Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

Although the horse has gained two kilograms of weight, its body has become stronger and it has no negative impact on its athletic ability.

Judging from the appearance, the belly that looked a bit round when he won the All Japan 2-year-old title last year has tightened a little bit, and the excess fat has been successfully consumed.

"Even if the chaotic wave unfolds, it shouldn't be a problem."

On horseback, Hetian spoke in his usual voice.

After a brief silence, Wada spoke.

"Will Master Huangshan's family come too?"

Huangshan was a little surprised when he heard this question.

In the past, Hetian rarely spoke actively and rarely mentioned things other than work.

"They're coming over this week, but they'll probably spend a few days in a big city first."

The trainer smiled, then turned and asked, "What about Wada-kun?"

"When they heard we were going to run the Kentucky Derby, my son and nephew started clamoring to come early in the morning. It was impossible to stop them."

He shook his head, but a faint smile appeared on the rider's face unconsciously.

In the setting sun, people and horses cast long shadows.

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The third update will be later

Chapter 119: What I Saw at Claiborne Ranch

April 27, the morning before the Kentucky Derby draw.

Kitano was invited to visit Claiborne Ranch with another owner of a horse that had qualified for the Kentucky Derby.

Most of his meager knowledge of American horse racing concerned the Kentucky Derby.

Of the 23 horses buried at Claiborne Ranch, five are former Kentucky Derby winners.

Mejiro Sakuya's mother and father were gold diggers and were also part of the glorious history of Claiborne Ranch.

Without much hesitation, Kitano accepted the invitation.

In addition to tracking down the traces of legendary horses, he also hopes to gain a glimpse into the business practices of horse breeders outside of Japan.

As part of the Kentucky Derby promotion, the race officials will broadcast the two owners' trip to Claiborne Ranch live.

The ranch sent a staff member named David to accompany us on the tour.

On the way to Claiborne, Kitano asked him about the operation of the ranch.

“First, you have to be more patient with the fools in the industry – that’s what the Aga Khan is saying, of course.”

David made a playful joke.

After the atmosphere became lively, David continued, "You have to make sure your horses receive the best care possible, including shelter, food, water, and all the facilities they use. Saving on these will only lead to greater losses."

Kitano could be said to have some understanding of this.

Shrugging his shoulders, David continued, "Many people think Claiborne is an old-fashioned old-fashioned guy, but in fact, we have never relaxed our pace of keeping up with the times."

"More than just a smart enough brain, a ranch that's not too old, and of course a little bit of luck."

He smiled and held up three thick fingers.

“That’s the secret to Cliburn’s success.”

After arriving at the ranch, Kitano immediately recognized another invited horse owner.

Of course, he didn't know the other party before, nor did he know any information about the other party.

However, the bright silver Lamborghini Urus next to the blond man was enough to reveal his identity.

"You are too slow!"

Shaking his watch impatiently, the blond man strode towards Kitano and David.

"Hello, Kitano."

Kitano was still hesitating about how to start when the American horse owner who called himself Jasper gave him a hug in a somewhat bold manner.

"Hello, Mr. Jasper."

Kitano nodded somewhat nervously.

He still wasn't good at dealing with overly enthusiastic people.

After shaking hands, Jasper took Kitano aside and boasted about the business empire he had built in the Bay Area.

"Cough cough!"

David coughed a few times and pointed to the Kentucky Derby staff who were debugging the live broadcast equipment.

"Gentlemen, let's begin the tour!"

Jasper pumped his fist and shouted, "Of course, we can't wait to see the horse kings!"

"Then the live broadcast is about to begin. Three, two, one."

After confirming that the display and radio were normal, David, who was walking at the front of the group, led the way while introducing the history of Claiborne Ranch.

Although David tried his best to make the introduction lively and interesting, his not-so-great eloquence still managed to turn this introduction into a boring textbook sermon.

Fortunately, the road to the cemetery was not too long, and Kitano soon saw the tombstones of those great racehorses.

"The first person we can see is the Reviewer. He is..."

David's hypnotic explanation was still going on, but the two horse owners had already started the self-guided tour mode.

Jasper walked among the tombstones and took many check-in photos.

Kitano stood in front of the gold digger's grave with his hands clasped together in a serious manner.

Of course, there's no need to pray for Mejiro Sakuya to win the Kentucky Derby.

