Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

Chapter 108 After the Derby

However, for the winning Mejiro Sakuya camp, the Dubai World Cup Day competition ends here.

Amidst the somewhat shrill cheers of the German hoof trimmers, Hetian was the first to walk up to the podium.

Then, amidst even louder cheers, he put on sunglasses that came from nowhere.

Taking a deep breath, the rider raised the trophy above his head as if using all his strength.

Kitano, who was climbing up the stage from the other side of the stairs, stopped and smiled as he applauded the rider along with the people in the audience.

Then continue to move forward.

The trainer is in the middle, the jockey is on the left, and the owner is on the right.

Under the somewhat surprised gaze of the award presenter, Kitano effortlessly lifted the heaviest horse owner trophy.

After putting down the trophy, Kitano waved to the three people in the audience.

Wada, who was hugging the rider on both sides, and Ogawa Masaru, the stable attendant, took one photo after another of the six members of the expedition group amid the continuous sound of shutter clicks.

After the commendation ceremony, there will be an interview session with the winners.

Kitano was caught red-handed by the organizers when he was about to slip away.

"When we get back, let's take a complete photo with Sakuya holding the trophy!"

He suggested this on the way to the interview area.

Everyone responded with loud shouts.

Then, we chatted and laughed all the way to the camp interview area.

Before going on stage, he adjusted his expression back to a serious one.

"Wada rider, since your first attempt at the age of 21, even though it's not a derby in your country, you finally won this trophy. What are your thoughts?"

The emcee first asked the rider.

"It's still a little late. I really shouldn't have said things like 'I already have the derby plan in mind' at that time."

Hetian smiled, then pursed his lips tightly.

"It's been very difficult. Is there anything you want to say to everyone after your victory?"

With the help of the translator, the host continued to ask.

"First of all, I want to thank Master Kitano and Master Arashiyama. It was their combined efforts that got me onto Sakuya's horse."

He Tian tilted his head and nodded in the direction of the trainer and the owner, and said seriously.

"Then--"

“I ride horses now just as I did when I was young, and I ride with the same passion as I did back then!”

"Wada Ryu No. 2 will continue to work hard in future competitions. Please give us your support!"

Standing up, Hetian bowed seriously.

After the applause gradually died down, the emcee began to question the trainer again.

"In the last game, I was unlucky enough to be drawn at the innermost gate position. This time, I'm drawn at the fifth gate position, which is more in the middle. Does this change have any impact on the game or the team's tactics?"

Faced with this question, Huangshan quickly gave an answer: "The gate position does have a big impact. When we were in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Kitano and I were always worried about whether we would be hit by other horses at the start."

After a slight pause, the trainer lowered his head and continued with a frustrated look, "As for tactics, there's actually no such thing for us."

Under the somewhat surprised gaze of the host, Huangshan looked like he was about to cry.

"After discussing with the rider, all we could do was to let the horse run as relaxed as possible after the start."

Nodding with a look of obvious doubt, the emcee then asked, "After winning the UAE Derby, Mejiro Sakuya has earned 100 points, enough to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. Will you participate in this race?"

Huang Shan first tilted his head to look at Kitano, and after receiving his affirmative look, he replied, "In fact, we barely made it to the registration deadline for the first round, but whether we will leave the race depends on the owner, Mr. Kitano's opinion."

So the host turned the questioning to Kitano.

"So, Mr. Kitano, after witnessing her extraordinary performance today, do you have any thoughts on having Mejiro Sakuya compete in the Kentucky Derby?"

Nodding slightly, Kitano replied in fluent English without waiting for the translator to speak: "We will indeed enter him in the Kentucky Derby."

Not only that, our goal is to win the championship.

The 17-year-old Kitano might have added this last sentence without hesitation.

But for Kitano, who just celebrated his 27th birthday not long ago, he has become accustomed to being reserved in his words.

Before success, you must remain calm but be excited.

Under the gazes of the emcee and media reporters, he smiled and continued, "I haven't even scooped up the soil from Churchill Gardens yet."

The reporter from Japan immediately understood and wrote the following in the interview transcript:

[One Goal to Win: Mejiro's Road to the Kentucky Derby]

After the interview, Huangshan's tense face seemed to relax a little.

But soon, the trainer picked up his phone again and called someone unknown.

The surroundings also became a little noisy.

