Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

"What do you think of the Tobita rider here, Hattori-san?"

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Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 216: The Handyman

After leaving Saga Racecourse, we had lunch at "Tsuki" recommended by Hattori.

After entering the restaurant, I looked up at the menu and saw that the prices were quite affordable even for a ramen restaurant.

There was rarely anyone in front of the counter, so Kitano chose the innermost seat and settled down.

The kitchen was hidden behind a curtain, so it was hard to see what was going on inside. There was only a high school girl wearing an apron who seemed to be working part-time in charge of serving the guests.

"welcome!"

“Thank you for your patronage, please come again next time!”

——Every time a guest came in or out, she would shout similar words energetically.

The rest of the time is spent quietly handling tasks such as taking orders, serving food, cleaning up and checking out.

Kitano ordered a special style that is said to be the culprit for the weight gain of new trainers.

The set meal, which included one bowl of ramen, half a portion of fried chicken, and half a portion of fried rice, only cost a very cheap 1150 yen.

After waiting for about three or four minutes, the ramen was served first, followed by half a portion of fried rice.

The ramen is pretty simple, with long, thin yellow egg noodles topped with chashu, wood ear mushrooms, and scallions.

The soup is full of the aroma of pork bones, but surprisingly not greasy.

There is no fishy smell, and it slides smoothly down the throat after swallowing. The moderate sweetness makes people want to drink a few more sips.

The fried rice is on the moist side, and although it is half a portion, the actual portion is not small.

Therefore, when paired with ramen, my stomach was instantly filled to 70% full.

It was not until Kitano was about to get up and leave that the part-time female waitress brought the fried chicken with an apologetic look on her face.

Fortunately, fried chicken tends to be on the smaller side.

Even so, I still ate a little too much.

Before leaving, I asked the security guard in front of the racecourse to pass on the 12 special coupons given by the store to Mr. Hattori.

The next stop is the JBBA Kyushu Stallion Station in Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Kyushu.

Although the stallion station is usually closed to the public during the breeding season, visits and inspections by horse owners and producers like Kitano continue as usual.

Rent a car from Saga Racecourse to JR Shin-Tosu Station, then transfer to the Kyushu Shinkansen.

Despite taking the Shinkansen, the journey time was not significantly reduced.

Besides, it’s impossible to sleep on the Shinkansen.

Kitano struggled all the way to the final destination, Kagoshima Chuo Station, and took the rare opportunity to call a taxi for himself.

Almost as soon as I got on the bus, I fell into a deep sleep due to the invasion of sleepiness.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw an endless green plain that was somewhat similar to Hokkaido.

After getting off the bus, I saw a green building that looked like a Western-style church from afar through the shrub wall.

There is a sign at the entrance of the stud station that says "No visitors allowed during breeding season."

There are only a few staff members at the Kyushu Stud Station, and there are only three stallions.

It is said that last year JBBA once planned to increase the number of Kyushu stallions, but it was eventually shelved for unknown reasons.

Kitano was warmly welcomed by several JBBA members who looked quite young.

One of the male staff members, who was wearing glasses and had neat short hair, took Kitano on a tour of the facilities at the stud station.

First we came to the terrifyingly large stud warehouse.

“This place will also serve as an indoor activity area when the weather is bad, so it is designed to be slightly larger than a regular stud warehouse.”

As if noticing the confusion in Kitano's eyes, the staff member began to explain.

Then he pointed to a wooden ornament in the middle of the warehouse that resembled a shrine torii gate.

"That's a support frame for breeding mares."

Afraid that Kitano didn't understand the purpose of the ornament, the staff member continued to gesture.

"So that's how it is—"

Kitano lowered his head a little stiffly.

It's definitely something that should be sent to a museum.

Even in his alma mater, the fixed stands used for students to practice were gradually replaced with movable ones.

Furthermore, the walls are just very ordinary wooden structures.

"...During breeding, we slightly stimulate the sensitive noses of the mares, which can distract them from the stamina."

The staff member enthusiastically picked up the tools and began to demonstrate, and Kitano nodded in agreement with a subtle expression.

For a moment, he thought he had traveled through a world at least twenty years ago.

After that, the staff took Kitano to visit the place where they would seduce the women before mating began.

Even more shabby than that big warehouse.

However, from his perspective as a veterinarian, it can at least be considered "barely acceptable".

As for whether the standard of "acceptable" has been lowered by the stud warehouse we just visited, that is another matter.

