Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

The moment he handed over the bouquet, he bowed slightly and smiled.

"No, this is my side."

Wada returned the greeting with a deeper bow and took the bouquet with both hands.

The lights shining above the reviewing ground have quietly turned into pure white and dark green.

The last person to appear was the trainer who had retired eight years ago.

"Master."

As the white-haired figure slowly approached, Hetian could no longer hold back his tears.

"That's really amazing. Thank you for your hard work."

With a gentle smile on his face, Iwamoto Ichizo gently patted his disciple's shoulder.

"However, we can't let our guard down from now on."

The retired horse trainer suddenly changed the subject and his voice became a little harsher.

"If you fail the exam again next year, I'm going to hit you on the head."

"Yes!"

Wiping away the tears that kept flowing, Wada responded loudly.

Below the stage, the staff handed over a handkerchief at the appropriate time.

During the short break, behind Hetian were already many riders wearing the same commemorative shirts.

After Sakai and Takeshi Yokoyama presented flowers on behalf of the Kansai and Kanto riders respectively, Takeyuki Take, president of the Japan Riders Club, appeared on stage.

"Thank you for your hard work over the past thirty years."

Wu Feng, holding the flowers, rarely stopped joking, and his tone was full of sincerity.

The two bowed to each other, and after handing over the bouquet, Taketoshi turned around and joined the formation of riders.

At this moment, there was an exclamation from the audience.

"scare!"

The figure that suddenly appeared behind him scared Wada so much.

Then, Fukunaga and Hosoe, who rushed over from Fuji TV headquarters in Minato Ward, grabbed his wrists without saying a word.

The riders behind him took the opportunity to rush forward and together they threw Hetian high into the air.

"Long live--"

At the same time, sunlight slanted into the meeting room of the racecourse.

Chairman Saito and Kitano sat opposite each other, and the atmosphere was like a leisurely afternoon tea.

"Next year, NAR plans to host the World Rider Series in Japan."

After a few pleasantries, Saito went straight to the point.

"So I'd like to hear what President Kitano, the sponsor, has to say."

It wasn't too surprising to Kitano.

"This can be considered a good thing."

After a brief consideration, Kitano nodded and said.

Although in his opinion, the main reason for the failure of the first WJS was elsewhere.

However, it is always good to get support from the local racing club.

"I see--"

Saito also nodded, his eyes thoughtful.

"I understand."

The topic was then easily changed.

"Although the selection committee has just completed its vote, it's nothing that needs to be kept secret."

After smiling and winking, Chairman Saito pretended to be mysterious and revealed to Kitano the whereabouts of the various awards of NAR Grand Prix 2026.

In addition to being unanimously elected as the best 3-year-old mare, special commendation horse and representative horse of the year, Mejiro Sakuya was also selected as the special award horse for this year's dirt track graded race.

This is also the first time that a local horse has been selected for this award since Mingzheng Opera in 1999.

The Kentucky Expedition received the NAR Special Award in the name of the camp.

In addition, Master Huangshan was also rated as a Distinguished Trainer, a title that had been vacant for five years.

It is generally not much different from the outside world's expectations.

The conversation after this briefly returned to the topic of WJS.

After bidding farewell to Chairman Saito, Kitano fell into deep thought on the way to the celebration banquet.

Having NAR host the WJS Japan station may not be able to play a big role.

However, many things will not produce results if you don't try.

At least--

Wait until you've tried it.

When we left Oi Racecourse, the sun had already slipped down from the sky and was almost reaching the tall buildings in the port area.

Arriving at the celebration party venue, the surroundings began to grow dark.

It was already dusk.

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

"[@nar_keiba：

In today's Tokyo Grand Prix, the last South Kanto Triple Crown winner, Mihu, lost speed on the final straight and finished sixth.

Rider Mikami Honkenshi, his long-time partner, thanked his partner for his efforts.

The horse's retirement ceremony will be held on December 31 (Thursday) after the ninth race (around 4 p.m.).

