Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

"As long as we can successfully see into the sky, Atalanta will not lose—"

Such a voice was heard from the stands.

Calming his breathing, the rider slowly raised his head and looked forward.

Through the gate, the route after exiting the gate emerges in my eyes.

After untying the leash, the stable boys trotted out to both sides of the track.

Four red lights came on and the gates popped open.

Along the same track as fifty-four years ago, fifteen figures of different colors took their steps one after another.

The cheers of over eight thousand people exploded in my ears, and the impatience that came through the reins was palpable.

Instead of restraining himself as usual, Sasakawa tried to turn this emotion into motivation.

He shifted his gaze slightly to ensure a clear road ahead, while distracting himself to avoid the approaching horses from all sides.

Amidst the flying mane, the rider resolutely pulled the reins.

The petite chestnut figure leaped to the front, leaving the noise and clatter of hooves behind.

On the day of Hesek, a maroon escape drama was staged.

Before the bend, Atalanta successfully cut into the route that Sasakawa had envisioned.

After the first few games, they were pressed tightly together, close to the second and third stacks of the inside fence.

"The one leading is Mejiro Atalanta! She's entering the first corner at a relatively fast pace!"

With the encouragement of the commentator, the cheers became even louder.

Atalanta's brisk steps stirred up a wave of white waves on the sand, like a young deer leaping into a herd of horses.

Even in the tight turns of the small circuit, his bouncing steps never wavered.

Seeing it running far ahead of its opponents, the cheers at the scene became louder and louder.

From the start, just run forward, and keep running away -

Leave the light and shadow behind and focus on the future.

Advancing at a pace rarely seen in recent years, the maroon shadow was the first to reach the end of the bend.

He let the chilly autumn wind blow across his face, but he controlled the reins without any hesitation.

"Sasagawa and Mejiro Atalanta are no problem even at this pace!"

Slowly approaching the end of the opposite straight line, Atalanta, who was leading at a fast pace, showed no signs of fatigue.

"Maybe this kid can run longer distances."

Feeling the smoothness coming from beneath me, this thought flashed through my mind.

Turning into the fourth bend, in front of the opponents who were whipping their horses hard, Sasakawa did not move the reins at all.

Along with the starlight coming from the sea, the maroon wind rushed towards the straight road.

"Mejiro Atalanta! Twelve Atalanta's complete victory!"

The other fourteen running horses seemed to be having a second race after a gap of countless lengths.

Izumi Yusuke stood up suddenly, his voice suddenly becoming heated.

"One minute and thirty-nine seconds! The record that stood for fifty-four years has been broken!"

"Will this child become a hero one day?"

"Three wins in three battles, Mejiro Atalanta of the twelfth division!"

The roar of the tram entering the station was easily drowned out by the waves of applause and cheers.

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

“本日在大井竞马场举行的海塞克纪念（优胜马：目白阿塔兰忒）创下的成绩（1分39秒）打破了由海塞克在1972年创下的记录（1分39秒2）。”

——Victorious Horse

"[@tck_keiba：

The Undefeated Maroon Gale

Mejiro Atalanta broke the 54-year-old record.

——Tokyo City Racing (TCK)

@Kitano: The Mejiro Atalanta's season has concluded and she will be returning to the Mejiro Ranch for a rest and grazing.

Thank you all for your continued support.]”

——Kitano Yuki

Chapter 164 Towards a Winter Morning

On the Monday after the beginning of winter, under the gray sky, the cold wind that penetrated the collar was bone-chilling.

It was just after 6 o'clock in the morning, and although there was a faint light in the east, it was still a dark hour.

"Everyone—good morning!"

Rachel Ho's energetic voice resounded clearly throughout the lounge.

Before work officially begins, everyone on the ranch will gather together to discuss today's arrangements.

"Deer have been wandering into the pasture lately. It would be troublesome if they scared the starship."

Going beyond the initial topic of weather, Lavid mentioned his recent discovery.

"Starship is already a steady man!"

Rachel Ho waved her hands, looking like she was worrying too much.

