Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

After the opponent takes away the good gates, the probability of the remaining bad gates will naturally increase.

Even he could quickly figure out such a simple truth.

As for good gates and bad gates——

"As long as it's not the first or eleventh one."

The expression on Huangshan's face was not tense.

Mejiro Sakuya is a racehorse that has almost no requirements for gate position.

Anyway, no matter which gate position you start from, your initial direction will be at least one step slower than others.

If you go in with this kind of awareness, the pressure of the gate selection will naturally be reduced a lot.

Even starting from the outermost gate 11, it was a situation that Mejiro Sakuya could handle.

However, if the gate position is too far inboard, it is not ideal.

Although there is no need to worry too much about tonnage, both Kitano and others in the camp hope that the match will be carried out in a way that avoids physical collisions.

After the Taoyuan Tea House in the fifth position, other camps successively drew the fourth and seventh positions.

The two first prizes, "One" and "Eleven", are getting closer and closer to the rest of the people.

"Next up, a joyous occasion in Ireland."

For the Happy Time team, the gate positions will be drawn by trainer Yue Boren.

The man wearing square-framed glasses strode onto the stage.

Staring at the familiar stern face, Kitano narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yue Boren picked up a piece of paper at random and unfolded it without hesitation.

【11】

The Irish trainer pursed his lips slightly.

There was a burst of laughter and applause from the audience that was far more enthusiastic than before.

"How do you feel about being drawn into this position?"

The host handed the microphone to Yue Boren.

“I believe it has the ability to overcome challenges of this magnitude.”

Yue Boren shrugged his shoulders and answered in a rather relaxed tone.

However, when he stepped down, the Irish trainer's face showed obvious depression.

"The next one is Sakuya Mejiro from Japan."

It was Wada who stood up as the camp representative.

Before this, Huangshan, as a horse trainer, resolutely declined this task.

"In this kind of situation, please spare someone like me who has a connection with pink."

It’s hard to say whether it’s fate or bad karma, but in any case, Huangshan has been drawn to relatively far-out gate positions in recent important competitions.

Wada, dressed in a black suit, stepped into the spotlight.

Now that the eleventh gate on the outer side has been taken away, the only gate that can be considered broken is the one on the innermost side.

With a one in seven probability, it's impossible for this to really happen, right?

Kitano clenched his fingertips slightly.

After taking a deep breath, the rider took out a note under the guidance of the translator.

Then, he slowly spread out the paper facing the audience.

【1】

A burst of laughter, no less loud than before, reached my ears clearly.

Several people in the camp sighed almost at the same time.

"This is really a difficult situation."

Ogawa Kana, who was lying on the table, said in a ghostly voice.

Kitano rubbed his swollen temples and lay down on the table.

Bad guesses are always easier to come true.

Even in Saudi Arabia overseas, Murphy's Law is still at work.

"terribly sorry."

After returning to the camp, Wada, who had just finished the gate position draw, apologized to everyone with a wry smile.

In just a few seconds, the camp's efforts over the past month and a half might be ruined.

perhaps--

All his life's luck must have been spent on his encounter with that horse.

Thanks to Reckless Flying for the 500 starting coins, thanks to book friend 20230515114556659 for the 100 starting coins, thanks to Maomao Chi Cheng Zhu Zhu for the 300 starting coins

Thank you for your support

Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 99 Game Day

The time soon came to October 2st.

Perhaps because of the festival, there are a lot more foreign tourists on the streets of Riyadh than a few days ago.

"Valentine's Day" is widely known in Christian countries as a day for giving gifts to important people.

Later, this custom was introduced to Japan.

In recent years, for some reason, it has become a day for girls to give chocolates to boys.

However, the foreign tourists walking through the streets of Riyadh may also be visiting the city for other purposes.

The Saudi Cup competition day with a total prize of 30 million US dollars is also held today.

Because there were no training or interviews scheduled in the morning, the six people in the camp got up a little late.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Kitano slowly came to the hotel restaurant.

Kanna Ogawa sat at the table next to her, pouring white condensed milk into her green tea.

It was not until Kitano, who was watching from the sidelines, felt a faint phantom pain in his teeth that the girl reluctantly put down the can of condensed milk.

"Want some?"

Ogawa Kana raised her head and asked.

The girl was wearing the black dress she wore on the day of her departure, with an exquisite bow at the neckline.

"no need."

Kitano quickly shook his head and sat down opposite Ogawa Kanna with his coffee and a grilled meat roll called "Shawarma".

He chewed the meat roll in small bites, taking a sip of coffee from time to time to help him swallow.

As match point approached, Kitano was calmer than expected.

You won't be so excited that you can't sleep all night like you were at the beginning, nor will you allow unnecessary anxiety to spread.

He swallowed the last bite of the meat roll, wiped his fingertips and took out his phone.

I replied to the blessing messages sent by the relatives one by one, and then started planning today's itinerary.

As the camp's accompanying veterinarian, he will contact Saudi Arabian horse welfare officials before the race and submit to them the feed formula list and feeding records since he moved into the hospitality stable.

In addition, since she was selected to collect urine after the game, it is also necessary to ensure that Sakuya Mejiro has enough water today to facilitate sample collection.

After that, there are matters concerning the horse owners.

There was still a lot to worry about until 4:20 p.m., when the competition officially started.

He sighed somewhat heavily.

"Mr. Kitano has done well enough, hasn't he?"

While stirring the green tea whose original color could no longer be seen, Ogawa Kana spoke lazily.

"I'm not just lamenting that there's so much to do today."

Kitano held the slightly hot Fenyang cup in his hand.

This small ceramic cup has no handle and is decorated with geometric patterns with Arabic characteristics.

The rich aroma of spicy and caramel soon wafted through my nose.

Taking their eyes away from the blurry mist, they both raised their heads at the same time.

It was the same tired yet powerful gaze.

"Ah, I see."

Ogawa Kana suddenly nodded.

"'We must win this game,' that's what Mr. Kitano's eyes said."

The girl deliberately lowered her voice and imitated the man's tone.

"If you can really tell so much from someone's eyes, it's like being able to read their minds."

Kitano smiled and shook his head.

"So, Mr. Kitano has tacitly agreed to win the game?"

Ogawa Kana covered her mouth and let out a wicked laugh, "Hehehe."

"There is no such thing."

Although he still had a smile on his face, Kitano's gaze was changing unconsciously.

Even if you put in the effort, the rewards are not to be taken for granted.

This is common knowledge in horse racing and most competitive sports.

Kitano has a clear understanding of this.

Even so, I still give it my all.

It's not about competing to win.

But to win in the game.

He enjoyed the resonance between man and horse at extreme speed.

"But it would be nice if we could win."

A few hours later, under the lights of King Abdulaziz Stadium, the answer was revealed.

Before that, you need enough patience.

If you enter the competition with this idea in mind, you may reap unexpected results.

After breakfast, Kitano walked out of the hotel.

Through the gaps in the tall buildings, you can clearly see the crimson fireball rising from the other side of the horizon.

The sky seemed very close.

Standing on the streets of Riyadh, the wind blowing towards me is mixed with the scent of summer.

The subtle heat makes it hard to breathe.

Kitano couldn't help but start to worry about the afternoon game.

It's not about worrying about the game itself, but about the situation outside the field.

Thoroughbred horses are not good at handling high temperatures and have difficulty performing at their best in overly hot weather.

In cases of lameness, the effects of high temperatures may become more pronounced.

"We can't be careless about heatstroke prevention."