Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

"Although it seems a bit reckless, it does meet several of the requirements we listed."

"and"

Huangshan paused, then continued in a somewhat strange tone, "Even if it's just a basic hoof trimmer in Duguo, his skills are likely to be ahead of most local and even central senior hoof trimmers."

Apart from having heard a little about Germany, the "holy land of hoof trimmers", he said this more out of his thorough understanding of the abilities of local hoof trimmers.

"Is that so?"

Kitano couldn't quite believe that the carefree young foreign man could be equated with Mr. Shimura, or even be a better hoof trimmer than Mr. Shimura.

"However, if you are not a registered hoof trimmer under the NAR or JRA, you will have to cover the cost of transportation and accommodation yourself if you want to join the group, Mr. Kitano."

Huangshan frowned again, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Although they have sufficient capabilities, registration and verification of hoof trimmers takes a considerable amount of time, whether it is JRA or NAR.

"No, there is another way."

Kitano shook his head.

He recalled a very obscure note in the Saudi reception guidelines.

[○ Hospitality for those related to the stables (training assistants, stable boys, and horse riders)

JCSA provides economy class round-trip airfare and hotel accommodation for up to two stable associates for each guest horse.

With NAR's almost unrestricted hiring rules for stable boys, even foreigners have no problem hiring them.

When the door of the conference room was reopened, the Christmas turkey meal for five people had been sold out.

Zep, the person involved, burped very loudly.

Then, he smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"Well, you passed."

Kitano's expression was a little stiff.

"Eh! Really—"

After wiping the oil off his hands, the burly German man strode over.

Under Zep's eager gaze that was almost radiating into reality, Huangshan printed out an adoption contract.

"Um, I'm not here to be a stable boy, am I?"

After taking the contract and looking at it, Zep showed a somewhat confused expression.

Although the salary is exactly as agreed, maybe there is something wrong with the position.

"No, you are the stable boy."

Huangshan nodded affirmatively.

"Just a stable boy who happened to know a little bit about shoeing."

Kitano briefly explained the reason.

With an expression of sudden enlightenment, Zep signed his name on the contract.

"So, please advise me?"

Chapter 88 The End of Reiwa Seven Years

Under the leaden sky, Kitano was wearing full cold-proof clothing.

The early winter was chilly, and even the breath seemed to have frozen.

Work in Tokyo has come to a temporary halt.

On the last day of the seventh year of Reiwa, he returned to this cold and snowy country.

Apart from Mr. Caesar's camp, which announced its expedition plan early, Mejiro Sakuya is the second Japanese force to make a clear decision to go to the Saudi derby.

Questioning, ridicule, encouragement, I heard many voices from people familiar or unfamiliar.

In addition to the preparations for the expedition, Kitano has been busy these days dealing with calls from various stakeholders.

As a producer, Kimura even complained bitterly to Kitano.

However, he quietly provided the camp with one million yen in expedition aid in his personal name.

In addition, judging from the discussion on social platforms, Mejiro Sakuya's popularity even overwhelmed Mr. Caesar, who had defeated her not long ago.

At least there should be no need to worry too much about the vote for entertaining Ma.

I dragged my heavy body back home after a long absence.

Before Kitano could breathe a sigh of relief, the phone rang again.

It was a little surprising that the caller was the horse owner Matsumoto, whom I had only met once.

Unlike the other callers, Matsumoto didn't rush to state his position. After a brief greeting, he spoke in a gentle tone, "At the beginning of the year, Toyo and Tahara achieved good results together in Dubai, but at that time, it was only a hasty consideration after confirming the exclusion of the Osaka Cup."

There was a somewhat helpless laugh from the old man on the other end of the phone.

"It wasn't until March that Mamoru suggested, 'President, why don't we try going to the Middle East?' I was wondering, 'Would Dubai really work?' But I still managed to catch up with the registration deadline with the idea of ​​giving it a try."

"Although I don't really understand things that are too technical, judging from the subsequent report, I think we were not well prepared."

"Since returning from Dubai, the stables have mentioned more than once that 'it would be nice to have a veterinarian we know.'"

"A familiar veterinarian?"

Kitano paused inwardly and asked, "Do you have any special opinion on this?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but Shou said it seems like they're being completely manipulated by the organizers, and Tian Yuan has been forced to waste a lot of unnecessary energy."

There was a hint of apology in Matsumoto's tone.

