Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

In the history of the Three Queens’ Crowns, whether it is the Outstanding Mares or the Autumn Flower Award or the old Queen Elizabeth Cup, there have been regrets of popular players being defeated, and there have also been cases of horses that fought for victory in a chaotic manner and then burned out.

Only in the first stage of the Triple Crown, the Sakura Viewing, the results are often highly consistent with the popularity before the game.

What is even more valuable is that among the cherry blossom horse viewing events, there are also many that shine brightly in the ancient horse racing field.

Therefore, the cherry blossom viewing has always been regarded as a stage to announce the top mares of each generation.

From this point of view, Sakura Appreciation and Gaoyue Appreciation, which is also the first stage of the classic battle line, are exactly the opposite of each other.

One of the most popular horses at this year's cherry blossom viewing event is Apricot Aurora, the champion of last year's Hanshin 2-Year-Old Mare Championship.

The second most popular person is Sudis from the Silk Club, who also comes from the club's legal entity.

Atalanta, who has only one grass-court performance and started from the outside gate at number 16, was listed as the sixth most popular player outside the favorite.

In recent years, there has only been one horse that has won the Cherry Blossom Award with the popularity of five outsiders.

The 82nd Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival shines brightly across the world.

The camp also tried to analyze the game at that time, trying to find an opportunity to win by defeating the opponent.

Although Atalanta's legs are too soft, she can't completely replicate the last leg of the big and powerful colt.

However, Master Mashima did find some points worth referring to.

In the 1600-meter race on the Hanshin Outer Circuit, the 200-meter downhill section from the fourth turn to the final straight is usually regarded as a buffer section "before the final battle."

During the 82nd cherry blossom viewing event, this section of road had the shortest passing time in recent years at 11.1 seconds.

He completed the last three waves almost without taking a breath.

The tactics that the faction ultimately adopted were derived from this inspiration:

It's not about running away with all your might from the beginning, but about taking control of the pace and then running at a fast pace throughout the whole race.

Drag the game to a battle of endurance, which is what Atalanta excels at—

This is the best possible development that the camp envisioned.

However, the gate position and track conditions were on the unfavorable side.

By the time we finished our slightly late lunch, the sunlight coming in from the window had become quite strong.

The white clouds are so clearly visible that they seem to emerge from the blue sky, making people feel that "summer is coming soon".

"If only it would rain—"

Although I knew it was impossible, I couldn't help but sigh like that.

He stared out the window for a long moment longer before looking away.

Kitano found a sofa and sat down, then took a nap like the horse owners around him.

I hope I can run a race that shows my strength.

As I thought about it, my eyelids closed unconsciously and I quickly slipped into the abyss of sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was almost time for the competition.

"The owner of the North Wild Horse."

The gentle voice barely reached my ears.

They are the staff who came to gather the horse owners.

Most of the horse owners around were stretching slowly, and Kitano yawned out of infection when he stood up.

"Sorry to trouble you."

After saying this to the staff member next to him, he lowered his head to look at his watch.

The time was exactly 3 p.m.

So Kitano followed the footsteps of other horse owners and slowly walked towards the elevator to the reviewing ground.

The owner's reviewing area is designed with all seats similar to the Oi.

If the people in the first row were a little taller, they wouldn't be able to see anything behind them.

So, having learned from his previous experience, Kitano walked straight past the audience seats and headed towards the door of the preparation room.

The afternoon was hot as in summer, and even standing in the shade I soon felt thirsty.

So I unscrewed the bottle cap and drank the green tea that came with my lunch.

Wu Feng, wearing the famous general's peach-sleeved and green-peach-lined victory uniform, was the first to walk out of the preparation room.

"Good afternoon, President Kitano."

The rider greeted me with a smile while adjusting the elastic strap of his helmet.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Feng."

Kitano nodded slightly in greeting, and out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a figure in white and green deciding suit jogging out of the preparation room.

So, after a brief farewell to Wu Feng, he returned to the riders in his own camp.

"Please, today too."

Kitano bent down and bowed, and Sasagawa opposite him also lowered his head.

"Ata-chan is in good shape and was able to control the tempo smoothly during the chase last week."

"That's great."

Although a great battle was ahead, the two men's tone was not overly heavy.

In the last match of the Kisaragi Sho, when Atalanta stubbornly withstood the pressure from behind and escaped to win, Kitano thought, "This kid has grown to this level," and a feeling of anticipation emerged in his heart.

Turning his gaze towards the parade track, he soon spotted Atalanta, who was noticeably smaller than the other horses.

The chestnut horse's head was still fully armed with various horse harnesses.

Compared with the apricot-colored Aurora in front, Atalanta, which is obviously smaller in size, looks like a two-year-old horse that accidentally stumbled into the classic battle line.

This is also one of the reasons why the camp insisted on the vanguard strategy after careful consideration.

