Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 159: Race Day at Keeneland

A vague broadcasting sound came to his ears, and Kitano yawned and opened his eyes.

I fell asleep without realizing it.

When I came to my senses, the plane had already landed and was slowly turning on the runway.

Many people were ready to get off the plane, and passengers with aisle seats had already stood up and reached for their luggage in the storage racks.

Putting on the sports backpack he had been holding to his chest, Kitano walked in the direction of the crowd.

The flight attendant stood by the boarding gate and watched the passengers leave.

After getting off the plane, I felt the mild climate, which was different from the harsh Hokkaido climate.

Lexington Blue Grass Airport

After half a year, I came to the United States again.

However, this time he was in the capacity of a horse owner.

I took a taxi from the airport to a hotel far away from the city.

According to Mexican drivers, the roads in downtown Lexington are littered with garbage.

It's just like Shibuya after the holidays.

Shibuya is famous for Halloween, but there's also a lot of trash the next day.

At this point, Lexington seems to be a city like Tokyo.

Still, it's hard to imagine a city dirtier than Tokyo.

The hotel we finally arrived at looked like a motel from the outside, but the price was nothing like a motel's.

After completing the check-in procedures, I went to the room almost non-stop.

After putting down my backpack, I breathed a sigh of relief.

The Keeneland broodmare sale begins tomorrow.

A considerable number of breeders choose to arrive at the Lexington Keeneland Racecourse, where the auction is held, on the day of the auction.

However, Kitano plans to further identify targets through the Breeders' Cup the day before the auction.

Three of the six runners in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Classic will be competing in tomorrow's Keeneland Sale after the race.

Kitano's focus is on a five-year-old chestnut horse named "Ways And Means".

Ways And Means's owner, Kravecchi, had decided several months ago to retire her after the Breeders' Cup.

As a famous mare who has won many major prizes including the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga, Ways And Means' name is listed quite high in the auction catalog.

In addition, Ways And Means has an equally luxurious pedigree. Its father, "Mischief", is a foal of the American stallion "Deep Malice". He has won three Grade 1 races in the United States. This year's breeding fee has even risen to 80,000 US dollars.

Of course, the price you have to pay to buy such a mare is not easy.

Therefore, before the official auction, the more information you can collect, the better.

Unpack your luggage and leave only the essential belongings in your bag.

After washing my face in the bathroom, I headed towards Keeneland Race Course, the venue for the Breeders' Cup.

The most eye-catching horse in this Breeders' Cup Filly Classic is naturally the popular Anna.

However, Kitano approached Ways And Means when he debuted in the circle.

The afternoon Kentucky sun poured down, casting a velvety golden glow on the chestnut horse's coat.

After successfully squeezing into position in front of the railing, he used [Detector] on Ways And Means.

This was the first time he used another function of the [Detector].

Detection of reproductive properties.

All the usage times were used up in one go.

However, the panel shows that there is only one quota left for the [Detector].

The next moment, a message that was different from what I expected popped up in front of me.

【Ways And Means】

【Female 5】

【Chestnut Hair】

【Father: Prank】

[Mother and Father: Warrior’s Reward]

【strength】

【Winning and losing nature】

According to the introduction given by the system, the reproductive characteristics of both mare and stallion are not fixed.

The higher a reproductive trait is on the list, the more likely it is to be passed on to offspring.

In other words, Ways And Means can potentially pass on the traits of Strength and Winning Spirit to their foals. Additionally, the Winning Spirit trait is followed by a chestnut pony's head.

According to the annotations, this trait inherited from Mischief by Ways And Means will have a higher probability of being passed on to the next generation of foals.

"There are two traits that are likely to be inherited—"

Although I say that, I actually have no idea of ​​the exact level.

After all, this was Kitano's first time using the [Detector] to detect reproductive attributes.

So he used the [Detector] on another intended racehorse.

【Candied】

【Female 5】

【Chestnut Hair】

【Father: Candy Journey】

【Mother and Father: Roaring Heat Wave】

【Good Field】

Kitano blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

It's really just one feature.

After that, he used the new [detector] on another runaway horse that was participating in the Keeneland auction.

There is also only one feature.

Moreover, it is an entry with the phrase [氣性难], which is not a positive evaluation at all.

Positive reproductive traits do not seem to be so easy to obtain.

Thinking of this, Kitano used the [Detector] on Kamui Anna who had already walked to the edge of the reviewing field.

[Mighty Anna]

【Female 5】

【Black deer hair】

【Father: Speed ​​Anna】

【Mother and Father: Uncle Mo】

【Winning and losing nature】

【precocious】

【speed】

After watching Kamui Anna leave with her tail swung, Kitano turned his attention back to the appearance circle.

There are three breeding characteristics in total, and one of them, [Winning or Losing Roots], also has a pony head portrait behind it, which increases the probability of inheritance.

"As expected of the Horse King."

Of course, the samples collected so far are still too few, and it is not yet time to draw a conclusion.

After completing the task, Kitano immersed himself in the next game with the mentality of a spectator.

The result of the Breeders' Cup Filly Classic was no surprise, with Shenwei Anna showing excellent form from the start.

From the beginning to the end of the race, Shenwei Anna maintained the lead. Although Candied slightly narrowed the gap in the bend before the straight line, she was quickly left behind.

One horse length, two horse lengths, three horse lengths. The mighty Anna won the game with ease.

The overwhelming victory ignited the stands, and the audience's enthusiasm turned into a frenzy of roars.

Kitano was also caught up in the cheers of the torrent and unconsciously joined in the applause.

But before the roar of the Breeders' Cup Classic began to rise again, he had already left Keeneland through the exit tunnel.

Tomorrow is the time for the auction.

There is still a lot of preparation to be done.

------------

“Who is the number one filly?!

Anna the God wins the Breeders' Cup Fillies and Mare race again!!!"

——"World Horse Racing"

"@KeenelandSales: She is a very good Grade 1 filly who has shown great mental strength in the race.

@ScottFDTV talks with trainer Chad Brown as he takes a look at Tuesday's Keeneland sale.]

—Interview section of Keeneland Sales-Ways And Means
“National boundaries are disappearing in horse racing and we must seize the opportunity.”

——"Nikkan Sport" - "Mr. Katsuki Yoshida's Overseas Grand Strategy"

(End of this chapter)