Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

The two of them nodded at the same time as if they understood.

Kitano did have the idea of ​​making a small investment for a big gain.

However, there won’t be many opportunities to find bargains at the upcoming Hokkaido Select Auction.

Compared to the wealthy individuals who spend lavishly at the Shetai Select, the horse owners who participate in the Hokkaido Select tend to be more experienced and pragmatic.

It is not easy to take advantage of them.

Therefore, it is better to focus on the summer auction in a month and the subsequent auctions in September and October.

"There should be over 500 yearlings and yearlings at the auction this year. Now Kitano-kun will have a lot to choose from."

Ogawa Katsutan looked at me with some curiosity.

Sighing, Xuhe Zhang resisted the urge to swing his crutch.

This idiot who can't read the air!

"After removing the first and last horses, the ones left are my choice."

After saying that, Kitano himself started laughing.

Generally speaking, the first horse to appear and the last horse to appear are the best in the entire auction in terms of pedigree and body.

Even if they cannot become the highest bidder, their prices will not be cheap.

With Kitano's few thousand yen, he probably couldn't even afford to buy a horse's leg.

As for finding a needle in a haystack among the remaining 500-odd horses, accurately finding a strong horse within one's financial means—

He has no such ability.

Although it sounds a bit irresponsible to leave the difficulties to tomorrow's self.

However, when there is a [detector], it is a different matter.

The next day, Kitano set off early.

The target was the Hidaka Light Stallion Cooperative Business Division located in Shizunai Asahi-cho, a ten-minute drive away.

A place commonly known as "Hokkaido Market".

Most horse owners from outside Hokkaido often arrive in Shinkansen-cho a day in advance. In addition to being able to enjoy the local customs and culture that are different from those in big cities, they also want to recharge their batteries for the selection meeting the next day.

Kitano, who can be considered half-local, has no such awareness at all.

He drove his pickup truck into the Hokkaido market like a redneck rancher going to the market and strode into the venue of the selection meeting.

On the way, I greeted several acquaintances from the Veterinary Association.

"Good morning, Branch Chief Arakawa."

Under the support tent with "Monbetsu Ranch" written on it, we found Mr. Arakawa preparing various tools.

Although the weather was very hot, Mr. Arakawa was still wearing full veterinary equipment.

"It's Kitano—"

Arakawa nodded slightly, then smiled and said, "You're here today as a horse owner, right? How about I hope you can buy a Derby horse?"

"Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your hard work."

After that, he wandered around aimlessly for a while.

When the gentle female voice of the host began to sound on the radio, Kitano picked up the auction book that each horse owner had and started to look through it.

"The first one is from the Northern Black Colt. The next one is next."

He turned the manual to the next page with an expressionless face.

"Father is an iron bird soaring in the sky, mother and father are auspicious signs. Next one."

Another page turned.

"The next one is the father's high love."

The speed of turning pages began to increase.

To explain, Kitano does not have any prejudice against the famous horses mentioned above.

He was just poor.

"To avoid unnecessary mistakes, we will explain the horses that are absent today in the order they appeared."

On the radio, a female voice began to read out a long string of numbers.

Kitano followed the example of other horse owners and began marking the absent horses in the manual.

well.

They all look like they can't afford it.

Then, when he thought the selection meeting was about to begin, the host introduced the achievements of the horses in last year's selection meeting.

It seems like it will never end.

Kitano pretended to listen attentively, but it lasted less than two minutes before he secretly took out his cell phone.

After discovering that everyone around me was doing similar things, the subtle sense of guilt in my heart instantly eased a lot.

I have accumulated a lot of private messages on X, most of which are veterinary consultations.

It’s a good time to answer it now.

"Mr. Kitano."

At this time, a familiar voice came to my ears.

I raised my head and saw the three members of the Xuhe family dressed in formal attire.

"If you don't mind, how about we go in together?"

Ogawa Jō smiled and pointed to the aisle of the venue.

"Of course, let's go together."

Kitano nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Shouldn't they take the producer's side of the channel?

As if sensing his hesitant gaze, Xu Hesheng explained in a low voice, "Strictly speaking, our ranch is both a horse owner and a horse producer, and we're also here to participate in the auction today."

"Maybe we'll become rivals, Mr. Kitano."

