meal far exceeded my expectations.

I managed to finish the dessert under the encouraging gaze of the staff, and before I could even catch my breath, a freshly prepared espresso was immediately served.

As I staggered out of the restaurant, my stomach gave me a sign that it couldn't take the strain anymore.

------------

"The day before yesterday (September 1st, Friday) at the Mipo Training Centre, 14 two-year-old horses successfully passed the gate test, successfully breaking through the first hurdle on their way to debut."

Megumi's Treasure (Mother, the Idol of All, Female, and Average Performance)

——ZBAT!
“The owner said, ‘I want to race this one,’ and I said, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ At the time, that race wasn’t in my racing schedule at all, and I wasn’t sure if we would get an invitation. In fact, after setting the race goal, many things, including the initial registration beforehand, quarantine upon arrival in the United States, and the choice of accommodation, were handled by the assistants behind the scenes and in the stables. I was only responsible for the simplest part,” Yoshida Yutaka said. “A few days later, they informed me that I had been invited to race, and I thought, ‘Okay, let’s see what else we can do to prepare,’ and then I threw myself back into my work.”

Yoshida stated that two-year-old horses are relatively more vulnerable in both mind and body. In Japan, trainers almost never consider sending horses of this age on international races.

For them, this could be yet another great breakthrough from 'zero' to 'one'.

—Id○l Horse—"Two Dragons Rise to Power: Rising Star Yuki Kitano to Deploy Two Strong Horses in the Breeders' Cup"

(End of this chapter)