Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

Under the scorching afternoon sun, the shadows of the man and the horse overlap perfectly at this moment.

The petite figure of Li Mao ran towards the stands with leisurely steps, and the cheers from the audience became louder and louder.

"Mejiro Atalanta! Mejiro Atalanta is still ahead! Mejiro Atalanta is walking alone!"

The uneasiness of bloodline and distance completely lost its controversy at this moment.

"Being strong isn't the only thing you need to be a hero!"

"Incheon, just a neck away, is the springtime for the Queen of Kashiwa to bloom!"

"Following the Meisho Opera in 1999, another local racehorse has won a central Grade 1 race!"

"Mebiro Atalanta, a fair escape and victory!"

The next moment, the 50,000-seat grandstand at the Tokyo Racecourse was flooded with huge cheers.

"Atalanta—"

Among the large number of spectators waiting for the return of Atalanta and Sasakawa, someone was the first to shout out support.

This is a medal of courage dedicated to those who escaped from Fuzhong at 2400 meters.

"Atalanta—"

"Sasakawa——"

The violent cheers of support came one after another as if by agreement. Even some older and more experienced horse racing fans were grumbling, "We should have shouted 'Wing', right?", but they joined in the cheering at the same time.

When Atalanta and Sasakawa finally walked towards the stands, the huge cheers and the enthusiasm of the audience reached its peak.

At this moment, the goggles were no longer on Sasakawa's face, and the rider seemed to be standing stiffly on the horse's back, motionless.

"You're crying, aren't you—"

"I didn't even make a celebratory gesture just now. Opportunities like this don't come easy."

With another loud "Sasagawa" call, the rider seemed to suddenly react and bowed slightly towards the stands.

Then, he stroked the slightly wet chestnut head with his numb palm.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ata-chan, and—"

"Thank you."

Chapter 212: Flower Path to Kashiwa Theater

"Congratulations, President Kitano."

“It’s great to win.”

“Winning the Classic is really not easy.”

On the way to the railing exit, congratulations came one after another from the stands.

Kitano kept bending down to return the greetings, and by the time he reached the railing and joined the camp, a faint moaning sound was already coming from his back.

"It's really great."

Majima bowed deeply, then took out a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiped away the tears that kept falling.

On the other hand, Mr. Murata, the representative of the production farm who missed the last cherry blossom viewing, also looked like he was about to cry.

but--

Compared to the tearful trainer, the ranch representative's face looked more like he wanted to cry but couldn't.

It is said that in order to save ranch expenses, Mr. Murata sold Ocean Fleet, whose best record was only two wins, at a low price a few years ago.

"Congratulations, President Kitano."

After reluctantly congratulating each other, Representative Murata seemed completely speechless.

Not knowing whether to congratulate or comfort him, he patted his shoulder, then Kitano lowered his head slightly and fell into thought.

Even with the help of [detectors] and [advisory groups], it is actually difficult to guarantee the quality of every foal.

Especially considering that in the future, the breeding targets of ranch mares may include types like prolific giants with a huge gap between the upper and lower limits.

If you expand your business without restraint by relying on a short period of abundant funds, you might end up in a more embarrassing situation than Mr. Murata one day in the future.

"This year's breeding mares are tentatively set at two. No, three would be fine."

Murata, the "negative example" who was completely unaware of the situation, was still forcing a smile and thanking the horse fans around him together with those involved.

Walking towards the unsaddle area, Sasagawa had already untied the abdominal belt with the help of Mitsuzawa, the stable attendant.

Seeing Kitano walking towards them, they both stopped what they were doing and bowed.

"Really. Thank you very much."

Sasagawa took a step forward and grasped Kitano's palm, his voice choking again.

"On my side, Sasagawa-kun is truly amazing."

Kitano returned the grip with the same strength, a smile of emotion on his face.

Even he knew how remarkable it was to win the 2400m Fuzhong Classic by escaping a cut.

The efforts of both man and horse were rewarded at this moment.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ata-chan."

He also said the same thing to the chestnut-haired horse.

Atalanta breathed heavily, and her tail twitched weakly behind her.

However, when the winning flag and saddle were delivered, the wagging of the tail had returned to its normal frequency.

The ears that had been drooping suddenly stood up and turned to look at the people who were talking in low voices.

"So it's still very dangerous after all."

