Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

With the momentum of WASJ (World Star Riders Competition) in the near future and the cooperation of many stakeholders, we have managed to complete the procedures for this year's WJS Sapporo Station in Japan.

However, both JRA and the participating riders have considerable concerns about the prospects of the Japanese station.

Will the overlapping events distract from each other's attention? Is Sapporo too remote compared to other major venues? Can it still be held next year?

All these anxieties led to Taketoshi's itinerary today.

The legendary rider, who had little involvement with local horse racing during his long career, made a rare visit to the NAR headquarters.

Thanks to my wife for the 100 starting coins reward

Thank you for your support

Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

The second update will be later

Chapter 141 Encounter on the Daoying Bus

"call!"

After dragging her suitcase off the airport bus, the girl fumbled around for a while before finally taking out her cell phone from the pocket of her tight jeans.

The screen lights up——

[The Donan Bus Express Pegasus you reserved will arrive at the Expressway Eniwa Station in three minutes.]

It is understandable even without the help of translation software.

Putting all those feelings aside for the moment, he hurriedly turned around and rummaged through his backpack.

At the edge of my vision, a white and green bus was slowly pulling into the station.

“Suica…Suica!”

Just as the bus stopped, the familiar card was finally in his palm.

——However, after getting on the bus.

"Little girl, this thing doesn't work in Hokkaido."

The driver looked at the girl in front of him who was obviously "not from Hokkaido" and pointed to a stack of coupons next to the driver's seat.

"Here—take one of those and pay with your ticket when you get off the bus."

Pressing the button to close the door, he continued, "Also, the fare to Puhe is 3,280 yen, so remember to prepare some change."

After bending down and thanking the driver loudly, following the etiquette shown in the video guide, she dragged her heavy suitcase and began to look for a seat.

Most of the front seats were occupied by elderly passengers holding their backpacks tightly.

The rear is the world of young people.

As the last passenger to board the bus, it took me a while to find a seat.

The girl stood on tiptoe and pushed the heavy suitcase towards the luggage rack with a "hey whoosh".

A slender hand reached out from the side and pushed with a little force - the luggage was firmly in place.

"Thank you."

"Hong Kong people?"

Fluent Cantonese rang in my ears.

The girl raised her head in surprise.

In front of him, a bald middle-aged man wearing square-framed glasses smiled slightly and pointed to the empty seat next to him.

As the girl sat down with her bag in front of her chest, she suddenly noticed what the bald man was holding.

『Excellent Horse』

Speaking of which, isn’t the concentration of foreigners on the bus a bit exaggerated?

"Uncle, you always go to Mejiro Ranch, right?"

The girl's eyes involuntarily glanced at the magazine cover in his hand again.

"Yes."

The bald man smiled knowingly, with an expression that said, "You guessed it right."

"F*ck! Why are you trying to escape from Hong Kong and still have to compete with these foreigners for work—"

The girl suppressed the unspeakable grief and anger in her heart and took out her cell phone to take a look.

[Remaining distance: 2 hours and 34 minutes]

There is still a long time to go to the destination.

His eyes quickly swept across the screen, and after repeatedly checking the site information like confirming a spell, he nervously took out a crumpled piece of manuscript paper.

Pointing at the romanization on the phonetic notation, the girl whispered, "My name is Rachel Ho, I'm 23 years old, and I graduated from the Macau Polytechnic University with a degree in Health Science and Physical Education. No, no, pass!"

Listening to the stiff Japanese coming from his ears, Mo Jinxian smiled and took out his cell phone.

At the beginning of the previous interview draft, I slowly added a new paragraph while tapping on the screen.

[At Eniwa Expressway Station, a young girl from Hong Kong boarded a highway bus bound for Urakawa.

The Uma Musume pendant on her shoulder bag reveals her identity - another ambitious person attracted by Mejiro Ranch's global talent recruitment program.

Will she be the "Ten Samurai" that Mejiro Ranch is searching for?

In any case, we have all seen the "star effect" in the horse racing world.

This small ranch in Sinhidaka has recently caused quite a stir in the Japanese horse racing world due to its huge renovation investment of 3.8 million yen (about 268 million US dollars).

Earthquake-resistant steel structure stables, double-layer anti-collision plate walls, three-layer composite floor structure, ventilation and constant temperature air purification system, and intelligent detection equipment.

The only question is - for a mere three stables, is this arrangement overkill?

When the average investment of 1900 million yen (about 13 US dollars) per stable was linked to the total area of ​​9.5 hectares of Mejiro Ranch, some stubborn ranchers and amateur commentators were eager to sneer at the renovation plan.

