Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

"Eh, overseas?"

This was my first reaction after receiving the call about riding commission.

Overseas expeditions are no longer a rare occurrence in the central government.

However, this has nothing to do with Wada, who is known as the "core rider".

Even top local riders may not necessarily get a chance to ride when competing in overseas competitions.

The relationship between the stable and the rider is no longer as close as it once was.

In major events, trainers are often more willing to consider using foreign riders with short-term or long-term exemptions to replace them.

Although last year, it was somewhat influenced by the "expedition fever".

If all the talented riders had not rushed to the Middle East in April, the commission for the Osaka Cup would probably not have fallen on him.

It would be a lie to say that I don't envy those who have the opportunity to ride overseas.

However, I never expected that overseas opportunities would suddenly hit me in the face.

"I understand."

This was the answer at the time.

In fact, no matter whether it is local horse racing or the trainer in the deserted mountain, I have only a vague understanding of it.

Previously, the understanding of the "Middle East" was limited to the narrow level of having a lot of oil.

As for the Kentucky Derby, which is a step further, it is not even something that can be thought of.

If we were to say the most familiar word in the camp, it would be "Mejiro", a name that we have heard since childhood.

Then, in that small lounge, I met the horse trainer Huangshan and the horse owner Kitano.

The moment I opened the door, I truly felt something called "aura".

The goal is the Kentucky Derby—

In these powerful words, the boundary between reality and memory becomes blurred.

"Mr. Zhuyuan said we can't lose this year. You have to cheer up too!"

Such a sound exploded in my ears like thunder.

"Then there will be no problem on my side."

This is his answer.

I accepted this challenge with the same mentality as before.

From the day the expedition plan was set, all aspects of it were carried out in a hasty and chaotic manner.

No matter from which angle you look at it, it's a rather unreliable camp combination.

However, this feeling of being on the edge of a cliff is surprisingly stable.

In fact, all the stakeholders in the camp are also making efforts in their respective areas.

"what--"

A high-pitched scream was heard from the bedroom.

Then there was a very heavy fall.

Under Wada's somewhat surprised gaze, Zepu rushed into the bathroom wearing only his shorts.

The space that could accommodate three people suddenly became cramped.

"I set the alarm, why isn't it ringing?"

With a toothbrush in his mouth, Zep spoke vaguely.

"Maybe your phone is out of battery."

Gradually getting used to the German hoof trimmer's somewhat awkward way of speaking, Wada said as he used a comb to tidy his hair.

Last night, when he was about to fall asleep, the hoof trimmer was still playing a mobile game called "Uma Musume" with a very focused look on his face.

"Eh! That seems to be the case."

Scratching his head, Zep threw down his toothbrush and walked out of the bathroom first.

"Wada-san, what are your plans, wait a minute?"

Zep asked as he hurriedly changed his clothes.

"Let's see what Master Huangshan has to say."

After putting on a breathable sports jacket, Hetian looked at his watch.

【5:16】

The Xuhe stable boy who shared the room with them seemed to still not have returned to the hotel.

"Did something bad happen?"

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Even if you have made every possible preparation, unexpected events may still occur.

That's what happens in the horse racing world.

If Wada Rider and Joseph are already awake, please gather at the hotel restaurant.

However, a message from trainer Huangshan was soon received in the expedition team's LINE group.

"Mr. Schmidt, Master Huangshan asked us to gather in the restaurant."

He said this to the hoof trimmer who was sitting on the sofa and slowly putting on his socks.

"Alright! We have to work hard today!"

The German hoof trimmer picked up his still-charging cell phone and rushed out of the room.

The two arrived at the restaurant one after the other.

Because it was still early, there were no other guests coming to dine except them.

The rest of the expedition team was easily found.

I was a little surprised when I saw them.

Including the owner of Kitano Ma, the four members of the other team all had very tired expressions on their faces.

"Then I'll go back to sleep. Can I leave the translation work to you?"

Ogawa Kana asked Zep while yawning.

"No problem, just leave it to me!"

The German hoof trimmer nodded without hesitation.

"I'm going to rest for a while here. If you have any questions, please contact me at any time."

Rubbing his slightly red eyes, Kitano continued.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Huangshan nodded.

"Mr. Wada, this is your stadium pass."

Ogawa Katsu took out the certificate he had just obtained from his bag.

"Zep, this is yours."

As he spoke, the boy took out another certificate.

"okay!"

Zep took his ID and took a quick look at it. After confirming that the information was roughly correct, he put it in his pocket.

"Rider Wada, if it's okay, could you please come with me to the stadium and take a look?"

Huangshan raised his head and drank the espresso in one gulp, then asked Wada who was struggling to prepare the hummus.

"Is it really okay on your side?"

Putting down the spoon that had become as sticky as hummus, Wada raised his head.

The trainer's hair, which he had carefully styled before departure, had become greasy and messy, and the wrinkles on his face were as obvious as if they were carved with a knife.

"it does not matter."

After saying that, Huangshan pursed his lips resolutely.

Thanks to Jealous Ling for the 500 starting coins reward,

Thank you for your support

Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 94 Horse Farm Inspection

Before leaving the hotel, Wada changed into riding boots.

Ten minutes later, the trio of trainer, rider and farrier arrived at the King Abdulaziz Racing Course.

After showing their passes, the three of them entered the stadium smoothly.

Several racehorses had just finished their morning exercises and were walking slowly towards the stables.

While Zepu was negotiating with the stadium authorities, Hetian and Huangshan were talking at the railing.

"How's the situation at the horse racing?"

Looking in the direction of the track, Wada asked.

It was not yet 7 o'clock, but as the sun rose, the temperature continued to rise.

It feels like being in the southern hemisphere, as summer comes especially early in the desert.

"I'm a little mentally exhausted, but other than that there aren't any major problems."

The tie on Huangshan's suit was slightly loosened and swayed violently as he shook his head.

“Overall, the horse is in a relatively relaxed state both physically and mentally. If his recovery goes as expected, we should be able to train him this week.”

Although the expectation was relatively optimistic, Huangshan's face was still tense.

Although I have quite a lot of experience in domestic expeditions, overseas expeditions are a completely different matter.

Even the Great Shock Camp, which was originally composed of the original Condor crew, made a lot of jokes when they went on an expedition to the Arc de Triomphe in France.

Don't be careless for a moment——

With this awareness, Huangshan began preparations for the expedition quite early.

However, when I say it's preparation, it's actually just something that would make people laugh out loud if I told them about it.

With no overseas experience of their own, they could only gather fragmentary intelligence from records of past Japanese expeditions.

Then, like a training assistant, he absorbs the experience of the expedition from the few words inadvertently revealed by trainers with an international perspective.

It was through such clumsy imitations that we managed to piece together a path to overseas.

In this sense, the "Yahagiri of the world" can be considered as half of his teacher.

"They agreed to open the track to us after the training session, but we had to leave before the next group of training horses arrived."

After completing the negotiations, Zepu came trotting over to report.

"Thank you for your hard work, Joseph."

Huangshan nodded slightly to the German hoof trimmer.

Then, the three of them looked towards the exit of the track.

The last racehorse to finish training finally walked out.

Hetian and Huangshan crossed the railing almost at the same time and entered the area inside the track.

After a while, Zep also scratched his head and followed.

Hotan was inspecting the racecourse horizontally, while Huangshan was measuring the track vertically with his footsteps.