"But, Ata-chan will be back soon too—"

Thinking of the fact that Atalanta was about to return to the pasture to recuperate, the girl's expression changed again.

The image of the chestnut horse running around scared by the deer naturally emerged in my mind.

Sure enough, we still need to take it seriously.

"If it snows, deer repellent will quickly become useless."

Kitano also showed a somewhat troubled expression.

Even before the snowy season arrives, chemical deer repellents are of limited effectiveness.

For Mejiro Ranch, which has limited manpower, frequent re-spraying of pesticides along the border line is also a considerable burden.

"How about some reflective ribbon?"

Asayama, whose face was a little red from the cold, suggested.

Loggers in Hidaka hang reflective ribbons around their camps to ward off intruding wild animals.

"Anyway, let's give it a try."

Kitano nodded slightly, then turned his attention back to the tablet in his hands.

Despite its limited area, the grazing land at Mejiro Ranch is divided into several different plots like other ranches.

Protected by the adjacent road and two grazing areas in the mountains, is an area that originally belonged exclusively to the starship.

"If we let them graze together, there shouldn't be any problem."

Although there is an option of alternating grazing, this strategy will not work if the temperature drops a little.

As for the relationship between the two horses, I'm not really worried about it.

When herding, Atalanta was unexpectedly a collectivist type.

Although Xingchuan is still young, he has become quite stable in temperament.

They should be able to get along.

but--

At times like this, I still miss that noisy white guy.

Tonight, Megumi Hirayama will be away from the closing day game.

Before the Daoying Memorial Day, there was a 1200-meter "Support Hokkaido Special Next Year" event.

Although the name is a bit subtle, it is a genuine A1 class race.

Regardless of the intensity and distance of the game, it is a good choice for Mudashi Hakuba who has just returned from injury.

After the morning meeting, everyone started their busy day.

After completing his daily inspection, Kitano walked at a slightly faster pace along the path he usually traversed with ease.

Clouds covered the sun, dimming the sunlight.

The temperature outside is obviously much lower than that inside.

Looking towards the grazing ground, Starship was staring at the crow standing on top of the fence with its ears perked up.

After a while, the crow flapped its wings and flew away with a "click".

The deer-haired pony then shook its ears and lowered its head leisurely.

As he chewed the grass, he looked like a winner.

On the other side of the grazing ground, Xuanmu yawned and then rolled around on the ground.

Soon, the originally smooth mane became messy.

Fortunately, the grass coverage rate is still considerable this season, so it doesn’t become too messy.

"At least he doesn't chew anything anymore."

Kitano had no choice but to comfort himself in this way.

However, Lavid, who was in charge of cleaning, probably wasn't happy.

When they arrived at the training center, Rachel Ho was looking down at the monitoring device tied to Mejiro Sakuya's leg.

The deer-hair horse shook its furry ears and looked at the iron cage-like device in front of it with some curiosity.

"Would you like to turn on the fan, President?"

There was a hint of nervousness in Rachel Ho's voice.

Although I had learned about the treadmill operation through the instruction manual, this was my first time actually operating it.

"Well, open it."

Kitano smiled, then touched Mejiro Sakuya's neck helplessly.

"If you don't lose weight, you won't even be able to get on a treadmill."

The deer-haired horse rubbed against his palm as if it was acting coquettishly, and its belly still maintained a considerable outline.

On the other side, Rachel Ho had already put down the treadmill pedal.

After checking the conveyor belts and anti-slip mats one by one, the girl began to test the control system.

"We're ready, President!"

She made an "OK" gesture towards Kitano.

After guiding Mejiro Sakuya onto the treadmill, the girl fastened an elastic leash that was slightly shorter than usual.

Hanging the timer on the side wall of the treadmill, Kitano set the time for five minutes.

The gear is [slow walk] which is similar to walking, and the slope is that of flat ground.

When it was just started, Mejiro Sakuya shook her head a little uncomfortably.

"No limp, but the gait still seems a little unrefined. Don't rush to change the speed."

Kitano, who was in charge of the observation, said at the right time.

"no problem."

Rachel Ho nodded and looked down at the data on the instrument.