Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

Kitano took over the conversation and nodded with some emotion.

"So after hearing the rain forecast, I felt a bit relieved. At least the kid can cheer up a bit."

"I thought the Doctor would say something like pray for rain."

"Hahaha——I'm just an ordinary architect."

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella gradually became louder.

The two people, holding only small umbrellas, fled back into the room before the parade ended.

The electronic screen in the owner's room showed that the field conditions had changed from "slightly heavy" to "heavy field".

At this rate, it is highly likely that the emperor will be rewarded in an unfavorable situation.

After standing by the window and gazing out for a while, Kitano quickly returned to his seat.

"I can't see anything—"

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and it was even difficult to make out the riders' winning uniforms.

Thunder rumbled faintly above the dark clouds, seemingly drowning out the sound of the gate opening.

After a somewhat chaotic start, cheers could be heard from the stands through the rain.

The Tokyo Derby, known as a "derby," eventually developed into a chaotic battle similar to last year's Kentucky Derby, with several horses crossing the finish line almost indistinguishable.

This includes the racehorses owned by Dr. Kobayashi.

The two who had been shouting and yelling throughout the entire match quickly looked eagerly at the bulletin board where the discussion was being conducted.

"I still lost—"

After seeing the Roman numeral "IV" followed by the number lighting up, Dr. Kobayashi showed a somewhat disappointed expression.

However, he soon smiled again.

For a horse whose popularity was outside the top ten before the race, such a result was an unexpected surprise.

Putting on his bowler hat, which was a little deformed by being squeezed, Dr. Kobayashi patted Kitano on the shoulder.

"Now it's Kitano-kun's turn, so you better do your best."

After temporarily bidding farewell to Dr. Kobayashi, Kitano returned to the reviewing ground in the pouring rain.

Wearing the white and green deciding suit, Takeshi Yokoyama trotted out of the preparation room and was discussing the strategy for the game with Huangshan.

Kitano took the opportunity to observe the situation on the reviewing ground.

Looking along the blue mask wet by the rain, Mikito, known as the "heavy tank that never overturns", will slowly pass by from sight.

Looking at the huge horse body that was almost like armor, he couldn't help but shook his head.

"Another opponent with a larger tonnage..."

Although, Mejiro Sakuya's weight is not light.

While he was thinking this, the owner's deer-hair horse came up to him at a leisurely pace.

A racehorse further ahead seemed to have lost its temper, so Ogawa Katsuya pulled the leash and stopped.

Mejiro Sakuya raised her head and stood there staring blankly at the rainy sky.

Then, he opened his mouth and curiously caught the rain.

Xu Hesheng couldn't help but sigh and preach, but Lumaoma just stuck out his tongue as if nothing had happened.

Kitano couldn't help but smile after witnessing this scene.

As expected, it’s still that Mejiro Sakuya—

After shaking his head, he left the crowd that was taking photos with their phones and approached the trainer and rider.

The conversation seemed to be coming to an end.

The camp had a similar discussion at a meeting a week before the game.

However, the consensus reached at that time was a somewhat vague one: "Try to get the lead in the early stages as much as possible, or go around to the outside lane in advance to ensure that the advance is not blocked."

But now, the trainer's tone was extremely firm.

“Try to get ahead whenever possible.”

Clay court events are inherently more difficult to form close-combat explosive competitions than grass court events, and generally speaking, they tend to be more of a "front-end" situation.

This trend is particularly prominent at the Oi Racecourse. Once the track conditions deteriorate, the advantage of running ahead will become more obvious.

The Arashiyama Division, which had used Ooi as its base since the days of the Cavalry, was naturally well aware of this.

"clear."

Takeshi nodded to indicate that it was no problem.

This time, for the Emperor's Prize, Mejiro Sakuya drew the twelfth position among the twelve running horses.

That is the starting point of the Great Outer Dao.

Although it can be regarded as an unlucky gate position that will almost deprive you of the championship in a grass event, it does not seem so pessimistic when it comes to the clay.

Especially considering that you are about to take the front run, the wide outside lane that can avoid the fight at the gate may actually become an advantageous gate position.

Of course, we won’t know the actual situation until we start running.

"There's not much else I can say. I'll leave the competition to you."

The trainer and rider bowed to each other with these words.

Only after the two finished their discussion did Kitano come forward with an umbrella.

"I'm counting on you, Takeshi-kun."

After folding the folding umbrella and tucking it under his arm, Kitano bowed to the rider in a hoarse voice, then smiled and patted Takeshi's shoulder.

"You are very kind."

