Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 117 The Chestnut-haired Villain

"This is truly an incredible horse."

Looking at the smooth and shiny chestnut hair, Hetian could hardly believe that the person standing in front of him was a seven-year-old racehorse.

Although Katuna is not very big, his majestic eyes are still full of power.

Why did the previous owner sell this horse so easily, which seemed to still have some potential?

The answer to this question was soon revealed.

Just as Hotan approached, the chestnut-haired horse lowered its ears tightly and its eyes became fierce.

Then, he snorted and raised his front hooves angrily.

The wood chips flew through the fence and hit the two men in the face.

Standing further away from the stable, Huang Shan shook his head and said, "He's definitely the type that's difficult to deal with."

Even after being castrated, the bad temperament still seems to be stubbornly preserved.

According to the accompanying personnel, it caused quite a bit of noise during transportation.

"Maybe I'm just a little sensitive."

At that time, the barren mountain still had a glimmer of hope.

When undergoing long-distance transportation, many racehorses will show some neurotic behavior due to the uneasy environment.

However, after completing the handover, he immediately witnessed the chestnut horse's bad temper.

There was no time to admire the horse's well-maintained physique. As soon as he picked up the leash, the trainer was spat on in the face.

"Is the bit too tight?"

With this thought in mind, he wiped his saliva and moved closer to Katuna's mouth to observe.

Then, the chestnut horse raised its front hooves without warning and threw him to the ground.

If it weren't for the timely assistance of two passing stable assistants, it would probably have been a Churchill Park escape drama.

After that, it took another half a day to finally place Katuna in the stable.

Although he was quiet for a few minutes while eating, he soon started a new round of noise.

"That doesn't seem like the energy a seven-year-old should have."

After wiping the somewhat moist sawdust on his face, Hetian pursed his lips slightly.

Even though he had seen many racehorses with strange temperaments, he couldn't help but feel a headache when he encountered such a troublesome type.

Of course, it’s not too difficult to understand.

I have some grasp of the temperament aspect.

However, if you don’t ride on it, you won’t be able to get the most intuitive feedback on the feeling on your back.

Although it is just a warm-up race to familiarize oneself with the venue, it is necessary for people and horses to adapt to each other.

If the horse and the track are completely unfamiliar, running a few more races will not yield much.

"Can you let me ride it for a bit tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"

Casting a tit-for-tat look into the stable, Wada asked.

"That's it-"

Huangshan seemed a little hesitant.

With a racehorse like this, it's hard to imagine any trouble happening during training.

If something happens to a rider during training, it would be more trouble than it's worth.

The chestnut horse's profile was pressed against the fence, with the whites of its eyes showing as if they were about to be stretched open.

"What are you looking at, brat!"

Katuna's vicious gaze pierced the rider.

"Don't worry, I can handle any situation except the high-kick situation inside the gate."

They continued to look at each other, with a confident expression on Hetian's face.

After a few minutes, Katuna was the first to look away.

As if eager to hide something, the chestnut horse dived into the trough.

"Humph! If I wasn't just hungry, there's no way I could lose to you."

Katuna, who had just lost the battle between man and horse, snorted loudly, as if making such a statement.

"Then, let's adjust Sakuya's training schedule." At this moment, Arashiyama slowly nodded.

"in addition--"

After a brief pause, the trainer continued, "Please take care."

As the Kentucky Derby approaches, trainers become increasingly taciturn.

Apart from this, I feel more relaxed than usual.

An adjusted training plan was arranged before the end of the quarantine, and I was no longer surprised by the changes in Mejiro Sakuya's appetite.

Apart from the sad expression of "it's all over" on his face during interviews, he looked like a star trainer with many years of Derby experience.

Of course, no one else knows what actually happened.

As if attracted by the movement outside, Mejiro Sakuya poked her head out from between the bars with some curiosity.

"It seems like we should be a little more vigilant."

As he rubbed the slightly wet nose of the deer-hair horse, this thought emerged in Hetian's mind.

As the derby approaches, we must not be careless at all.

Instead of feeding carrots as usual, he just patted Mejiro Sakuya's head and ended his visit to the stable.

He unzipped his clothes with a swish, put his sportswear over his head, and trotted into the rain.

"There are umbrellas in the stables—"

Before he could say anything, Huangshan watched the rider's back as he walked into the heavy rain and soon disappeared.

Only at times like this can one vaguely sense the other side of the rider's character.

At this time, the deer-hair horse beside it made a grunting sound of grievance.

Huangshan patted Mejiro Sakuya's head, turned over his palm and took out thin carrot strips as if by magic.

The deer-haired horse's ears twitched, and its three white eyes looked at his palm in surprise.

After a moment, he slowly put the carrot strips into his mouth.

"We have to start training harder tomorrow."

The trainer said with a smile.

Mejiro Sakuya chewed the carrot sticks in small bites and seemed to nod her head.

"You have to work hard too."

He shouted again towards the stable on the other side.

In response, there was only a snort full of disdain.

After a while, Kitano came to the stable.

He folded his umbrella and placed it in the corner, smoothed his turned-up collar, and then walked up to the horse trainer.

"That horse called Katuna is truly remarkable."

After a brief greeting, Huangshan spoke in a somewhat subtle tone.

"Oh, really?"

Kitano hesitated for a moment.

He scratched Mejiro Sakuya's chin which was sticking out of the fence, then turned around to observe the chestnut-haired horse on the other side.

Katuna was leaning against the wall with his eyes slightly squinted, and there was a large green mark on the edge of his lips.

Kitano began to observe the condition of the horse.

The proportions of the front and hind limbs are coordinated, there is no obvious abnormality in the gait when standing, the hair is smooth and shiny, the muscles maintain a relatively good level of firmness, and the subcutaneous fat layer does not look very thick.

Looks like it can still run.

However, he soon saw the specific meaning of "incredible" in the trainer's words.

As if dissatisfied with the footsteps walking back and forth outside the stable, Katuna opened his eyes and made a loud noise like a motorcycle engine.

Then, he turned sideways, raised his hind legs and kicked the wall.

Now, Kitano finally understood why the previous owner and trainer chose to castrate him.

"It's indeed a bit troublesome."

(End of this chapter)