Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

At least for now, he was still counting on the insignificant bonus provided by the title.

Back at the clinic, it was getting dark.

Even the earliest game of the day was held in the evening.

Somewhat glaring lights, a dusty track and drunkards in the stands – this is most people’s impression of local horse racing.

Kitano, who has personally watched races at local racecourses, can confidently answer this stereotype:

This is true.

Entering the new century, the glory of the 1980s and 1990s has completely become an unrepeatable miracle for local horse racing.

Whether it is the quality of horses or the personnel and facilities, the central government is far behind.

However, the official website of NAR (National Association of Regional Racing) is just as outdated as the JRA official website.

It took Kitano a long time to find the relevant information of the registered horse owner.

He has no plans to register as a horse owner anytime soon.

I still don't have much idea about the sport of horse racing.

If you rashly get involved as a layman, it is possible that you will suffer a big setback.

“And choosing a racehorse is also a big problem.”

Kitano couldn't help but feel a headache when he thought about his abilities, which were rated C for [Somagan] and E- for [Inspiration].

Relying solely on his own eyesight, it would probably be difficult for him to pick out a good horse in his lifetime.

As for the improvement of [Inspiration], I still don’t have much idea.

Kitano opened the system panel.

Although both items in the mall were expensive, he still decided to give it a try and exchanged the green amulets he had saved up for a week for the relatively cheap [Detector].

[Detector: Instantly detect a random basic attribute or breeding attribute of the selected horse (3/3 times)]

【Note: This can be used up to three times on the same horse.】

It really helped a lot.

Although the price is a bit high.

He studied the system panel for a long time, and only after confirming that there was no other additional information about the [Detector] did Kitano put away the panel in front of him.

Considering the cost-effectiveness, there is no need for him to exchange the [Detector] at this stage.

The cost of just one detection might be enough to buy a horse.

But in fact, it cannot be calculated like this.

[Detector] can be said to be Kitano's only means of observation at present.

After deciding to maximize the value of the [Detector], Kitano flipped through "Youjun".

No calls for house calls came in until the end of the night business.

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

After closing the clinic, Kitano returned to his home one street away.

Compared with the slightly cramped clinic, the residential building is much more spacious in area despite having gone through many hands.

Although many of the facilities are quite old, this is not a big problem for Kitano.

And thanks to the increasingly serious population loss in recent years, the air in Hokkaido is very fresh.

Even someone like Kitano, who only cleans when he remembers, can keep the house clean very well.

"I am back."

It’s not that anyone is really waiting for him, it’s just a habitual statement.

While pounding his waist, he changed into slippers and then groped in the dark to turn on the light.

My vision suddenly became brighter.

Listening to the sound of the hot water gradually boiling, Kitano looked at the mottled night outside the window.

After a few minutes, he couldn't help yawning repeatedly.

Chapter 4 A flash of inspiration, right?

"Asheng, I've told you so many times not to just pile carrots in the stable like this!"

"What does it matter? I'll get it sooner or later anyway."

"What if Fu-chan steals and eats again? Also, your white hair is so disgusting!"

"Huh? Landmine Girl actually has the nerve to say that to me!"

"Please be quiet!"

The old man with short white hair loudly scolded the two noisy people behind him, and then rubbed his aching temple with a distressed look on his face.

"It's all your fault."

"It's your fault."

After being stopped by the old man, the two continued to secretly blame each other.

"When the guest introduced by Mr. Arakawa arrives, you must not be disrespectful in front of him."

Fearing that his troublesome children might cause trouble again, the old man gave these warnings with some concern.

"Tsk, he's just a new horse owner. Dad, you're being too cautious—"

The white-haired boy named Asheng immediately put on a disdainful expression.

"Idiot! If we offend the Light Horse Association over this, we won't even be able to find a breeding ground next year!"

Picking up the cane and hitting his son on the head several times, Xuhe Zhang suddenly felt as if he had aged several years.

the other side--

“This should be the right place, right?”

Kitano looked at the sign in front of him that read "Nishiken Ranch" with some uncertainty.

At the end of April, he successfully passed the individual horse owner registration of the Hokkaido Racing Association.

In order to meet the threshold for personal income review, he also consumed a lot of green amulets accumulated from daily tasks in one go.

Of course, the money exchanged for the green amulet will not just sit there in the account.