- National Association of Racing (NAR) Formula

"Shenwei Anna will start the 2027 season with the Dubai World Cup as its first race."

——TDN

(Volume 1, end)

Chapter 174 Barbecue Awards Ceremony

"What an amazing rhythm control, especially that part on the opposite straight line."

"If Mr. Wada continues to play, he will definitely win a lot of games next year!"

“No, no—”

When Kitano walked into the barbecue restaurant where the celebration banquet was held, Wada and Arashiyama were drinking cold beer and watching the video of the game.

Ogawa Katsu, who was standing next to him, kept biting the straw he had used to drink juice, and his face had the same aftertaste as Huangshan.

"Oh! President Kitano is here——"

Several excited voices mixed with the aroma of barbecue came to my face.

"Sorry, I was delayed a little on the way."

Having said this, Kitano sat down in the seat reserved for him.

"Well then, the barbecue service is about to begin—"

Hetian volunteered and picked up the tongs and announced loudly.

The first vegetables to be put into the circular grill are onions and mushrooms.

According to Hotan Hokkien, this type of vegetable takes more time to roast, while beef, green peppers, eggplants, etc. cook quickly, and corn that rolls around takes time and effort to roast.

Kitano, who previously only knew that grilled meat needed to be turned over, learned a lot of knowledge along the way.

While giving the explanation, Hotan placed various vegetables on the iron rack.

The meat is placed in the empty space in the middle.

Grease dripped and flames suddenly shot up from below.

The aroma of spices mixed with slightly burnt food invades the nasal cavity with unreasonable force.

“Oh, it smells so good!”

"The best barbecue——"

Everyone picked up their chopsticks and cleared out all the barbecue on the rack in the blink of an eye.

But before the meal officially started, everyone raised their beer or drinks.

"cheers!"

A cool feeling flowed through his throat, and Kitano gulped down half a cup of beer.

After a hearty sigh, he continued to pick up his chopsticks.

After a while, several people started talking about the game again.

"Sakuya is really amazing. Her exit has become smoother."

Hetian, the rider, was the first to express his feelings.

"It feels pretty smooth on my back, and more importantly, Sakuya is only four years old now. I'm really looking forward to her performance next year."

Looking at the rider's profile, Kitano smiled and said, "If Mr. Wada doesn't retire, I'll be able to witness it myself on horseback next year."

"I'm very sorry for causing this much trouble to our camp."

Putting down the clamp, Wada clasped his hands together and made an expression of confession.

"That's not the case, but the rider's considerations are indeed a bit troublesome."

As he said this, several uncertain figures emerged in his mind.

Thinking of the scene when the main battle riders were discussing, Huangshan couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"In the past few days, my phone has been bombarded with calls."

As he spoke, the horse trainer shook his phone helplessly.

"Does President Kitano have any candidates?"

While dividing the grilled meat with tongs, Hetian asked casually.

Xuhe Sheng and Huangshan also cast curious glances.

"As a long-term main battle rider, it's still difficult to make a choice."

Rather than things like recent win rates or reputation, Kitano is more concerned with the compatibility between rider and horse.

In addition, if you aim for overseas competitions, aspects such as experience and on-the-spot ability must also be taken into consideration.

After the Keeneland auction sold out the amulets, they have yet to be replaced.

At least in the short term, don't even think about getting advice from the [Advisory Group].

Since the ranch opened, it has been extremely busy almost every day, and it is not easy to find time to watch the game on site.

Considering the possible changes in Mejiro Sakuya's running style, he did not intend to make a hasty decision in the short term.

It’s not too late to exchange the high-quality amulet you just got from the Tokyo Grand Prix for a green one even in January of next year.

"But after all, it's better to lean towards the muscle type."

Kitano continued half-jokingly.

"That's right. It wouldn't be a bad idea to think about the specific candidate a little more."

Wada nodded in agreement.

Being Mejiro Sakuya's rider is indeed a very strenuous job.