Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 209 Kashiwa Stage
After the cherry blossoms, it is the season for Kashiwa stage.

It's neither the top four nor a one-man show.

The second stage of the 2027 Triple Crown, the 88th Oaks Contest, is a solo dance for only one horse.

Even the Shibuya Gal who has no interest in horse racing can point out the most popular candidates on the list of runners without hesitation.

Mejiro Atalanta.

The Tokyo Derby and the Tokyo Oaks, held at almost the same time on the 2400m Tokyo Turf, representing the pinnacle of the Triple Crown for stallions and fillies respectively, have vastly different relevance to the first leg of their respective series.

For the stallions, their performance in the 2000m Gaoyue Sho is usually directly related to the subsequent 2400m Japanese Derby.

In most cases, the Japanese Derby is also a showdown between the strongest horses in the Satsuki Sho, and there are many stallions that have won both championships.

With the mare, however, it is not the same.

Compared with stallions, mares are more prone to ups and downs in performance, and it is often more difficult for them to maintain their competitive level for a long time.

The cherry blossom viewing race is 1600 meters, while the oak race is extended by a full 800 meters to 2400 meters.

"The Satsuki Sho is the most important prelude to the derby." This statement does not apply to the match between the Sakura Sho and the Oaks Tournament.

There has always been a strong number of Sakura Sakura winning horses that challenged the barriers of middle and long distances in the Oaks Stakes, but ultimately failed.

After the famous Sakura Shojo horse Laurel avoided the Oaks Stakes in this year's Sakura Shojo, Mejiro Atalanta of Sakura Shojo became the focus of horse fans and horse racing critics.

"As long as she leaves, Mejiro Atalanta will become the undisputed champion of Oaks."

Even before the first stage of the Three Queens' Crown, the Sakura Award, a horse racing critic from the Eastern Sports Bureau made such an outrageous statement after Atalanta won the Ruzuki Award.

He has never been defeated in the Oi Racecourse, which also has a narrow left turn, and almost escaped the Sakura Sakura Race, which has a disadvantageous long straight line, by leading at a fast pace. Even the mud-track bloodlines of his sire and dam are considered to be seriously disadvantageous, but he can refute it by pointing out the special "Golden Jack", a 4-year-old mare who won the Tokyo Turf 2000m Hochi Cup, among his dam's foals.

However, even with these favorable conditions, anxiety continues to accumulate among horse racing fans.

That is-

The scenery of the palace 2000 meters away, beyond the high wall and beyond the range of the fleeing horses.

Over the years, there have been very few horses that have been able to win a Grade 1 race over 2000 meters using the lead run method at the Tokyo Racecourse.

"This range should be no problem."

With the competition approaching, Kitano's attitude towards questions from the media and horse fans seems unusually low-key.

The statement "Ox's victory has already been taken into account" is certainly very strong, but it does not provide any benefit other than increasing the pressure on one's own camp.

On the day of the Oaks Tournament, the plum rain that had lasted for several days had disappeared, replaced by sticky, hot and humid air.

"It's really big—"

While wiping the sweat that slid down his chin, Kitano shuttled through the surging crowd.

It is said that in the era when there was no map software, there were many cases of new riders and new horse owners getting lost at the Tokyo Racecourse.

Kitano, who had made preparations in advance, encountered a situation different from that of the horse owners who got lost because they were unfamiliar with the route.

Facilities at Tokyo Racecourse, including exclusive access and lounges for runners, are only available to owners of the association.

After finally arriving at the horse owner's room, the parade show was about to begin.

"Long time no see, Kitano-kun."

Dr. Kobayashi picked up his bowler hat and stood up from the sofa with a calm smile on his face.

"Hello, Dr. Kobayashi."

Patting his suit that was obviously wrinkled, Kitano nodded in response.

“Speaking of which, that child was Li Qi’s foal—” As he spoke, Dr. Kobayashi looked through the glass sensor door toward the parade ground.

Atalanta was taking slower steps than usual, carefully measuring the arena which she was stepping into for the first time.

Turning his head to look at the water spray outlet, the chestnut horse blinked his eyes with some curiosity.

It was her first time to see the crowded Tokyo Racecourse.

Even Majima and Okizawa, who were holding the tow ropes on their left and right, had a look of anxiety on their faces.

"She's just a country girl who just came to Beijing."

Putting his top hat back on his head, Dr. Kobayashi smiled and shook his head.

It’s obvious that the mansion is a rural area - Kitano complained.

In addition to Dr. Kobayashi, even the other individual horse owners who left the owner's room laughed.

"If I remember correctly, Kitano-kun is also from Tokyo, right?"

"No, I'm a genuine Taoist here."

Unlike the rumor that he was "making a desperate gamble under heavy pressure", Kitano even had the energy to joke with Dr. Kobayashi at this moment.

For Atalanta, Tokyo's 2400 meters was actually within range.

Even her closest rider and trainer didn't quite believe it.

On the other side, Sasakawa, who was waiting in the preparation room, was in a much heavier mood.

Although the track has returned to being a good horse racing track, it is still slightly heavier.

Although it seems to be favorable for Atalanta, who was born in mud, such a venue is neither maintained at a heavy field that is more favorable to the leading horse, nor restored to a good field that does not cause additional consumption of the horse's physical strength.

"If we can't hold on to the end, it will probably be a major defeat."

On the trainer's side, Majima had previously proposed starting the race from a slightly behind the lead, around the third or fourth place.

However, this safe tactic was rejected by the riders at the very beginning.

Once you get into a fight in the Oaks Stakes with 18 horses running, you will have to waste more energy to get out of it.

Atalanta, who was at a great disadvantage in terms of weight, had almost no chance of breaking through the encirclement of the horses.

Sasakawa has yet to decide on a specific running method.

In a race like this without Wu Feng disrupting the situation, the success rate of the escaped horse's "speed magic" seemed to have increased a lot.

however--

In a city that naturally tends to be fast-paced, whether it is possible to successfully influence the overall rhythm of the herd by taking control of the pace remains an unknown probability.

Several riders who were using small fans suddenly stood up from their seats.

"Hey, huh—time to go!"

His thoughts were interrupted, and Sasakawa took a step forward.

Leaving the preparation room, the sky above the palace was dazzlingly blue.

The sunlight that had been missing for several days poured down, making the horses and faces of people on the reviewing ground sparkle.

Countless horse fans raised their arms and shouted a name together:

"Mejiro Atalanta."

(End of this chapter)