Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 215 Saga's Morning

"Well done—"

The test had just ended when Tobita patted Mejiro Noah on the head and praised him.

The deer-haired horse's ears immediately stood up, but it still put on an expression that said, "The work isn't over yet, hurry up and cheer up."

Kitano and Hattori stood at the exit of the track waiting for the one-man-one-horse combination.

"It's incredibly maneuverable, and accelerating and decelerating on the road is even more agile than a mackerel."

Flipping off the horse's back, Feitian rubbed the nose of the deer-haired horse while speaking.

"SABA?"

Kitano repeated the word with a hint of confusion.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved the next moment, and Tobita raised his hand and imitated the movements of a fish swimming in the water.

It really is a fish——

Kitano breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that it is not some strange Kyushu dialect.

"Moreover, Mr. Noah has also done a good job of following the planned route."

The young rider said this, and hurriedly bent down to work with Hattori to untie the abdominal belt.

Although he had just finished a 900-meter race with a competitive atmosphere, there was no obvious sign of fatigue on Noah's face.

After lowering its head and enjoying the caress for a while, the deer-hair horse gradually relaxed from its serious state.

"The run was a little immature, but the forward momentum was still very good."

Hattori clasped his hands together towards Noah in a somewhat comical manner, then held the removed saddle in his arms.

"Can I go see the stables?"

At this time, Kitano asked to visit the stable.

"Huh? The stables aren't in great condition. Is that okay with President Kitano?"

Looking a little surprised, Hattori suddenly opened his eyes which were originally narrowed into slits.

"It's okay. It would be a great help if Master Hattori could agree to this."

"Then please follow me. How about Tobita-kun come along too?"

Hattori barely freed his hand to gesture, and the young rider immediately agreed.

"Okay, please."

Having said that, Tobita naturally took over Noah's leash and walked in front of the group.

The stables are just behind the track, but it's quite a distance to walk there.

There was no shade along the way, and the long and narrow road under the scorching sun made my back completely soaked with sweat.

Arriving at the bathing area shared by several stables, before Tobita could fasten the leash—

With hurried footsteps, an Indian stable boy rushed over, carrying a small bucket of cleaning tools.

Noah swung his tail as if he had noticed something, and his raised three white eyes showed a bit of reluctance.

However, he still cooperated with the stable boy and started the post-match bath.

"Taking a bath in the summer will make you feel cooler—"

Faced with the stable attendant's somewhat broken Japanese, Shikamakoma put on a very vivid expression of helplessness.

"Well, please stop reading."

The short "grunt" nasal sound seemed to express such resistance.

While Noah was taking a bath, Kitano visited the Hattori stables accompanied by the trainer and rider.

When most people think of stables in Saga, they think of them as "dirty, messy and poor".

Even Kitano, who had actually visited before, was no exception.

However, the Hattori stables, which only had a trainer and a stable boy, were kept very clean.

Although it still looks a bit simple, it gives the impression of being generally neat.

There is a plastic sign with the identity of the racehorse in front of each stable, and amulets given by horse fans are hung on the railings.

Thanks to the ventilation shed, the perceived temperature inside the stable wasn't as harsh as I'd imagined. Although, from the outside, it looked even more out of place.

"Mr. Noah's fading wasn't noticeable around the bends, and his route was basically as planned."

Continuing with the original topic, Tobita continued to talk about his feelings while riding.

"It seems like he's the type to be able to get started with Xiao Hui. Noah's horse body is really flexible."

Hattori smiled and picked up an old-fashioned broom that looked quite old.

Tobita nodded, then pursed his lips nervously.

Hesitating about what to say.

Kitano stepped forward and said with a smile, "Please, Rider Tobita, don't hesitate to speak."

So the young rider nodded again, and although his voice and expression were tired, his eyes were serious and a little surprising.

"Mr. Noah's horse is quite relaxed, and it will be difficult to pick it up again after slowing down."

He paused before continuing.

After noticing that there was no noticeable change in the owner's and trainer's expressions, Tobita continued speaking.

"I think he might be suited to running from the back, slowly building up momentum and giving it his all."

Isn't this the way the Golden Ship runs?

The image of the white figure who was related to Mejiro Noah by blood immediately appeared in Kitano's mind.

However, specific tactics are not what he is good at.

So he quickly turned his head and looked at the trainer who was holding a broom and thinking about something.

"For things like this, you really have to run around and see to find out."

Having said this, Hattori raised his head.

"But feedback from the saddle is also important."

“That’s true.”

Kitano expressed his full agreement with Hattori's seemingly polite remarks.

Apart from the racehorses themselves, who cannot speak, the riders on the saddles have the most intuitive riding feedback in the camp.

Even the most accurate advice from the Advisory Panel can be inaccurate due to fluctuations in the horse's condition or even accidental events like stepping on a horseshoe nail or dropping a shoe.

After the discussion about the ability test ended, Tobita yawned and hurriedly left.

Both the voice and the expression were exhausted.

Hattori had a similar look of hard work on his face.

Looking away from the young rider's receding figure on his electric scooter, Kitano half-jokingly said, "It seems like life in Saga is even harder than in Hokkaido."

"Yeah, here we have to get up at one or two in the morning."

Hattori sighed and nodded.

"One or two o'clock isn't morning—"

Kitano was a little surprised and almost thought that Hattori had slipped up and said the wrong time.

“Although there are relatively few horses in training, the field here is very small. In order not to delay others, we have to start training as early as possible.”

"Wouldn't it be even harder for riders with training missions?"

"Yeah, on game days, there's only a few hours of rest at noon."

No wonder Majima went to Ooi—

Putting aside complaints like this for the time being, Kitano turned to another important matter.

"The main battle rider's words—"

"What do you think of the Tobita rider here, Hattori-san?"

　Thanks to book friend 20250801163528256 for the 145 starting coin reward

　　Thank you for your support

　　Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★
　　Chapter 2: Late

　　
　
(End of this chapter)