Ogawa Jō also made a joke.

Chapter 29 The Finale

"Okay, as usual, I'd like to thank you all for your support at this year's Hokkaido Selection."

Finally, the selection meeting is about to officially begin.

"But before we get to the number one horse in the Selection, please allow me to introduce a horse from this year's Selection that has a good record."

It turned out to be a feint.

"Maybe they'll use Götze as their star player again next year."

Ogawa Masaru yawned a little bored.

The last G1 horse from the Hokkaido Select Club was Jin Jiji in 2019.

If the milk is blocked, use a warm towel to apply. If that doesn't work, use a lactation injection to release the milk. Then, inject the bibutan solution intramuscularly. Remember to strictly control the dosage according to your weight.

If cysts are common, try placing cushioning pads or mats on hard surfaces where the cattle can easily access them.

Tapping the screen of his mobile phone, Kitano clicked on the unread messages one by one.

"And I want to thank those who came from overseas, such as the United States and Europe."

Is there really such a thing?

He raised his head.

Well, there really is.

In the venue, a few scattered figures with golden hair were indeed spotted.

"There is a 4 to 5 second delay between the live broadcast and the actual event, so please be aware of this if you choose to participate online."

Finally, all the precautions were read out.

"Well, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Before the Hokkaido Market Yearling Selection officially begins today, I would like to invite Hokkaido Market Manager Furukawa to give an opening speech."

With a slight bow, Market Manager Furukawa took the microphone.

He is not tall and his hair is a little gray, but his voice is very energetic.

"Like last year, this year's Hokkaido Select will also last three days, with the auction of the first batch of Select foals taking place on the first day, just like last year."

"I'm counting on everyone who participated in the selection meeting this year as well."

After saying this, Market Manager Furukawa bowed slightly.

There was scattered applause around.

The commendation session for outstanding horse owners and trainers at last year's selection meeting ended quickly in an awkward atmosphere.

Kitano couldn't help but be slightly stunned when he heard the main victory in G3.

Then I sincerely admired the host who continued to explain without changing his expression.

Both the horse owners and trainers seemed relieved at the end of the commendation ceremony.

Especially the horse owner who was still holding the trophy in his hand, his face looked like he was ready to withdraw from his career as a horse owner.

The five staff members seated at a podium marked "HOKKAIDO HORSE SALE" nodded to each other, confirming they were ready. The female auctioneer in the middle announced, "The first day of the 2025 Hokkaido Selection Sale, the yearling auction, begins with horse number one."

After waiting for a while longer, until the professional smile on the auctioneer's face became a little stiff, Ichiban Ma reluctantly entered the venue.

"The next horse is number one, Magny Cours 2024, a male, deer hair, born on February 20th. The sire is Northern Black, and the dam, Magny Cours, has a long American dirt track pedigree."

"Good offers start at 20 million yen, 20 million—"

“Oh eh—”

An uncle, a horse owner standing behind Kitano, raised his hand and shouted.

Is it really necessary to shout so loudly?

Moreover, the offer was outside the acceptable range from the very beginning.

Kitano decisively buried his head in the booklet.

"Okay, twenty-one million—is there a higher offer than that? Twenty-one million—"

"Is there really no other offer for 21 million yen? Twenty-two million!"

Suddenly, a subtle sense of déjà vu arose.

"Oh!"

Not far to the left, another horse owner made an offer.

"Twenty-three million—now twenty-three million! Twenty-three million yen—"

Although it is packaged more brightly and beautifully——

But there is indeed no essential difference between it and the livestock auction in the county.

Adjusting himself to a more comfortable sitting position, Kitano observed the competition on the field as a spectator.

The No. 1 deer-haired horse seemed to be a somewhat difficult type. Not only did it have some trouble making its debut, but it also showed signs of restlessness as if it was about to kick its hooves several times during the auction.

Although it is unclear whether this will have a specific impact on the market price of Deer Hair Horse, the transaction price ultimately only reached 30 million yen.

Judging from the expressions on the staff's faces, the price was still some distance from their expected range.

However, this is also an unattainable number for Kitano.

His ideal price is 6 million yen.

The target is those lower-ranked horses between those that failed to sell and those that were sold at the reserve price.