"Then we'll bring the stallion here, and the mare responsible for seducing will walk over there and smell the mare's scent..."

As if afraid that Kitano might not understand, the staff even lay down on the facilities to demonstrate.

"So that's what it is."

Kitano had no choice but to repeat it again.

After all, JBBA is just a non-profit public welfare corporate body.

The extremely low breeding prices also make it difficult for them to obtain sufficient funds to improve venues and equipment.

After finishing the tour of the facilities, the staff took Kitano to the stallion stables.

Although the breeding season is already halfway over, the three stallions belonging to JBBA Kyushu still look quite energetic.

"Nero is a truly remarkable stallion. Some of his foals have even beaten those from Hokkaido in the Central Open Championships."

The staff member touched the head of one of the chestnut horses and introduced it in a somewhat proud tone.

Kitano had already learned about the difficulties of breeding in Kyushu through Mr. Nishiyama and Kimura, who had once tried to open a branch in Kyushu.

It is no exaggeration to say that Kyushu's only advantage over Hokkaido is the length of sunshine.

As a result, racehorses produced in Kyushu have been labeled as "weak horses" for a long time.

It is truly remarkable that they were able to defeat a horse from Hokkaido in an open race despite the huge disadvantage of poor breeding.

Although, that horse might have had the potential to compete in a higher level of competition.

Even if you buy a horse from Kyushu, you have to bring it back to Hokkaido for training and breeding.

This was Kitano's thought before he visited Kyushu in person.

It's best not to allow mares from your own ranch to mate with stallions from Kyushu—

This is an update after today's visit.

There are only five veterinary clinics within a 30-minute drive of JBBA Kyushu Stallion Station.

Moreover, none of the five companies have the medical qualifications for industrial animals.

"It's a bit too much to rely on a single stallion to change the current situation of Kyushu's horse production."

Thinking of this, he turned his head and looked at a certain horse.

It was not Nero who was gnawing on the staff's collar, but Red Treasure who was sleeping soundly in the stable.

As another shocking colt, Red Treasure Day, which retired early due to injury at the age of two, has only delivered mediocre performance in colt results.

but--

His dam and sire were none other than the legendary reed stallion Unbridled's Song.

"A good dam or sire should have as little impact on the physique and growth curve of their offspring as possible."

Once, when the rookie horse breeder Kitano and the veteran rookie Ogawa Takeshi were enthusiastically discussing bloodline matching, Ogawa Kana, who was standing next to them, said this.

The example that has been mentioned many times is the Ode to Liberty.

"We have guests, Red-chan."

Pulling back the wet collar, the staff leaned over and knocked on the railing.

But Hong Baozhiri just shook his ears and did not move his body.

Will the properties of this Yorozuya be passed down through the blood of the mother and father?

Following this line of thought further, Kitano suddenly remembered another racehorse whose sire and dam were also Ode to Freedom.

Jin Jiji.

[Bloodline Knowledge: C+ → B-]

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Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 217 Night Grazing

One Friday in early June, after morning work,

Lead-gray clouds pressed down heavily on the pasture.

The drizzle dyed the outside of the house into a hazy blur.

"It's already thirty degrees in Obihiro."

In the lounge, someone sighed first.

"In a few days, it will probably be as hot as a steamer here."

"Hey - it's tough enough now, okay?"

Amid the chatter of the club members, Kitano silently put down his phone.

There are only six Red Treasure Day foals participating in the Kyushu yearling market this year, and five of them are stallions.

As a result, the focus of the auction returned to Hokkaido.

"See if Jin Jiji has any outstanding mares that have foaled."

This is Kitano’s current plan for this year’s auction.

After taking a quick look at the list of horses appearing in the Kyushu Yearling Horse Market, he clicked on the weather forecast.

It looks like the next few days will be sunny with temperatures continuing to rise.

"How about officially starting the summer grazing plan starting next week?"

Today, the outdoor temperature in Mitsuishi, where Mejiro Ranch is located, is about 26 to 28 degrees Celsius.

On the surface, it seems to be better than Honshu Island, which is being ravaged by the scorching heat.

However, after the arrival of summer when the sky is almost always clear, the high-latitude sunshine in Hokkaido gradually reveals its scorching and aggressive true face.

In addition, there are no buildings to block the view, so once you go outside you have to face the sun directly.

If it weren't for this unexpectedly long rain, the perceived temperature today would probably be above 30 degrees.