Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

Kimura took Kitano on a tour of the ranch, and proudly introduced his own management methods for the ranch.

Kitano, on the other hand, listened to these things with great interest, which might seem boring to ordinary people, and would ask a few questions from time to time.

"I have benefited greatly from what you have said, Mr. Kimura."

Kitano said truthfully.

As one of the few owner-breeders left in Japan today, that is, a horse owner and producer, Kimura Keio is more familiar with every aspect of the horse racing industry than Kitano, who is only one subject.

He may know a lot about horses as animals, but if we expand the scope to the entire sport of horse racing, he still has a lot to learn.

"Haha, it's nothing! If you're interested, Mr. Kitano, just ask me next time."

Kimura laughed heartily, put his arm around Kitano's shoulders and said, "Come, let me show you the pride of our ranch."

After that, he took Kitano to the grazing area of ​​the ranch.

"This is Ms. Miaochi. She is Mr. Yoshida Victory's beloved. Of course, she also belongs to our ranch."

Kimura pointed to a chestnut mare in the pasture with a huge white shooting star.

Then, quite naturally, he pointed to another chestnut horse in another grazing ground.

"This is Ms. Miao Chi's first child. The position of the shooting stars is almost exactly the same, isn't it?"

Chapter 25 The Limping Queen

"In that case, the mother and father should be Gu Shui Qin Lei, right?"

Kitano recalled the relevant bloodlines in his mind.

If we trace it back further, it is the large stallion Bai Ren Shi Guang that was introduced from the United States.

On the maternal side, it is rare that it has no connection with Zhou Ri Ning Jing.

"That's right, I didn't expect Mr. Kitano to have such in-depth research on this line of blood."

Kimura complimented with a smile.

"It's not research, I just happened to know."

Kitano shook his head slightly, then turned his gaze to the chestnut-haired horse.

At this moment, the chestnut horse, which was originally busy eating grass, also raised its head.

The chestnut mare in front of me has smooth muscle lines at the junction of the waist and hindquarters, a straight back line without obvious depressions, and the fullness of the gluteal muscles and biceps femoris is at a normal level.

The front hoof fetlock is in good proportion to the legs, the hoof is pointed and narrow, the leg muscles are slender, and the body is relatively thin.

Kitano completed the observation based on his own experience without using a detector.

"This horse should prefer the grass, right?"

he asked.

"Yes, we are indeed looking forward to its performance on grass."

Kimura nodded, pointed at the chestnut horse, and continued, "Its sire, Tower of London, has a strong track record in short-distance races on grass. With the explosive power passed down from both his dam and sire, this cub might be able to replicate his father's achievements in the future."

"Bloodline compatibility—is there any explanation for this?"

Kitano turned and asked curiously about the cooperation theory mentioned by Kimura.

"Well, generally speaking, it's just a conversion."

After a while of consideration, Kimura said slowly.

"By mating a smaller stallion with a larger mare, or a horse with a stiff body but excellent hooves with a horse with a soft body and fragile hooves, we might be able to inherit the advantages of both."

"Wouldn't it be possible to inherit the common shortcomings of both parties?"

Kitano asked, frowning.

"So, horse racing has been about constant gambling since its inception!"

The expression on Kimura's face became a little serious.

"Well, does it suddenly become philosophical? It took me a while to come up with this sentence!"

He smiled and patted Kitano's shoulder again.

"Come, let's take another look at this child."

Kimura said as he touched the deer-haired horse that was looking out from the edge of the railing.

"His sire is the American Four-Wheel Drive and his dam is the Canadian Effervite. Gold Digger's track record on the dirt is self-evident."

Kitano bent down and looked at the hooves of the deer-hair horse.

The hoof wall is indeed slightly thicker than that of ordinary racehorses, and the hoof is also round and wide.

In terms of body shape, it also has a sturdy body that meets the standards of a mud horse.

Even without careful measurement, one can tell with the naked eye that the explosive muscles of the hind legs are quite developed, and one can even subconsciously ignore its identity as a two-year-old mare.

Considering its pedigree, this horse's potential on the dirt is definitely worth looking forward to.

"Even if it's put up at the select auction in a few days, there shouldn't be a shortage of buyers, right?"

Standing up, Kitano turned around and asked.

He didn't think that a foal of this level would become the target of the first prize.

"You'll understand if you take another look."

Kimura took out a piece of carrot stick and waved it in front of the deer-haired horse.

"Come here, Queen of Resistance."

The deer-haired horse named the Queen of Resistance's attention was instantly drawn to the carrot sticks, and she took a step forward very obediently.

