Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

Judging the quality of the competition content——

It’s not really clear.

Most of the time, one can only tell whether a rider is good or bad through the opinions of others.

Despite this, it does not affect Kitano's mood at the moment.

I only feel gratitude towards the riders who silently contribute both in training and riding.

"After you go back, have a good rest."

Leaving these words behind, he left with his somewhat heavy body.

Ochiai stared at his back in silence.

"Cheer up, Genta!"

Tanaka's words hit him like a slap in the face.

That's right, now is not the time to stop.

"I'm sorry, Master."

He exhaled slowly and raised his head.

Both the stable and the horse owner have always trusted him.

It would be unacceptable if I couldn't help but instead caused trouble.

As for horse racing itself, there is still no sign of changing views.

But as a rider, if that's all he does, he'd be totally incompetent.

You have to cheer up.

Whether now or later.

Biting Tanaka's words, he pursed his lips and strode towards the inspection room.

It was as if a gust of wind was pushing on his back.

As he watched the backs of the man and the horse disappear into the distance, Tanaka seemed to have aged several years in an instant.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ochiai."

"Thank you, Sakuya."

He said silently in his heart.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter between man and horse.

Fate has come to an end.

When the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella from Hokkaido will become Her Royal Highness the Princess.

Sure enough, I still felt reluctant when it was time to say goodbye.

But rather than saying those embarrassing words out loud, it’s better to bury them where no one can see them.

He couldn't help but wipe his nose.

The phone vibrated in my pocket.

It's a call from Hokkaido.

"Master Tanaka, Pegasus used a hoof to send Takahashi-san to the hospital."

Lakshmi’s stumbling voice came from the other side.

Sighing, Tanaka pinched his nose, which had been slightly sore not long ago, as if he had a headache.

After confirming that nothing serious happened, he hung up the phone with a frown.

"He's really a troublesome guy."

Chapter 75: Tanaka Stables during Winter Training

After breakfast, I left the house and drove my pickup truck along the romantic streets of Youjun.

The black ridge of the asphalt road was faintly visible in the thick white, and the snow foam thrown out by the anti-skid chains quickly merged into the snow on both sides of the road.

Today is the day to visit Takahashi the stable boy.

After learning that Medaima had injured the stable attendant, feelings of guilt and unease began to build in his heart.

Although the other party repeatedly stated that there was nothing serious and as a veterinarian he knew that this was a common occurrence among practitioners, Kitano still suggested that he should bear part of the medical expenses.

I parked in the parking lot, which was also wrapped in white, by feel, and shivered unconsciously when I opened the door.

It was cold outside, which was a huge difference from the weather inside the car with the heater on.

He put his hands in his pockets and quickened his pace towards the stables.

Behind Kitano, there were a series of conspicuous footprints.

When we arrived at the stables, Tanaka was directing the stable boys to clear the snow off the roof.

Snow removal is a risky task in Hokkaido.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there are more than a thousand snow removal accidents every year, resulting in more than a hundred deaths.

Most of them occurred in Hokkaido.

Even so, snow removal is an unavoidable task for the residents of the province, and it is not an exaggeration to call it a major event in winter.

The winters here are extremely cold, and heavy snow falls almost every year.

It is entirely possible that the weight of the snow could cause the house to collapse.

"Tanaka-shi!"

Kitano called out.

Tanaka, wearing the helmet he wore during drill, looked over.

"Mr. Kitano."

After giving a few instructions to the stable boys on the roof, Tanaka walked over, rubbing his hands.

"This is just a small apology to the stables. It's really not nice."

Kitano handed over the exquisitely wrapped gift box in his hand.

"You are so kind."

Tanaka refused at first, but at Kitano's insistence, he accepted the apology on behalf of the stable.

"I'm fully recovered here, don't worry, Master Kitanoma!"

Takahashi, the stable boy, also came over and struck a pose that he thought looked very handsome.

It seemed that the injury on his forehead was related to him, and he soon covered his head with his hands and grimaced.

It's not a very serious situation.

It is said that while taking a bath, Medaru Hirama kicked his foot backwards in a playful manner.

Takahashi dodged the kick, but accidentally slipped and fell to the ground because he stepped on a rag.

Because of this somewhat subtle reason for the injury, Takahashi firmly refused Kitano's apology.

Then, led by Tanaka, he walked into the stable.

"I want to take advantage of the fact that the snow isn't too deep these days and have Pegasus practice walking slowly on the sand."

As they walked towards the stable, Tanaka patiently explained the purpose of the training.

It was planned early on to use the winter offseason to improve Medairo's physical fitness.

Although it is exhausting to deal with, the training must continue.

The first phase of sand training, which is used to strengthen the adaptability of tendons and feet, should have been carried out after LSD (long jogging) and swimming training.

However, in terms of time, this arrangement had to be adjusted due to the accumulation of snow.

In addition, the conditions in the wildebeest field may change at any time depending on the thickness of the snow.

Kitano nodded from time to time in agreement with Tanaka's explanation.

"I don't quite understand the training thing, but besides that, has Pegasus caused too much trouble with the stables?"

Kitano asked during a break in conversation.

It's more than just causing trouble—

Tanaka showed a helpless expression on his face.

In the first few days, Medairo may have mistakenly thought that he was about to face the start of a competition.

He cooperated very well and completed the training task.

But in the days that followed, whether it was because he came to his senses or his true nature was revealed, he completely turned into a mischievous person with excess energy.

In addition to provoking other remaining racehorses in the stable, he is also a very difficult type to deal with during training.

Every day is as chaotic as typhoon weather.

My admiration for Mr. Ogawa from the small ranch deepened with each passing day.

It's a pity that the opponent can successfully train Mu Baima to a state suitable for the competition every time.

"No, there's nothing to worry about."

But when he spoke, he gave a completely different answer.

Even the most irresponsible trainer would not make such complaints in front of the horse owner.

This is their responsibility.

It is not a wise choice to talk about your job responsibilities with others, whether it is to complain or to show off.

"That's it-"

Kitano nodded subtly.

I learned from Ogawa Masaru that Pegasus is a very difficult type to deal with.

More than once, the situation got so bad that he wanted to escape from working on the ranch.

But it may also be due to the different training methods in the two places.

He had no choice but to use this reason to convince himself.

"Speaking of problems, there is indeed one area that is a bit of a headache."

Stopping in front of the stable with a plaque reading "Meduhiraba", Tanaka raised his head slightly.

“It’s about food.”

"Has Pegasus eaten too little?"

Kitano asked.

Indeed, Medaima has always had a problem with being picky about food.

"No, appetite does have an impact, but I'd like to ask you about something else."

Tanaka shook his head.

Kitano's eyes changed slightly.

The term "ask for advice" was used, which is not very common in discussions between horse owners and trainers.

In the stable, Mu Baima, hearing the noise, poked his head out.

Then, he began to shake the feed bucket hanging on the railing with his head.

It's a state of being coquettish.

Kitano leaned forward and touched its head.

"What is it, then?"

Kitano asked as he scratched Ashima's chin.

"I heard that Omi's trainer has a feed formula that can enhance the stamina of racehorses, but all I can find online are vague records."