When we first met, Kitano Yuki was packing his belongings at his old house in Niikappu.

“Simple” is not a word you would usually associate with such a rapidly rising young horse owner, but that’s how Kitano Yuki lives his life most of the time.

The most valuable items in his home are several veterinary books, followed by a now-empty trophy case that once held all the trophies he won over the past year and a half, including the Kentucky Derby.

"While it's possible to leave it to a moving company," he said, "I decided to do it myself."

Regarding the comments from the outside world, Kitano Yuki said: "I am just doing what I think I need to do and what I can do."

His partner in the Southern Hemisphere, Ciaron Maher, told Id○l Horse: "This is a very forward-thinking idea." Maher said: "He will benefit from this investment in the long run."

Core horse racing fans who are active on social platforms such as "X" have started a debate on this issue: Is it necessary to use such expensive facilities?

It is worth mentioning that Kitano Yuki’s renovation plan also includes a high-end horse rehabilitation training center including a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a hydrotherapy room and a horse treadmill room.

As the first person in the horse racing industry to introduce treadmills for horses in Japan, Yuki Kitano believes his ranch will benefit from it.

"Our ranch has limited space, so it's difficult to install a running track like other large ranches," he said. "Also, a treadmill is ideal for horses who are off-season or recovering from injuries and need to take some pressure off their joints and backs, which is exactly what we want."

After sorting out the manuscript again, Mo Jinxian did not rashly add new parts.

This is work that needs to be done after the second interview is completed.

As he moved his stiff wrist, he heard a sound that was noticeably smoother.

“You can actually use English in the interview.”

Mo Jinxian tried to remind the girl next to him.

“In MEJIRO, English will be the first language.”

Kitano told him this in person during the last interview.

"Is it true, uncle?"

Folding the wrinkled manuscript paper, the girl asked with a skeptical look on her face.

"Forget it. Seeing as you're willing to help me put my luggage away, you don't seem like someone who would be bored enough to pull a prank like this."

"Thank you in advance."

As she spoke, the girl spread out the manuscript paper again.

Through the car window, the setting sun slowly passed by.

The bus stopped at the Honto entrance station and two or three young passengers carrying large luggage got off the bus.

In sight, there is a large area dyed orange-red.

Through the gaps between the low houses and telephone poles, the vast fields stretch to the other side.

"This is Hokkaido—"

Chapter 142 Two Applicants

The national highway stretches all the way to the end of the horizon dyed red by the setting sun.

Three long shadows strode across the asphalt road.

"Uncle, didn't you say you'd be here soon?"

The girl walking in front was dragging a suitcase that was half a person's height, and the wheels of the suitcase made a rumbling sound on the road.

"Last time... the ranch sent a car to pick me up..."

Mo Jinxian, who fell behind, raised his hand to wipe his sweaty forehead while making an explanation with difficulty.

The tall Indian man walked silently, occasionally looking down to confirm the location on the map on his phone screen.

"Under construction... No entry... Right... what was it... Three hundred... what?"

The girl mumbled the words on the sign at the entrance to the pasture.

"Wow—a long way around?"

As soon as she finished complaining, she walked out first, dragging her exaggerated suitcase.

The Indian bent down his tall body, checked the words on the notice board, nodded calmly, and followed suit.

At the corner, a small shrine stands quietly.

Rachel Ho fished out her cell phone from her jeans pocket.

With a click, I captured the vermilion torii gate at the entrance of the shrine.

After putting down his luggage, he faced the shrine and clapped his hands twice in a formal manner.

"God bless you, if you can start working smoothly, I promise to offer you tribute every month!"

She closed her eyes and muttered rapidly.

“Pah, pah—”

The sound of crisp applause rang out nearby.

The dark-skinned Indian man had also stood a little further away, also closing his eyes and clasping his hands in prayer.

His expression became much more pious.

"Hey, I was here first!"

The girl suddenly opened her eyes and glanced upward at the person who came later than her.

The strong Indian man just smiled friendly, showing his white teeth.

"Sincerely, my dear."

Mo Jinxian, who was squatting by the national highway wiping his sweat, raised his head and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

Looking past the torii gate of the shrine, at the end of the endless line of telephone poles, the green roofs seem to merge with the distant mountains.

【(Same as) Mejiro Ranch】

——At the foot of the telephone pole, there is a brand new wooden sign nailed to it.

The girl clutched her luggage tightly and unconsciously quickened her pace.

"My name is Rachel Ho, I'm 23 years old and graduated from..."