Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

After winning the game, perhaps the only moment of true joy is the moment of confirming the result.

After that, the positive side of emotions was constantly eroded and mental fatigue accumulated layer by layer.

For the next few days, I was completely overwhelmed and couldn't cope with it.

Tulips, roses, phalaenopsis, irises. The ranch received an astonishing number of flower baskets in a short period of time. It is no exaggeration to say that the number is enough to open a flower shop.

There were also souvenirs like sake sent by various stakeholders, and just replying to the thank-you letters alone became a daunting workload.

In addition-

Although the breeding season is approaching and we are busy, we still celebrated with the ranch members.

The price is that the work at hand has suddenly piled up to the point where it is too much to handle.

This is exactly what victory is.

From the moment the awards ceremony began, I could feel the familiar feeling of exhaustion.

But unfortunately, this is not a light novel but reality.

There is no comforting setting like "enough events have been triggered today, so let's jump to a certain day in the future according to the author's will."

There was a sudden vibration in his pocket, so Kitano took out his cell phone.

It’s been almost a week since the Oaks Tournament, and the congratulatory messages are still pouring in.

This time, it wasn't just the same old polite words.

How about setting Pegasus' next race for the 2000m Red Brick Memorial Race in the third week of next month?

Didn't this just collide with Sakuya's side?

Thinking of this, Kitano switched the screen and clicked on n○tkeiba.

If the conditions are limited to the reward being given to those over three years old, there really aren't many options.

Although Pegasus's aptitude allows him to try the Big Dipper Gate Sprint Race in the first week of June, the 1000-meter distance is still a bit short for him.

The Red Brick Memorial is indeed a better choice.

but--

I met Bell Jiajun again.

Of course, the last loss wasn't ugly.

Tanaka-sensei, Ochiai, and Kitano himself didn't really care.

Rather, it is because of the loss that the desire to win back has become even stronger.

Then I'll leave it to Mr. Tanaka.

The message is sent, and other unread notifications are crossed out.

This time I traveled across half the country to Kyushu, not only to go to Saga Racecourse to observe Noah Mejiro's gate test, but there was actually another thing.

An investigation into horse-producing areas in Kyushu.

Of course, Kitano has no plans to follow other breeders and open a branch here for the time being.

This time, it is more like a prelude to the Kyushu one-year-old market auction in mid-June.

Although it has been operating for a few years, the reputation of Kyushu horses among breeders, stables and owners remains mediocre.

Even as progress became clearer, the opinion of Kyushu's production area among breeders continued to decline.

Even Mr. Nishiyama, who has a cooperative ranch in Kitakyushu, advised him not to have too much confidence in Kyushu horses.

Although Hokkaido's shortage of manpower is becoming increasingly apparent, Kyushu is facing an even more serious problem.

From breeders to stable staff, even veterinarians and feed suppliers, no one is available.

Furthermore, the vast majority of practitioners are based in Hokkaido, and Kyushu has almost no appeal to them.

Furthermore, even the Kyushu Limited Race for horses, which can be considered an advantage, is actually limited to two racetracks: Kokura in the central area and Saga in the local area.

Even Wikipedia bluntly states that "Kyushu's status as a horse-producing area has declined."

However, for Kitano, the one-year-old market in Kyushu has become a rare opportunity to collect non-SS-line foals.

Of course, he didn't have high expectations for this auction, which had only had one high-prize horse on its record since its inception.

After an hour of shaking in the car, we finally arrived at our destination, Saga Racecourse.

Compared to the surrounding Monbetsu where only grazing lands are connected, the Saga side is a little more lively.

However, perhaps because it was not a race day, there were only a few old cars parked in the parking lot, which is said to have the largest capacity among public racecourses.

After I told the security guard at the door that I was there to watch my beloved horse's gate test, he let me in without checking.

"Hey, is this really okay?"

With this thought in mind, Kitano still took a step forward hesitantly.

Just as I was about to leave, I was stopped again.

"Ah—what's your name?"

After yawning, the security guard asked listlessly.

"Kitano Yuki."

"Okay, then please come in."

There was no need to even show ID or register, and I was able to enter the racecourse quite easily.

There are several stalls next to the main entrance that seem to be selling souvenirs, but there are no people behind the stalls.

I set off towards the venue with a somewhat subtle mood, and on the way I happened to meet Master Hattori who was holding Mejiro Noah's hand.

Upon seeing Kitano, the new trainer greeted him enthusiastically.

"Chairman Ma from Saga might get lost on his first visit. How about I take President Kitano there?"

