Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 147 The Morning of the Summer Auction
On the morning of August 17, water vapor from the Torama River was still hanging in the air.

I used my numb fingers to pry open the shoe cabinet door. Just as I was struggling with my riding boots, a clear female voice suddenly sounded behind me.

"Good morning, Ravid-san."

Looking back, the girl was energetically dragging out a whole bag of feed from the storage room.

You don't even need a cart; you can carry the feed to the mixing area by hand like carrying a handbag.

"Good morning, Ms. Rachel."

Changing out of his riding boots, the Indian nodded slightly in response.

"Thank you for your hard work."

The girl said with sympathy while mixing the feed according to the recipe posted on the wall.

Although the ranch auction focuses on Keeneland in November, the summer auction at home naturally cannot be missed.

In the past few days, Kitano and Lavid have been immersed in the dazzling auction brochures, repeatedly screening the expected targets for the ranch.

Just a glance at those tables seems to drain all human patience.

"No, no matter how you look at it, it's probably harder on your side."

Watching the girl pick up the food bowl effortlessly, the words on his lips became hesitant again.

Maybe, it’s not that hard after all?

The girl hummed a song and walked briskly towards the stable.

He put down the food bowl and greeted the figure in the stable.

"Good morning, President Kitano—"

Placing the used syringe into the collection basket, Kitano nodded slightly in response.

He patted the head of the reed-haired horse, which was still making a "grunting" sound, and leaned over to take out two new small jars from the basket.

Medo Heihira pressed his lips against his wrist, a somewhat aggrieved expression on his face.

"You'll get better faster if you take the medicine, otherwise you'll just have to stay here and not be able to go anywhere."

Kitano comforted Luma while rubbing his upper lip which was shaking back and forth.

Compared to when he just returned to the ranch, the synovitis in Mubai Ma's legs has improved significantly.

but--

Whether it is injections or oral medications, I am still completely unfamiliar with them.

Every time I give it an injection, it makes quite a big noise.

"Well, how about a mint?"

As he said this, Kitano placed the mint candy and the pills in his hand.

For a moment, it seemed as if he caught a glimpse of hesitation on Medaiba's face.

But the next moment, the reed-haired horse pushed away the hand in front of it with some disgust.

"Sure enough. There's no difference between being a picky eater and being a picky eater."

Kitano shook his head helplessly.

Later, with the help of Rachel Ho, they finally succeeded in getting Mekuhira to swallow the pill.

In addition to the IRAP (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein) injected at the beginning, the drugs fed later also supported cartilage metabolism and suppressed inflammation.

However, as a supplement, the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate is slow to take effect and requires long-term use to be effective.

and so--

I'm afraid days like this will continue for a long time.

After being sweaty, Kitano had to go back to the house to change his clothes.

"Please."

Before getting on the car, he shouted to Zep and Rachel Ho in the stable.

"Leave it to us!"

The German hoof trimmer patted his chest and smiled mysteriously.

That makes me even more worried.

Shaking his head, Kitano opened the car door.

Lavid, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was still studying the auction brochure in his hand.

On the way, the two continued to discuss their goals for the summer auction.

The week-long summer auction will feature over a thousand yearlings. Of course, it's impossible to examine them all with a detector.

Not to mention that the green amulet will have to be saved for use at the Keeneland Mares and Mare Sale in November, and the strategy of observing each horse one by one like last year's Hokkaido Selection will not work.

Although the budget is indeed much more generous than last time, the things that need to be considered this time have more than doubled.

As the two chatted along the way, they narrowed down the scope of their intended targets.

When we drove into Hokkaido Market, there were very few parking spaces left.

At the summer auction following the Hokkaido Selection, the number of small and medium-sized horse owners bidding suddenly increased.

Walking straight towards the auction venue, Lavid beside him flipped through a brochure and asked, "President, how are Noda Ken-kun's foals? The dam and sire are American racehorses. Judging from their pedigree and physique, they have the potential to perform well in terms of explosive power."

"Noda Ken-kun?"

Kitano stopped and lowered his head to open the same manual in his hand.

"For a yearling, the hind legs are quite full. We'll see if there's a chance."

As he spoke, he took out a pen from his pocket and skillfully marked the numbers of the absent horses following the broadcast.

Among the previously expected targets, one horse was also absent.

It’s a bit of a pity.

Thinking this, Kitano walked into the venue.

The front row seats with good visibility are almost all occupied.

Kitano had no choice but to take Lavid to a corner with a somewhat cramped view.

Then, the two of them discussed in a low voice while referring to the manual.

“The foal from this Golden Master looks good too, but the competition will probably be tough.”

"You can pay a little attention to it, but if the price is too high, forget it."

On the left side, a guy with his legs crossed was flipping through a manual on his lap.

The speed is so fast that people can't help but wonder whether he has mastered super powers such as quantum speed reading.

On the stage, the host began to talk about something similar to last year.

"Ah! Has it started yet—"

At this moment, the man next to him suddenly sat up straight, and the manual on his knees fell to the ground.

"What the hell, it hasn't even started yet."

After complaining loudly, he bent down and picked up the manual on the ground.

"Oh, you're President Kitano!"

Turning his head, the man showed a somewhat surprised expression.

"I am Taketoyo's unreliable brother, Koshiro. Please take care of me!"

Kitano hesitantly shook Takeyuki Shiro's enthusiastic hand.

I did hear that Taketoyo has a younger brother who is a horse trainer.

but--

They are two brothers who give people very different feelings.

Looking at the face that was somewhat similar to Taketoshi, I couldn't help but think so.

"I know absolutely nothing about auctions, so I'd appreciate any guidance from Master Kitano."

After the greetings, Takeyuki Shiro touched his head and said with a wry smile.

"No, no, I also need the martial arts master to take care of me."

Kitano waved his hands quickly.

They chatted a little more before the auction officially started.

According to Takeyuki Shiro, he was attending the auction today as a horse trainer at the request of Mr. Matsumoto.

"However, Mr. Matsumoto probably wants me to come here to broaden my horizons."

As the trainer said this, the commendation session of this year's auction seemed to have begun.

When Kitano heard the main victory announcement, a similar expression appeared on his face as last year.

"Has it actually become a local reward?"

(End of this chapter)