"Can you give me an autograph, Wada Rider?"

"Please take a picture with me!"

Words like this came one after another, with voices in Japanese and requests in English.

In the crowd, the Hetian rider seemed to be surrounded by several tight circles.

It's an international competition indeed—

Kitano sighed like a country bumpkin.

"Would you like me to have the trophy delivered to your hotel?"

At this time, the staff from Kaicuifang came over and asked in a low voice.

"No, please leave it to me."

After thanking the other party with a smile, Kitano called the quarantine stables.

After completing the inspection, Mejiro Sakuya had successfully returned to the stable and was eating grass with a hearty appetite.

After receiving this reply, I felt a little relieved.

After delivering the trophy, the staff was very considerate and gave them a ride in a golf cart.

Otherwise, in this sweltering weather, just thinking about walking two kilometers would give me a headache.

When we arrived at the quarantine stable, Mejiro Sakuya was still munching on grass.

"Competition? After all, eating is more important."

The deer-hair horse puffed out its cheeks, as if saying this.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sakuya."

Kitano touched its still slightly wet head.

The deer-haired horse reluctantly raised its head from the trough and perfunctorily touched his palm with its nose, which was covered with grass debris.

Then, he lowered his head and concentrated on eating grass in the trough.

"You really don't appreciate it."

Kitano smiled and shook his head.

However, he did not force Mejiro Sakuya to celebrate.

After putting down some heavy trophies outside the stable, Kitano asked everyone to take their positions.

Even the international stable boy who had been helping to look after Mujiro these days was among those he invited.

Then, everyone took an unusual photo with the half of the deer-hair horse's butt facing the fence.

Chapter 109 The Truth about Magic

The next morning, Kitano opened his eyes according to his expedition schedule.

The hour hand points to 5 o'clock.

It’s still early for Dubai.

But in the East Kowloon District, it should be a little late to get up.

When we arrived at the restaurant, there didn't seem to be many people there except for a few chefs.

Kitano's staple food of choice is a South Asian fried flatbread called "Vada".

In addition, miso soup and even shrimp dumplings were also seen.

However, with the thought that "since it's so rare to go abroad, it would be a shame not to try the local cuisine", I chose saffron-dyed milky rice as the second main course.

Although I only found out later that this was meant to be a dessert.

I ate breakfast slowly while browsing my phone.

The two tweets posted on "X" yesterday, whether it was a photo of all the camp members with the trophy or the second-walk declaration of the Kentucky Derby, seemed to be a sign of great popularity.

Mejiro Sakuya's name is still on the hot search list in Japan.

It seems that it is completely overwhelming to read the various tweets in reply below.

I had no choice but to click on the congratulations sent by relatives.

In between replying to messages, he took a bite of his rice.

What is this smell?

Sure enough, it’s good to try exotic flavors occasionally.

After expending as much energy as I did in yesterday's competition, I finally managed to have breakfast.

After the meal, the chef enthusiastically served a special "winner salad".

The bottom of the bowl was covered with assorted fruits, and the top was decorated with a pattern of deer-hair horses made up of crushed biscuits, nuts, cream, and the like.

There is absolutely no way I could touch food that can be considered a work of art.

However, after taking photos from several angles, I still ate the "Mejiro Sakuya" in front of me with a little regret.

I walked out of the hotel with a heavy feeling in my stomach.

The slight coolness that remained on the body was evaporated almost the moment it came into contact with the sunlight.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, the temperature had exceeded 30 degrees.

I had chosen breathable sportswear, but I was still sticky when I arrived at the quarantine stable.

Then, I quickly experienced the feeling of pouring water on hot sand.

The strong cold air in the stable was blowing, making Kitano shiver.

It was still early, but the surroundings were filled with a vibrant atmosphere.

The figures of stable attendants and trainers came and went, and the air they exhaled almost gathered into white mist.

As they walked towards Mejiro Sakuya's stable, trainers and stable boys kept offering their congratulations.

Kitano had to slow down and thank them one by one.

When we arrived at the stable, Huangshan had already started working.

The trainer's mottled hair was a little messy, and his face was a mixture of excitement and fatigue.

"Good morning, Mr. Kitano."

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Huangshan finally raised his drooping eyelids.

After a hastily exchanged greetings, they quickly lowered their heads to write something on their tablets.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Kitano nodded slightly, then glanced inside the stable.