"No need, I'll just watch from the railing."

After looking at Mejiro Noah's horse body from a distance, Kitano took a step forward and touched the deer-haired horse's head.

Although they hadn't seen each other for a while, Noah quickly recognized him.

He took the initiative to rub Kitano's palm with the tip of his nose, then turned his head back to the front with a serious expression on his face that said, "I'm going to start working next."

"You've become a little adult, Starship."

Smiling, he moved his hand away, then turned around and started chatting with Master Hattori while walking.

"Is everything going well here, Hattori-sensei?"

"Please just call me Shigeki. It's really a bit embarrassing to call me Hattori-sensei."

Scratching his face a bit sheepishly, Hattori continued with a smile, "It went very smoothly! Noah adapted very quickly after arriving here, and the training over the past few days was also very good."

As soon as the words fell, the deer-hair horse shook its ears as if it had noticed something.

It's just normal, nothing to be proud of.

The sudden change in the amplitude of the tail's swing seemed to convey these words.

Chapter 214 Ruo and Ruo

"Hello, President Kitano!"

With a loud greeting, the tanned young rider crossed the gate area that was being set up and trotted over.

"This is Rider Fei Tian. He will be riding Noah for this gate test."

Hattori started to introduce them.

Aito Tobita - the "genius young man" of Saga, Kitano is no stranger to this name.

As early as two years ago, I had heard praise for this local rider from Master Tanaka and Hattori, who was a rider at the time.

He achieved 100 NAR wins in just 268 days after his debut, breaking the record set by local strongmen such as Ando, ​​Mikamimoto and Yoshiwara.

"A very talented young rider."

This was Master Tanaka's evaluation of him at the time.

"Please give me your guidance, Rider Tobita."

Kitano nodded, smiled, and bowed to the young rider in front of him.

"This is me, President Kitano!"

The other party quickly bowed even more in return.

While the staff were rearranging the gates, the three of them chatted about horse racing.

"In 21, Tobita-kun represented West Japan and won the Wakasha Riders Tournament."

Hattori said as he leaned over to adjust the abdominal belt.

"It was just a narrow win due to luck."

Faced with the sudden praise, the confusion and shyness on Tobita's face obviously overwhelmed the joy.

Kitano had some understanding of the Wakashi Riders Conference that the two people mentioned.

To put it simply, it is a limited series similar to the World Star Rider Competition, but only for "newcomers" to participate.

It seems that its popularity is not very high.

As for why Kitano knew about this activity which was relatively unpopular even in the eyes of industry insiders——

During a casual chat during my last visit to Mejiro Ranch, Old Yokoyama jokingly mentioned Takeshi's embarrassing experience of taking advantage of a loophole in the rules to participate in the competition twice, but losing to local riders for two consecutive years.

"At the time, I was thinking about retiring as a horse trainer. Otherwise, in a few years, this guy might not even be able to ride a horse anymore."

"I'm a late bloomer."

The manzai-like dialogue between the Yokoyama father and son left a deep impression on Kitano at the time.

"Anyway, it's still impressive that we were able to win."

Back to reality, Kitano's expression became a little subtle.

As if to change the subject, he then asked about Mejiro Noah's condition.

"The handling is amazing. It doesn't look like a racehorse that hasn't even debuted yet."

Hattori took over the conversation, patted the deer-haired horse's neck and kept praising it.

Among the six racehorses managed by Kon, the two-year-old Mejiro Noah is ranked at the top in terms of handling alone.

Although the running gait is still a bit immature, one can already feel the unique momentum of a mature racehorse.

Judging from his temperament alone, Noah is the kind of racehorse that gives trainers and riders the least worry.

"It feels amazing in the hand, and the back feels quite soft."

After saying this, a hint of obvious hesitation flashed across Tobita's face.

"But... I always feel it's a little too soft."

After saying that, the young rider lowered his head in panic again.

Pointing out a racehorse's flaws to its owner in person before the actual ride or even the commission has been accepted is an absolute taboo.

When I first became a rider, my mentor, Master San Oda, gave me similar teachings.

However, he decided to answer truthfully.

"That's exactly what happened."

Kitano nodded, an expression of approval on his face.

It was for this reason that I chose the Hattori stables in Saga.

"The gate is done!"

At this moment, a shout from the staff broke through the air.

Mejiro Noah participated in the fifth race walk of the last 900 meters this morning, and another two-year-old horse also participated in the test.

"Then I'll leave it to you for a moment, Tobita Rider."