Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

"Just like President Matsumoto said, 'As long as the horse is there, the friendship will last forever.' I think Rider Kim Miki and Sakuya should be a good match."

——Excerpts from a conversation with "Kitano Yuki's winning strategy" in Nikkan Sport

Chapter 187 The Final Chase Day

"Good morning, Master Huangshan."

"Good morning."

The stable corridor echoed with similar greetings from the previous few days.

The difference is that today's is the final chase before the Dubai World Cup night.

"please."

Huangshan bowed slightly to Jin Meiqi, who was wearing a white and green winning suit, and opened the iron door of the stable.

Mejiro Sakuya, who had just put on her saddle, raised her head at the sound.

The deer-hair horse's hazy eyes seemed to be saying, "Oh, do I have to run again?"

The female rider smiled, rubbed the soft hair on her head with her palm, and then jumped onto the saddle neatly.

On the other side of the corridor, Master Yahagi, dressed in a burgundy suit, also nodded slightly towards his stable.

Sakai, wearing an Ebi-colored victory suit, pursed his lips tightly, his gaze fixed on the deer-haired figure walking leisurely in front of him.

The three-year-old racehorse under the young rider blinked curiously and followed closely behind Mejiro Sakuya.

When they arrived at the stable door, the Japanese staff and reporters formed a human wall and consciously made way for the racehorses that were about to catch up.

Amid the media's flash lights, Yahagi looked solemn, Hori Nobuyuki kept a low profile, and Tetsuya Kimura smiled and repeated his prepared remarks.

On the Mejiro Sakuya side, Arashiyama had his usual depressed look on his face.

Compared to many camps that can't wait to start training as soon as they land, Mejiro Sakuya's training in Midan these days can only be described as mediocre.

"Maintaining her form is key and we don't want to put too much pressure on her given the circumstances."

The local horse trainer from Oi repeated the same words as in previous interviews.

Let Sakuya enter the game with some wiggle room—

This was a joint decision made by the camp.

In addition to considering the hot climate, Mejiro Sakuya's body cannot withstand high-intensity training.

However, compared with the teams that were training hard, even Kitano couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

It was not until a few days ago when a single horse chased and cut off the enemy that the camp regained some confidence.

Although there was a rather awkward three-month gap since the last match, Mejiro Sakuya's gait was even better than at the Tokyo Grand Prix.

As for the horse's weight, it was also successfully controlled within the expected weight of 505 kg.

It's the same weight as the Kentucky Derby.

Although I lost two kilograms, I feel a little stronger than at the Tokyo Grand Prix after a long break.

However, the people in the camp still have no confidence about how Mejiro Sakuya will perform in this state.

Today is the time to test the results of the training over the past four weeks.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, the sun just climbed over the waves of the Persian Gulf.

Mejiro Sakuya and two Japanese-style hospitality horses set foot on the Midan dirt track together.

The final chase a week before the race will be carried out in the form of a chase by the subordinate horses.

Trainers Yahagi and Hori Nobuyuki, also from Japan, generously lent their racehorses.

Otherwise, on the final chase day, Mejiro Sakuya would have to perform the same solo chase as last time.

In response, Kitano and Arashiyama repeatedly expressed their gratitude to the two trainers.

"It's about to begin."

Someone said that, but the trainers, stable boys, reporters, and those involved in the team all turned their attention to the track.

The first to start were the two accompanying racehorses.

After a while, Jin Meiqi also sent a start signal to the deer-hair horse under her.

Kicking up the fine sand that was as thick as mud, Mejiro Sakuya, with a hint of laziness still on his face, started to chase.

When he came to the railing covered with sunlight, Huangshan couldn't help but squint his eyes.

The outline of the runway blurred in the field of vision.

"I can't see clearly—"

Kitano also narrowed his eyes and muttered softly.

The surrounding trainers all showed similar expressions.

Although temperature is also a consideration, even in less hot seasons, people tend to prefer morning training before sunrise.

In dark environments, the attention of both people and horses will become relatively focused.

On the other hand, an overly bright environment often brings many unstable factors that interfere with training.

However, today is officially media day.

In order to meet the promotional needs of the event organizer, the chase was postponed to after sunrise.

Fortunately, the temperature at this moment is still within the tolerable range, only a slight fever of 26 degrees.

Turning towards the straight line dyed golden red by the sunlight, Mejiro Sakuya was still about two horse lengths behind the horse in front.

At this time, Kim Meiqi showed a strong push that was no less than the two male riders in front.

