Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

He used a grinding wheel to cut open the bottle mouth and took out a disposable syringe.

In the sunlight, the needle emitting a cold glow pierced straight into the vein.

Sweat flowed into his eyes, but Kitano didn't dare to blink.

Finally, the injection was completed.

Then the second and third heads.

Afterwards, it took a considerable amount of time to administer fluids to other cows with less severe symptoms.

Kitano's body was completely drenched in sweat.

Chapter 35: Target Mixed New Horse War

On the first day of August, there was a dull feeling in the air.

Although it has the nickname of Autumn Wind Moon, it gives people the feeling of being in a furnace.

After walking a few steps along the stables, dark marks began to appear on the back of his shirt.

"It's amazing that you still have an appetite in this heat, but eating more is a good thing."

As he passed a deer-haired horse that was feasting with its head down, Tanaka unbuttoned the collar of his shirt.

"Xiao Lin, turn up the fan a little more!"

He called to the stable boy behind him.

"It's already at maximum power, Master Tanaka!"

Kobayashi, the stable attendant, replied.

"Then find a way to get a few basins of ice and place them in front of the fan."

Ever since the G1 horse that won the 2022 Chrysanthemum Sho died of organ failure caused by heat stroke, both the JRA and the NAR have published a number of measures to deal with the high temperatures in summer.

Tanaka also followed this trend and installed several high-power fans and temperature and humidity sensors in the stables.

But now it seems that it has no effect.

He looked up at the sensor location.

Room temperature 34.9°C.

This is Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.

"You two should go over and help."

Tanaka suppressed the faint uneasiness in his heart and spoke to the other two stable boys.

Then, keep moving forward.

He stopped when he passed a stable.

The black deer-haired horse in the stable was sticking its head out and pouting its upper lip at the fan.

“The horse’s body seems to be a little tighter than in the first two races, and his character is also developing in a positive direction. He should perform well in the next race.”

The training assistant said as he fanned himself with his baseball cap.

"Dasheng Weilang has definitely grown since a few months ago. This time, there's a good chance he'll break out of the undefeated group."

Tanaka nodded, then took out his notebook and opened it to the corresponding page.

The horse has grown both physically and mentally and is in good condition.

【Suitable for competition】

After writing these two lines, he continued to move forward.

[I still feel a little loose, so I need to continue to increase my exercise.]

[The condition is a bit uncertain, and will be evaluated based on the training performance.]

[Seems a bit tired, reduce the training load moderately. ]

Every time he passed a stable, Tanaka would observe the condition of the horses and make his evaluation.

Only by understanding the horse's physical condition can you make corresponding adjustments to the racing schedule and training.

However, sometimes unplanned interventions occur.

In this case, there is no other way.

After inspecting the stables, his and his assistant's backs were completely soaked with sweat.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Tanaka."

After crossing out the last column on the list, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is there anything missing?"

Tanaka asked as he unbuttoned the second button of his collar.

"All 109 heads in the stable are finished."

The assistant nodded in confirmation.

"You've worked so hard, go back and rest early."

"The same goes for you, Master Tanaka."

After the assistant left, Tanaka stayed alone in the stable for a while.

"Meshiroba and Mejiro Sakuya."

In addition to the 109 horses in his stable, he also manages two other racehorses.

"For Medaihira, please register as per the original plan of 1,500 meters."

It is said that the horse's physical condition and training results are quite good.

Although it is not a particularly flexible racehorse, judging from its performance at 1,200 meters, the extra 300 meters of 1,500 meters should be within its range.

"As for Mejiro Sakuya."

Although they belong to the same owner, the situation here is much more complicated than that of the White Horse.

After successfully passing the ability test, the next step is the test of the Singapore-Malaysia war.

Judging from the timing of participation, August is already a somewhat bad time.

There are a total of six two-year-old horse races, all of which are mixed races.

Although she is obviously stronger than other mares, she may not have such a big advantage in a mixed race.

We received a message from Nishiken Ranch, which is in charge of the management, that "the farm has been adjusted to a state suitable for the competition."

If you delay participating in the competition, the cycle of "training-competition-rest" will be broken.

By then, you might have to waste a lot of time to readjust your status.

It is very difficult for a lame horse to successfully build such a season schedule.

"Then let's just go with this one, the tenth 1,000-meter race on the eighth day."

He chose a game as late as possible.

The lower temperature at night can relieve some of the pressure on Sakuya Mejiro's affected leg.

But the downside is that the soft sand exposed to the sun during the day will become more compact after a day of competition.

For a power-oriented racehorse, this may be a disadvantage.

After taking this into consideration, Tanaka included the first 1,000-meter race on the 9th as an alternative option in the contingency plan.

As for which suggestion will be adopted, it depends on the horse owner's own ideas.

The next day, a three-person meeting of the owner, trainer and rider was held in the stables.

"Let's stick with the session on the 8th."

Kitano made his choice quickly.

This is not a difficult thing to do.

“Does the number of matches really have such a big impact on the condition of the venue?”

As a new horse owner, he asked immediately.

"It depends on the situation, but generally the innermost and outermost tracks will be less affected."

Tanaka explained very patiently.

Compared to those horse owners who make unreasonable requests every now and then such as "I want Fengsang to ride the next race" or "Is he able to participate in this year's Derby?", Mr. Kitano is quite easy to talk to.

"So that's it."

Kitano nodded and looked in Ochiai's direction: "What's the situation with the Ochiai rider?"

"I don't have any problem on my end either."

Ochiai readily accepted the request to ride.

"Then I will go and submit my application for the competition."

The decision was made quickly.

Mejiro Sakuya will compete in the JRA certified two-year-old rookie match on August 8th, the 10th match of Monbetsu.

"Xunta, what's your impression of that horse?"

After Kitano left, Tanaka called out to Ochiai.

Next comes a tactical discussion between the trainer and the rider.

"He runs with great power, and it doesn't look like he's limping at all."

Ochiai responded without hesitation.

At this point, Tanaka, as a horse trainer, particularly admires the other party's memory.

"However, after receiving the command, it takes a while for it to respond, and it is not very sensitive to the whip."

Recalling the scene of the running-in, Ochiai continued.

"So, after all, it's a slow horse..."

Chapter 36 Night Mixed Match

"It's really hot!"

"Yeah, I should have brought a few more sets of clothes."

"My face is also covered with sweat, I can't see anything at all—"

Inside the preparation room, the riders chatted while waiting for the next race to begin.

"After this, let's go have a barbecue together!"

Fujita, the youngest of the riders, suggested.

"Long live--"

Everyone cheered immediately, even Ochiai, who never liked crowds, joined in.

"Alright! The next game is about to begin, let's get ready."

Finally, it was the most experienced rider Inoue who stood up and spoke.

Standing up from his seat, Ochiai began to flex his wrists.

The sticky feeling all over his body made him very uncomfortable.

However, it was not enough to affect the game.

He looked up at the electronic screen hanging on the wall of the preparation room and began to recall the escape strategy he had planned.

The next race is a 1,000-meter two-year-old mixed race, commissioned by a North Wild Horse owner.

Putting aside her limp, the deer-haired mare named Mejiro Sakuya was of superior physique.

However, it remains unknown how such a racehorse can perform in official competitions.