Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 175: Solar Eclipse Reward

On Thursday, when the afterglow of the Lunar New Year was still lingering, the members of the expedition team gathered together again.

The location is the Breakers Hotel in the bustling Palm Beach, Florida.

"I'm so nervous—"

Huangshan, holding a knife and fork, had his eyes wandering subtly, looking at the empty stage from time to time.

Wada, who was preparing for the horse trainer's license exam for the third time, also had a tense expression on his face. The steak on his plate had been cut repeatedly into a horrible shape.

Today is the award ceremony for the American thoroughbred horse racing award - the Eclipse Award.

As the champions of the Kentucky Derby, they also received an early invitation to the Eclipse Awards dinner.

However, it is still unknown what awards this team can win.

"At least the moment of the year is already here—"

Kitano on the other side of the table tried to comfort everyone, but it only made their emotions more tense.

"If this is the only consolation prize, then it would be like a wasted trip, wouldn't it?"

Huangshan's expression didn't change, but his tone of voice began to sound a little depressed.

Unlike other Eclipse Awards, which are voted on by a designated committee within the horse racing community, the Moment of the Year Award is voted on by horse racing fans.

As a rare Kentucky Derby mare, Mejiro Sakuya has captured countless fans in Japan and the United States across the ocean.

Voting has just begun, and the 152nd Kentucky Derby in 2026 has already secured the award with an overwhelming advantage.

However, the media's expectations for the US Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, which the camp is more concerned about, are quite controversial.

The undefeated Kentucky Oaks Happy Hour is also a hot candidate for this award.

Kitano doesn't have high expectations for this.

"Anyway, the dinner itself was pretty good."

He comforted the trainer and rider in this way.

However, it only seemed to make the two of them more nervous.

"Welcome to the 56th Solar Eclipse Awards."

Applause mixed with the clinking of knives, forks and dishes rang out, and three emcees walked onto the center of the brightly lit stage.

"I must say, for a group of people who have been wearing nothing but jeans and boots for so long, you guys did a pretty good job of dressing up tonight."

One of the female emcees, a lady with big wavy hair, raised the microphone and said in a joking tone.

Boos and applause came together, and the male host standing in the center of the stage smiled and pointed his right hand at the audience.

"Hey, I got you Steven! You bastard actually came here in shorts!"

From every corner of the venue came the tacit laughter of the guests and the audience.

The horse trainer involved, Aimon Xin, smiled and stuck out his tongue in response.

"Ah, what?"

Master Huangshan, who was not good at English, asked in confusion.

"For the next Solar Eclipse, formal attire will be shorts and flip-flops."

Kitano rarely made a joke.

Judging from the lively atmosphere at the scene, the solar eclipse viewing in the United States is indeed much more interesting than the dull NAR Grand Prix.

More importantly, they will not let the guests attend the ceremony hungry.

At this time, the clear voice of the female host drew the attention back to the venue.

"A few friendly reminders before we get started. This year we're trying to keep our acceptance speeches as brief and to the point as possible, so please try to keep your acceptance speeches under a minute."

After he finished speaking, the male emcee beside him raised his wrist somewhat exaggeratedly, tapped the dial and said, "So when the time on this returns to zero—"

He swung his arm and pointed at the violinist in the audience.

"Steven Shiner is waiting for you right here, just like every year!"

As if in response, violinist Stephen played a series of playful glissandos.

Before the laughter subsided, the three emcees on stage accepted champagne glasses from the waiters. "We all know how much effort it took to get here today."

"And of course, a little bit of luck."

"So what we want to do before we officially crown the champions today is celebrate."

“To all the finalists, you are all winners.”

The lights in the venue slowly lit up, and all the guests nominated for awards raised their glasses at the same time.

“Cheers——”

After a brief opening greeting, Kitano began to wipe his mouth and tidy up his appearance.

The first award to be presented was the NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association) Moment of the Year award.

This is also the only award in this dinner whose winner can be determined in advance.

When the lights in the room dimmed again, the female emcee walked to the front of the stage again.

“No one in this room can say without hesitation that their life has been forever changed by racehorses, and we know that our connection to them transcends species.”

The clear voice easily penetrated the venue.

"But when the seeds of the tea flower were carried by the desert wind across the ocean to Louisville, Kentucky."

“In this land of bluegrass, miracles happen.”

The huge screen behind the host lit up the next moment.

"It all started at Shinshin Ranch in Hidaka, Hokkaido."

The bright light from the screen illuminated every face in the audience, and Kimura subconsciously pursed his lips.

"In 2023, on this small ranch with only ten employees, a deer-hair pony born with a lameness was born."

“She wasn’t listed at any auction and was sold to a veterinarian for $8,000.”

“‘The stars will bloom at her feet,’ said Kitano, who bought the filly.”

"I never said that."

Kitano shook his head in surprise and explained to the people who were looking at him.

And even when praising horse racing, he rarely uses such abstract metaphors.

"As the shadow of deer hair whizzed effortlessly across the white sand, countless people in Hokkaido and Tokyo became her fans."

In my ears, the cheers of 60,000 people at the Ooi Racecourse echoed for a long time.

Although Mejiro Sakuya's first fight in Oi was at the Tokyo Grand Prix not long ago.

"On the first Saturday in May, with the afterglow of her victory, Mejiro Sakuya visited the grounds of Churchill Park."

"They won the 152nd Kentucky Derby in torrential rain."

"The lame filly's heroic feat was voted by fans as Moment of the Year for 2026."

"And all of this comes from Kitano's intuition and his trust in Mejiro Sakuya."

As he spoke, the male host stepped aside to make room and shook hands with Kitano as he walked towards the center of the stage.

[Horses owned by you won the Eclipse Award: 1/1 (Completed)]

[Reward: Gold Amulet × 3]

Kitano closed the pop-up window and continued walking.

Holding the crystal trophy that sparkled under the light, he leaned slightly towards the microphone.

"There was a time when the Kentucky Derby was like a mountain that was insurmountable for us."

“We always do this. While looking up to the brilliance of others, we forget that we are also shining.”

He straightened his chest again and uttered the last sentence.

“I’m so glad we discovered this and let the world smell the roses.”

Before the applause started again, Kitano had already returned to the stage holding the trophy.

　Chapter 2: Late
　　
　
(End of this chapter)