Facing two horses that were being driven at full speed, Mejiro Sakuya managed to cross the finish line side by side without even using a whip.

"You seem a little happier."

Taking off his sun-proof baseball cap, Kitano smiled and pointed at the deer-haired figure who was walking towards him leisurely with small steps.

“It feels so easy when I catch up.”

Huangshan let out a long breath, and the heavy expression on his face disappeared.

There haven’t been many changes mentally or physically, but everything has been going pretty smoothly so far.

Of course, the specific tracking content needs to be combined with the feedback from the rider for further analysis.

Thinking of this, the two of them took steps forward, one after the other.

"It was a little easier than last week, and my reaction and coordination seemed to have improved."

The female rider smiled and patted the slightly wet neck of the deer-haired horse, and answered the reporters' questions calmly.

"There's nothing insecure about her; she's as powerful as a Kenworth SAR legend."

After saying that, the man and the horse walked towards the cooling area under the support of the camp.

Mejiro Sakuya stuck out her tongue leisurely, and her black braided hair swayed up and down with her steps.

The sky was a brilliant blue and the wind felt a little hotter than yesterday.

It is already midsummer in Dubai, located on the Arabian Peninsula.

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

Dubai WC

The final round of the Dubai International Race Walk was held at the Meydan Stadium on the 21st.

Mejiro Sakuya (Female 4 = Oi Arama), who had won the UAE Derby at the Midan track, and her two horses easily completed the chase on the muddy course.

Barren Mountain Horse Trainer

"Although it's hard to tell from the outside, the horse's body has tightened slightly, while the muscles have remained relatively unchanged. The results of the training are generally positive."

Kim Maggie Rider

“It was a little tighter than last week’s solo chase, but it was still a relatively easy run, and I still had some energy left after the training.

She is very popular both in Japan and overseas, so I hope this match will also have a good result. ”

——《n○tkeiba》

Chapter 188 The Trial of God

On the morning of the 24th, at 9:00 am.

The large glass windows facing the stadium were separated by lattices, and the light coming in was so bright that it was difficult to open your eyes.

Today continued the good weather of this month, and the temperature broke through 30 degrees Celsius early.

If you stay outdoors without air conditioning, you will soon start to sweat.

In the lobby on the first floor of the Medan Hotel, people from various camps gathered together for a rare pre-match gathering.

Today is the day for the draw for the Dubai World Cup Race Walking, and the venue will be the IMAX cinema inside the stadium.

With the exception of the major Dubai World Cup, gate positions for all other races will be randomly selected by computer.

The Dubai World Cup will use a unique way to draw lots -

When the name of the running horse is called, the camp representative will go on stage to choose a decorative whip, and the support below the whip will be printed with the corresponding gate number.

Including the trainer Huangshan and the rider Jin Meiqi, most of the collaborators in the camp have no confidence in their luck.

Therefore, the responsibility of selecting the gate positions can only be borne by the horse owners.

Among the group of horse owners and production ranch representatives dressed in cool clothes, Kitano, dressed in a suit and tie, seemed a little out of place.

"It would be nice if it rained on the day of the competition."

Looking at the dazzling blue sky outside the window, I couldn't help but sigh like this.

Even though we were in an air-conditioned hotel, the layers of suit wrapped around us already gave off the feeling of stuffiness.

However, it is said that there is less than a 10% chance of rainfall in Dubai at the end of March.

In contrast, it is better to pray for a good gate position.

"I really hope I can win."

The voice of the unfamiliar horse owner came from the sofa across from me.

"It's too early to talk about this now."

Another horse owner took over the topic with a smile.

"But I don't know much about horse racing, other than winning or losing."

The original female horse owner covered her mouth and smiled a little embarrassedly.

"Actually, I'm almost there. President Kitano, what kind of gate position do you think is advantageous?"

The horse owner, who was also from Japan, turned his head and gave him a questioning look.

"As long as it's not a big foreign situation, you can at least give it a try."

After a little thought, Kitano gave this answer.

At least, that's exactly what happened to Mejiro Sakuya.

Although in Master Huangshan's expectation, the most ideal situation would be to draw the gate position in the middle.

but--

In Kitano's opinion, it shouldn't matter even if it's a little further inward.

“That’s what I mean—”

The horse owners around nodded and soon turned to discussing their shopping experiences in the Dubai Mall.

Not far away, the gray-haired horse owner was talking excitedly in the crowd.

Then, he suddenly stopped talking and walked over.

Snapped--