"Luckily I didn't continue reading the pace, otherwise I might have been shocked."

"But I still won."

While packing up the saddle, the owner, trainer and rider talked about the race that had just taken place.

Atalanta's time in the last 200 meters was 12.6 seconds, which was when it became clear that it was losing speed.

However, because the horses behind were losing speed more seriously, it seemed that Atalanta was actually getting faster.

"but--"

Handing the folded saddle cloth to Kitano, Majima looked up at him hesitantly.

"Probably the Arima Memorial's 2,500 meters is Ata-chan's limit."

Long distance famous family——

Even newcomers to horse racing will quickly have similar associations when the name Mejiro is mentioned.

Atalanta, who won the excellent mare race today with a quick pace, also proved that she has the potential to develop into a long-distance race.

However, as a horse trainer, Majima subconsciously rejected this option.

Not to mention that the cost-effectiveness of long-distance competitions has dropped significantly after the cancellation of the distance travel subsidy, he has considerable concerns about the competition itself.

In the mares-only competition, her rhythm was almost disrupted by the opponent's pressing. If it were a mixed competition where the weight difference is more obvious, I am afraid that if she is not careful, it may lead to more serious consequences.

"Ata-chan's range probably ends here."

It's not really a lie.

Even if she could run, Atalanta would face a more unfavorable situation than today if she really went out for a long-distance race.

But after saying it, the trainer's cheeks were still burning with shame.

"That's right! Ata-chan really did give it her all today."

After putting the half tongue handed to him by the chestnut-haired horse back to its original place, Sasakawa pointed to the part where the saddle was rubbing against his abdomen without changing his expression.

"Look, I'm sweating profusely."

Kitano's expression suddenly became a little subtle.

"Yes, that's right—"

However, he nodded.

Then, together with the trainer, he put the cherry-colored victory flag and the winning saddle of the best mare on Atalanta.

"Isn't this more than one size bigger—"

Looking at the chestnut-haired horse that looked like it had stolen clothes from an adult in the family, smiles appeared on the faces of several people.

When they arrived at the edge of the racecourse and raised the reins high, the horse fans gave them prolonged applause.

Is she worthy enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the great "Original Idol"?

At this moment, no one knows.

I just hope she can stay healthy and continue running with the same energy as she does today.

Under the gaze of countless gentle eyes, Atalanta walked step by step towards the underground passage leading to the exit.

At the commendation ceremony, the stakeholders kept bowing to each other as if a game had just ended.

If the first time was a natural outburst of emotion after being moved, the second time it would become a slightly more subtle emotion.

The JRA director who presented the award was a unfamiliar face. He just smiled and handed over the trophy without saying anything.

Only when the smile on his face became a little stiff did the photographer squatting behind the railing nod and signal "Let it be".

The whole person suddenly relaxed as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

After patting the trainer and rider on the shoulders to say goodbye, Kitano bowed to Mr. Murata from the ranch.

The pain in my back suddenly became more obvious.

As I was walking in the exit corridor, my thoughts were interrupted by a sudden vibration sound.

"It's probably another call to wish you well."

Those who called at this time were probably those who knew the results of the game.

Thinking of this, my finger slid towards the answer button.

"Hello, I'm Kitano."

"This is Gumoya Ranch."

There was a strange silence that suddenly fell.

"Hello, regarding your request to Gumoya."

"Just speak English, please."

Kitano couldn't bear to read on because of the scattered Japanese that the other party seemed to have put together through a translator.

"OK, thanks."

Both sides seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the same time.

Then, the employee from Gumoa continued, "Regarding the dazzling move you entrusted to Gumoa Ranch and the breeding of the prolific master—"

"The result was that the breeding was successful."

Chapter 213 Plans for the end of May

"So hot--"

As soon as I stepped out of the cabin door, the heat wave accompanied by humidity hit me in the face.

In the morning news these days, the Japanese archipelago is almost covered with yellow spots of heat stroke warnings.

Especially in Okinawa and Kyushu, the southernmost parts of the country.

It was still morning, but the sun was already scorching.

We rented a car from Kitakyushu Airport and headed to Saga. The sky above the connecting bridge was the same azure blue as the sea, and the light reflected from the asphalt road hurt our eyes.

Looking away, Kitano rubbed his slightly swollen temples.