After all, the Gold Diggers’ record during their horse racing days wasn’t very good.

With a casual clap of his hands, he ended what looked like a proper visit.

After the cemetery, David led the two to tour the ranch facilities.

“This is the heart of Claiborne.”

David pointed to a low, unremarkable black house.

"About 150 foals are born here every year, and depending on the season we can have 400 to 550 foals at a time."

Walking around to the other side of the low building, David's voice suddenly became a little empty: "This is our breeding barn, where everything started."

He knocked on the barn wall again and said, "We use a material called 'polytrack' as padding here. Its mixed material can effectively absorb and cushion, avoiding most accidents caused by collisions during the breeding process."

"Although the cost is much higher than ordinary cushioning materials, you know—"

David turned and blinked.

"Saving money on this will only make you lose more money."

After that, he picked up the stud book and introduced, "Normally, there are about ten stallions working each breeding season. However, our workload is not heavy, and the usual breeding volume is only between fifty and seventy times."

Jasper curled his lips in disapproval, while Kitano, who was a veterinarian, nodded.

From a health perspective, this is also a relatively reasonable breeding number.

Exceeding this number will not only easily cause damage to the stallion's reproductive organs, but also cause significant pressure on their endocrine system.

Walking out of the low house, David pointed to a barn-like building not far away.

"That's what we usually call the Penstall Stud."

Kitano noticed that Jasper beside him suddenly became excited.

After entering the stables, Jasper walked towards the first stable without hesitation, reaching out and stroking the layers of nameplates outside the stable.

Kitano looked inside the stable.

In terms of hardware, the semi-open Penstall stud stables are nothing special, and even look much inferior to the stables that Nishiken has just put into use.

However, the schedule of dispatches posted on the wall of the stable aroused Kitano's interest.

In addition to grazing and breeding, there are also arrangements that are not common on Japanese ranches, such as meeting visitors and light exercise.

David proudly pushed open the fence of stable number one and said, "We keep them at a certain weight even after retirement. This has obvious benefits for their health."

Runhappy, who lived in stable number one, was sleeping soundly on the hay bedding. When he heard the noise of the fence opening, he just moved his ears slightly and ignored it.

But when David took out the mints from his pocket, runhappy quickly stood up from the bedding with drooling.

"Like most ranches in the U.S., we also use mints as rewards to motivate them."

As he said that, he threw the mint into runhappy's mouth.

"Usually this works, but there are exceptions."

He pushed runhappy's head that was sticking out from between the bars, indicating that he had no extra mints.

After several failed attempts, runhappy closed the fence with his mouth in annoyance.

"Well, how about we look somewhere else?"

David pulled the latch of the fence with an embarrassed look on his face and walked to the next stable.

"Mr. David, can you tell me how many people are needed to maintain a ranch like this?"

At the end of the visit, Kitano asked this question.

"Of course!"

David smiled and continued, "Sixty full-time employees, two veterinarians, a senior hoof trimmer, and a manager."

“And that’s just Claiborne’s part.”

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Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 120 The Stage Opens

On April 28, Churchill Park, which had been raining for several days, finally welcomed a rare sunny day.

The sun was gentle, and the deer-haired horse walked slowly and leisurely.

The rider on horseback looked calm, and his white and green clothes were particularly dazzling.

Beside the track, the bustling sight almost overflowed the fence.

Training in public under the watchful eyes of thousands of people is a necessary rite of passage for almost every horse that is destined for the Kentucky Derby or Oaks Stakes.

"Rather than training itself, what we need to do today is to adapt to the atmosphere of the competition."

I received this instruction from Master Huangshan.

The Kentucky Derby and the final stage of Japan's classic Triple Crown, the Chrysanthemum Appreciation, both start in front of the stands.

If you can't play calmly amid the noise, you will probably lose the rhythm of the entire game.

This is a tremendous test for both the rider and the horse.

Although she had performed well on big stages like Saudi Arabia and Dubai before, it was the first time for Mejiro Sakuya to hear the cheers of 150,000 people.

Entering the track, Hetian gently pulled the reins with his wrist.

The deer-hair horse took small steps and approached the railing with a clattering sound.

Behind Mejiro Sakuya, the ponytail swayed gently like a whip.

"Can I feed her some carrots, please?"

The little audience in front of the railing raised their heads and asked hopefully.