After entering the third year of life, when growth might resume, Atalanta's body had not changed much.

The only consolation is that my originally uncontrollable temper has finally become a little calmer.

However, it is still quite difficult.

Watching the chestnut-haired horse walk towards the track, Kitano slowly lowered his raised head.

"It must go smoothly."

I unconsciously clenched my fingertips.

Chapter 198 Spring is just around the corner

The setting sun melts gold, and the light gradually softens.

In the gentle spring breeze, eighteen figures slowly walked towards the gate.

The starting tower rose to the same level as the branches, and with the red flag flying, the horn of the classic event at the beginning of the year sounded.

"The opening battle of the 2,270-year classic battle line, the 87th Cherry Blossom Viewing."

The voice of the live commentator Takagi pierced the clear sky, and time flowed again in Incheon, where greenery and cherry blossoms intertwined.

The clouds dissipated, and a ray of warm sunlight like early summer fell on the stands.

Cheers erupted, causing a brief commotion among the still young mares.

This time, the small figure of Li Mao did not waver.

Although he was a little timid and naughty, and could not hide his inner fragility, he still stood firm.

Is it people who make horses brave, or horses who make people strong?

At this moment, none of it matters anymore.

"Seventeen horses in the center, one in the middle, and eighteen racehorses marching under the cherry blossoms in full bloom straight across the street!"

The gate popped open, and Sasakawa pulled the reins sharply to the inside.

Through the tightly clenched bit, the minds of man and horse seem to be connected at this moment.

You must escape!

The petite body bounced up with force and leaped to the front of the herd.

"It's Mejiro Atalanta! Mejiro Atalanta of the 16th division is leading!"

"Then there are the famous generals Yuegui and Wufeng from the third group. The popular Sudis from the second group is biting a bit on the outside, and the popular Apricot Aurora from the first group is waiting for the opportunity in the middle group."

The cheers swept across the Incheon stands like a flurry of cherry blossoms.

Even the opponents would not be surprised by Atalanta Mejiro's lead.

In the peripheral vision, the green and peach colored figures slowly retreated.

Despite having a favorable start, Taketoshi still patiently appeased his eager partner, and waited for his opportunity to strike in the fourth or fifth place behind Atalanta.

At the Hanshin Racecourse, which has been extended through reconstruction, cherry blossom viewing is now often a latecomer advantage.

and--

Whether it was the "Magical Cherry Blossom Viewing" that was advantageous at that time, or the current "One Mile Race Back to Fuchung", both were very unfavorable developments for the fugitives.

The last time a cherry blossom viewing contest was won by escaping and cutting was nearly 30 years ago.

Li Muhua, sitting on the apricot-colored Aurora saddle, also pulled the reins slightly and retreated towards the desired good position.

The popular horse's avoidance made Atalanta's pace even more cheerful, and her slightly raised head seemed to carry a bit of complacency.

Having successfully looked into the sky, Sasakawa no longer had any worries and devoted himself wholeheartedly to controlling his pace.

"A little faster than normal pace."

Always keep this key point in mind, and the only thing left in your sight is the track ahead.

Turning into the third bend, the chestnut horse seemed to become anxious again due to the continuous interference of noise and light.

However, the familiar force through the armature calmed her emotions in time.

"Don't panic."

Sasakawa silently conveyed these words through the reins.

"The first 800 meters took 46.9 seconds, a 46-second lead led by Mejiro Atalanta!"

Takagi's voice was a little hesitant, and the horse fans in the stands also looked up repeatedly to confirm the broadcast images.

"Isn't it a little slow?"

"Could it be that Liang Chang's information is wrong?"

The third turn, the fourth turn, the rhythm all the way was without any sluggishness.

The rider of Dajing led the team smoothly, without the weirdness of "devil" or the tragedy of "survival".

Then, a voice of sudden enlightenment was heard from the stands.

"It turns out Ata-chan didn't go berserk—"

In the Ma owner's war room on the fifth floor of the stands, Kitano stared at the numbers in the upper left corner of the screen.

The kilometer was completed in 58.7 seconds.

My heart was beating wildly as if it was about to burst.

Next up is the 200 meters that will decide the outcome.

"Mejiro Atalanta is leading the charge, Bakhta of the ninth group is about inside the seventh or eighth group in the middle, Apricot Aurora is farther back on the outside, and Sudis is starting to accelerate on the inside!"

At this time, the horse fans in the stands were surprised to find that the famous runner Laurel, who was in the lead after leaving the gate, actually fell behind Sodis.

“Not the pace of a great escape horse, and not the pace of a normal one either.”

The legendary rider with forty years of riding experience quickly saw through Sasakawa's intentions.

At a fast pace without any buffer, the leading horse following Atalanta will be exhausted, and the following horse will need to waste more energy to catch up.

The other seventeen horses in the field had already put half a foot on the dirt field.