Kitano decided to use the money to buy his own racehorse.

As for loans.

Anyway, the Agricultural Cooperative is a big company and doesn’t need this little money.

Just pay it back slowly.

As soon as I parked the car in front of an open space with the letter "P" written on it, the ranch representative, Ogawa Jang, came up to me with a cane.

"Welcome, Mr. Kitano."

Xuhe Zhang has neatly combed short silver hair, and the smile on his face is a bit exaggerated but not annoying.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ogawa."

After exchanging greetings, Kitano looked past Ogawa and at the two people following behind him.

The young man with an exaggerated white crew cut like Yakuza made a "tsk" sound and turned his head away deliberately.

"This is my son Ogawa Masaru, currently helping A-Maru at the ranch. Hurry up and say hello to Mr. Kitano!"

Ogawa Jō introduced the boy with a smile, while secretly poking the boy's toes with the crutch in his hand.

"Hi, hello, Mr. Kitano."

Ogawa Katsu first took a deep breath, then spoke weakly.

"Greetings, Mr. Kitano."

At this moment, the girl who had remained silent until now also spoke.

Kitano turned his gaze to the girl standing on the other side.

Based on her skin and facial features, the girl is estimated to be between 18 and 25 years old, between 5.3 feet and 5.5 feet tall, with healthy and smooth hair, no obvious shedding or parasites attached.

The facial features are regular, without obvious deformities, the cheekbones are soft, the mandibular angle is clear, there is no edema, scabs, or dandruff, the sclera is not yellow or congested, there is no obvious accumulation in the tear secretion area, and there are no abnormalities in the ears and nasal cavity.

The skin color is even and fair, with no obvious erythema, ecchymosis, acne or rash. No obvious pathological pigmentation is seen under the reflection of natural light. The body is in a standing position, the physiological curvature of the spine is normal, and there is no lameness or postural compensation.

Quite healthy.

It's just that the way she dresses can be a bit daunting.

Long black hair, a black dress, and a black collar around her neck.

In a place like Hokkaido, this outfit is almost synonymous with a landmine girl.

“It’s more like a den of a violent group than a productive ranch.”

Although he was clearly aware that it was extremely impolite to label people without permission, Kitano couldn't help but have similar thoughts.

"This is our daughter, Ogawa Kanna."

When introducing his daughter, Ogawa's tone softened a lot.

Kitano greeted the two again.

After that, Ogawa Jō took Kitano directly to the grazing ground.

The various facilities along the way seemed to have been put into use not long ago.

As if noticing Kitano's confusion, Ogawa explained, "Our ranch was only recently opened, and the racehorses we produce only started competing last year."

Noticing that Ogawa Jō looked a little embarrassed, Kitano wisely did not ask about the results of the game.

Because it was not a formal auction, the horse body display was omitted.

At worst, I can wait until Kitano really likes a horse and then bring it out to show him.

Xuhe Zhang, leaning on his cane, introduced, "These are two-year-old horses that have already begun initial training. Although they may be a little lacking in pedigree, they are a good choice for beginners in horse racing, and the price is also reasonable."

Kitano was no longer listening to what was said afterwards.

His attention was completely attracted by a horse.

It was a very handsome black deer-haired horse.

The fur is shiny black, the coat is smooth and glossy, and there are no obvious signs of parasitic infection or skin diseases.

The body is well-proportioned, muscles are evenly distributed, and there is no emaciation or local swelling.

The limbs are symmetrical, there is no swelling or lameness in the joints, and the center of gravity is evenly distributed when standing. Preliminary judgment shows that there is no obvious damage or dysfunction in the skeletal, muscle and ligament systems.

The gait is normal when walking and the hoof structure is intact.

Even from a veterinary perspective, it was a healthy, good horse.

As if noticing Kitano's gaze, the two-year-old horse with black deer hair came over capering like a fawn.

Kitano couldn't help but hold his breath.

Ogawa Katsu, who was watching from the side with his arms crossed, curled his lips.

He has seen too many people like this.

Getting involved in horse racing on a whim is neither professional nor does it provide the motivation to persevere.

Soon they will exit in disgrace with their tail between their legs.

only--

The racehorses that fall into their hands will be in trouble.

Xuhe Sheng gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

Even if he will be punished by his father, he will do his best to stop him from buying his racehorse.

Before Xuhe Sheng could speak, an accident happened.