"I'm sorry, as a senior horse owner, I set an inappropriate example and wasted Mr. Kitano's time by rambling on."

"Not at all."

Kitano said quickly.

"Mr. Matsumoto's information was very helpful."

"Haha, it would be great if this could actually help."

After thanking Matsumoto again and again for his cooperation, Kitano hung up the phone.

Then, he let out a long sigh.

Although Mr. Matsumoto did not explain it, the reason why the famous general Tahara's camp was troubled is actually not difficult to understand.

It is nothing more than requiring racehorses to be retested on the grounds that a certain test needs to be updated or the data is abnormal.

The camp had anticipated this level of local preferential treatment.

However, the only solution that I can think of at the moment is to prepare as much relevant information as possible, which is a passive response.

"Let familiar veterinarians collaborate on the expedition"

For most camps aiming to go overseas, having a veterinarian who knows the situation well and provides assistance can indeed save a lot of unnecessary trouble.

But it will also lead to a significant increase in the cost of the expedition.

but--

Speaking of veterinarians who know Mejiro Sakuya, Kitano himself, as a horse owner, is such a person.

Ever since the time of the Teishen Touin, he has been paying close attention to Mejiro Sakuya's health.

Moreover, I had originally planned to follow the camp throughout the expedition as a horse owner.

One of the reasons for returning to Hokkaido this time was to deal with the closure of the clinic.

Since there is already a role in the camp that is unclear whether it is a farrier who also works as a stable attendant or a stable attendant who also works as a farrier, it is not a big deal to have another veterinarian who is also a horse owner.

In the week since I decided to leave for Kentucky, I have felt the pressure coming from all directions very clearly.

It's like someone is whispering in my ear all the time.

The anxiety that was about to burst out from the depths of my chest subsided a little at this moment.

As long as the people and horses are there, human feelings will always be there——

This is Mr. Matsumoto's famous motto.

At this moment, I can more or less understand a similar state of mind.

Although, it is very likely that this is not the same as Matsumoto's original intention.

I picked up the kettle and brewed a cup of barley tea, silently feeling the warmth that was a little hot on my tongue.

At this time, I received the training reports sent regularly by Master Tanaka on my mobile phone.

[Pegasus's body appears to have grown somewhat, and its appearance has become more symmetrical, with its weight reaching a rather delicate 472 kg.]

Although he still occasionally displays some childish mischief, he has gradually adapted to the initially difficult slope training, and as his physical strength grows, he has gradually demonstrated an outstanding sense of stability.

[As for the riders, the combination of Pegasus and Genta is also working well together. This pairing should bring good performance in the three-year-old lineup next year.]

[I wish Sakuya a smooth expedition and great military luck! ]

At the end of the message is Tanaka Stables's original expression based on the trainer and main rider.

"Does anyone outside the stables really use this kind of thing?"

With this thought in mind, Kitano clicked on the sticker details.

The download volume was unexpectedly high.

I'm sorry, Mr. Tanaka.

After silently apologizing to Tanaka in his heart, Kitano picked up the remote control.

Turn on the TV and the Red and White Songs Battle has begun.

This year's cast list is still a long list of unfamiliar people.

Still, there are one or two names that bring reassurance.

I just left the TV on and picked up my phone to pass the time.

Although there is still some time before the new year, I have already received quite a lot of blessing messages.

Replied one by one.

An hour later, I started to yawn uncontrollably.

Turn off the TV and put on a heavy coat.

It's time to visit the shrine on New Year's Eve.

When I opened the door to the entrance, a gust of icy cold air blew in.

He hunched over and stumbled towards the garage, a cold, stinging sensation running down his trouser legs and collar.

After getting in the car, Kitano rubbed his hands and turned the heater to maximum power.

On the way to the shrine, the first chimes of New Year's Eve were heard from the car radio.

The seven years of tears and laughter in Reiwa came to an end at this moment.

Both in life and as a horse owner, a new chapter of Reiwa 8 has begun.

Chapter 89: New Year's Day for the Expedition

Harmony itself is a beautiful thing.

Mushakoji Miatsu seems to have said this.

However, this was not the case with Ooi's Kentucky Expedition.

"That's too much oatmeal, Zep!"

On the first morning of New Year's Day, the barren mountain stables of Kobayashi Ranch welcomed a discordant scene.

Ogawa Katsu bent down to readjust the amount of feed and couldn't stop sighing.

On the last day of the year, I received a subsidy for the expedition stables from NAR.