"Stringhalt (spasmodic lameness of the hind limbs)."

Kitano murmured a word softly.

When walking, the Resistance Queen's right hind leg often rises uncontrollably.

"Yes, a limp."

Kimura smiled helplessly.

Stringhalt is caused by the loss of inhibitory function of interneurons in the L4-S2 segment of the spinal cord, which leads to abnormal contraction of the EDL (extensor digitorum longus) and TA (tibialis anterior) innervated by the peroneal nerve, resulting in the symptom of "raising the legs too high" in the hind limbs.

For speed horse racing, such a defect is almost fatal.

In order to balance the center of gravity, the impact force of the affected horse's forelimbs landing will increase by 15%-20% compared to normal racehorses, and the risk of inducing metacarpal periostitis is more than three times that of normal horses.

In addition, abnormal flexion of the hind legs can lead to a series of problems such as shortened stride, wasted energy and delayed start.

more importantly--

With the current level of medical technology, Stringhalt cannot be cured.

Even the closed-loop neurostimulator that Johns Hopkins University just put into clinical trials this year can only play a certain regulatory role on Stringhalt.

"Has Mr. Kimura ever considered turning her into a breeding mare?"

Kitano asked, turning his gaze away from the limping Resistance Queen.

"This bloodline has not been going well in Japan. The number of four-wheel drive breedings this year almost fell below 50."

The helplessness on Kimura's face seemed to increase a bit.

Although no one has had time to verify the performance of four-wheel drive as a dam or sire, if the birth of foals is not ideal, I am afraid that not many people will choose to continue to increase their investment.

In fact, he had thought about disposing of it as early as the beginning.

At that time, the veterinarian in charge of the diagnosis, Mr. Shibata, said, "Maybe he can keep running."

I have been holding on to some hope until now.

The Queen of Resistance's horse physique has become even better, but its inherent flaws have built a high wall for its advancement.

Even those who are related to the ranch, while admiring it, can't help but look at such a horse with congenital defects with caution.

"But the horse should have been registered for racing, right, Mr. Kimura?"

Kitano continued to ask.

Generally speaking, few foals are named when they are born on the ranch.

For a thoroughbred horse, being officially named often means that it is about to or has completed its racehorse registration and has officially begun working towards its debut.

"At the moment, not yet."

After sighing, Kimura shook his head.

The Queen of Resistance is actually just a name given to the staff on the ranch.

"That's it-"

Kitano lowered his head slightly and began to think.

"If Mr. Kitano is interested, 150, no, 1,200,000 yen will be fine!"

Kimura showed a slightly expectant look.

Generally speaking, the producer's expected selling price for a foal is the breeding fee × n + feeding fee.

The "n" is the growth expectation for the racehorse.

Kimura's offer is the same as the breeding fee.

Without giving an immediate response, Kitano turned his gaze towards the deer-haired horse.

Miss Pro2023/Resistance Queen (Unnamed)

【Female 2】

【Deer hair】

No detector was used.

In Kitano's heart, there is something that needs to be verified.

"Mr. Kimura, can you give me some time to think about this?"

he said.

Chapter 26 As a Horse Owner

"Stringhalt can be overcome."

Kitano made this declaration as he stood up from his computer desk.

The next moment, I couldn't help but yawn.

After returning from the New Life Ranch, he spent the entire night looking through information about Stringhalt.

Then, the above conclusions were drawn.

Through the comprehensive regulation of "nerve-muscle-environment", Stringhalt's impact on racehorses can be completely transformed from a "devastating injury" to a "controllable state".

As early as 2023, 11 racehorses with Stringhalt in Kentucky, USA, successfully completed the full season after receiving the management of this complex control program.

Through cutting-edge nerve repair technology, the racing performance of sick racehorses has the opportunity to recover to 85%-90% of their healthy level.

Of course, anything involving advanced technology is going to get very expensive.

Moreover, in daily training, racehorses with Stringhalt require the team to invest far more money and attention than ordinary racehorses.

Therefore, for the vast majority of racehorses, Stringhalt is still like a "terminal illness".

After turning off the computer, Kitano lay down on the bed.

I opened the social media platform and saw a notice that the clinic would be closed for one day.

Then, close your eyes.

Try to make choices with a clear mind as much as possible, so that when you regret it, you will have one less excuse to deceive yourself.

This is exactly what Kitano has been adhering to for the past twenty-six years, which can be called a philosophy of life.

After the hormones subside, the fatigue caused by staying up late immediately floods into the body like a tide.