After responding with the same bow, Takeshi scratched his head uncomfortably.

Just as the rumors say, Mr. Kitano is indeed an "old-school" horse owner.

Chapter 223: Stronger than Strong

The only sounds I could hear were the wind and rain.

Climbing onto the slippery horse's back, the young stable boy's lips seemed to move.

"feel good."

So, Takeshi said this.

"A very good horse."

I had a similar feeling as early as the first time I rode on Mejiro Sakuya's horse.

Although she is extremely large, which is rare among mares, she does not feel slow when running.

A week ago, the chase performance was a bit relaxed, and the timing was just average.

However, this horse is "the exact opposite of chasing and actual combat."

Even among horse racing commentators, who are known for their skepticism, such arguments have emerged recently.

"Please give me your guidance, Sakuya."

After he said it, Wu Shi realized that the end of his words was trembling.

At this time, a noisy sound came from behind the railing over the rain.

My heart suddenly contracted as if it was being grabbed.

The pressure is natural.

Whoever takes over the reins of this horse will probably have similar feelings in today's race.

The enthusiasm was not dampened by the weather. On the contrary, the 60,000 horse racing fans showed extremely high enthusiasm from the beginning of the appearance circle.

Mejiro Sakuya, who was the center of attention, seemed completely unaware of the pressure and expectations, and took her own steps.

The rider's somewhat impatient heart slowly calmed down at this time.

When he took Mejiro Sakuya's hand again after the appearance circle, Ogawa Masaru spoke.

"Your running gait is quite nice."

At the end of the straight line, slightly away from the stands, the young stable boy's voice could finally be heard clearly this time.

More stable than expected.

"Yeah, it feels really good on my back too."

"Then I'll leave the rest to you."

After this conversation ended, Mejiro Sakuya entered the gate very smoothly.

"The eleventh race at the TCK Ooi Racecourse, the designated exchange of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, the 50th Emperor's Award racewalking, a first-class event."

The live broadcast coming from the rain seemed a little distorted.

"Over the 2,000-meter mark, the racecourse is in poor condition for those over four years old."

The cheers became even louder at this moment, and countless eyes in the stands were focused on the gate.

"Mejiro Sakuya, who was in the twelfth position, finally entered the gate."

Naturally, the rider on horseback could not hear the sound on the radio at all.

Even the cheers from the stands were reduced to more straightforward noises like "Wow!"

As for the music at the opening, I was left with a somewhat uncertain impression, "It should have been over."

As the rear baffle closed, I subconsciously adjusted my breathing.

There are no flashbacks that are common in anime or light novels.

From the moment I got on the horse, my mind automatically blocked out everything except the competition.

Looking at the track in front of me, which was even worse than the Tokyo Derby, a route plan like a navigation software slowly emerged in my mind.

The starting straight line of the 2000-meter race in Dajing is very long, and there is still ample window to approach "My Place" after leaving the gate.

Coupled with the influence of rainy days, the initial forecast may show a slower passing time.

"If we hadn't fought so hard at the beginning of that match, we might have been able to win it in one go in the end."

This thought flashed through my mind, but I quickly returned to the game in front of me.

"Then let's try starting with the first three or four stacks."

After confirming the route after exiting the gate, all that remains is to wait quietly for the start of the race.

"The summer's final middle-distance mud race begins—"

Although there would be some complaints under normal circumstances, at this moment, influenced by the atmosphere in the venue, the horse fans wholeheartedly cheered for the upcoming race.

The gate popped open and the raindrops hitting my body suddenly became violent.

The race started with the usual chaotic scenes of dirt track racing.

Mejiro Sakuya's start wasn't bad, but she didn't gain any advantage over the other twelve horses.

After roughly confirming the positions of his opponents with his peripheral vision, Wu Shi instantly changed his original plan.

“Try to open up on the outside first, and then move to the inside when you’re turning.”

As the battle progresses towards a melee, it is easy to be surrounded by horses if you attack inward rashly.

Even the rider Wadahara, who had a magical ride in the Kentucky Derby, said afterwards, "It was half luck and half intuition," which seemed overly modest to outsiders.

However, this is the truth among the horses.

Luck is crucial for running while being surrounded.

Although they had only worked together a few times, Wu Shi had unquestionable confidence in the ability of his partner.

Walking out against the wind and rain, Lumao's figure shuttled through the summer night amid the cheers of 60,000 people.

"Mejiro Sakuya from the 12th division is coming from the outside, and the popular second division player Miki Tosho is also actively moving forward from a slightly inside position."