Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 234 The Bloodline That Must Be Passed Down No Matter What

"Five million two hundred thousand yen. Thank you for the purchase from Mejiro Ranch Company."

When the online buyer's identity was revealed, the goatee-bearded horse owner, who had initially looked resentful, let out a sigh of relief.

"If it is Mr. Kitano, that would be wonderful."

On the other side, the horse owner who persisted until the end tapped his forehead in regret.

"They actually bought it!"

Zep, standing beside him, sighed and said that Yuki had flown away.

However, the hoof trimmer was still very happy to celebrate with Kitano.

After a brief high-five, the two quickly returned to the auction in front of them.

There are about twenty horses yet to be introduced, one of which is the ranch's intended target.

The father is Jin Jiji, and the mother is a one-year-old chestnut mare from the Golden Journey.

Judging from the list of names issued at the auction, there was nothing that left a deep impression.

On the production ranch side, they only used very restrained terms like "well-proportioned horse" to describe it.

"Entry number 213, Miracle Journey 2026, female, chestnut-haired, born on April 3rd, sire Kim Junko, mother Miracle Journey is the foal of Golden Journey."

The rather beautiful chestnut horse was practically dragged out of the passageway by the stable boy.

"Could this child be short-tempered?"

Many horse owners subconsciously had similar questions.

As if to prove it, the chestnut horse couldn't wait to show off its high-legged movements as soon as it arrived in the center of the display area.

"No wonder they are descendants of the Golden Journey."

"I always feel like this kid looks a bit like Orpheus, especially the part about Meteor."

You can hear sounds like this.

Some people started discussing it with the horse owners or trainers around them, while others laughed and sighed.

"How about we start with five million yen? Five million two hundred thousand—"

The auctioneer on stage began calling out the prices, but the response wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

Besides the potential temperamental issues of chestnut ponies, the situation with their fathers is also a factor that owners consider.

This year marks the third year of Jinjiji's career as a breeding stallion.

Generally speaking, the value of foals born to three-year-old stallions tends to fluctuate within an unstable range.

Owners who are optimistic about this type of stallion are often willing to pay a higher price to acquire it.

Conversely, even at very low prices, no one is interested, which is not surprising in such situations.

Currently, the foals from the Golden Horse seem to be quite popular among horse racing fans due to their generally good looks.

However, for horse owners or breeders, a deeper level of consideration is needed.

"It seems that the features on the father's side are not very visible."

Aside from their uniformly high aesthetic appeal, Jinjiji's offspring seem to have no other commonalities.

There are quite a few foals that are almost all different in size, ranging from loose to compact in build.

Should we give it a try?

While most of the horse owners in the arena were still considering the issue, Kitano made his move.

【Miracle Journey 2026】

【Female 1】

【Chestnut Hair】

[Father: Jin Jiji]

[Mother and Father: The Golden Journey]

【healthy】

It is a reproductive trait that has only one characteristic.

however--

Following the entry were two black deer-haired pony heads.

It's almost to the point where they'll "pass this characteristic down through their bloodline no matter what." Sure enough, we'll see quite a few new things at the summer auction.

With the thought that "if this is the case, perhaps some weak stallions could also be considered for breeding," they launched the first round of bidding.

Of course, it's done online.

"The bid of 5.2 million yen came from an online horse owner. What do you think of 5.4 million? 5.4 million—"

This signaled the start of a new round of bidding.

"It's better to buy something and then regret it than to not buy it and then regret it."

Although it sounds quite far-fetched, this is the true thought of most horse owners at the auction.

Even buyers who initially thought they would only make a purchase if the price was right would gradually lose their rationality under the influence of the atmosphere at the event.

Of course, there are also quite a few horse owners who think, "If I don't shout a few times, I'll just be sitting there all day."

In the increasingly dull atmosphere of the meeting room, exclamations of "Oh!" and "Eh!" suddenly rang out one after another.

"It wasn't that simple after all."

Looking at the prices displayed on the electronic screen, Kitano couldn't help but frown.

With a solid track record to draw on, the Miracle Journey of the Mother and Father Golden Journey 2026 attracted a significant number of owners and trainers to participate in the bidding from the very beginning.

"Okay, seven million yen, seven million two hundred thousand from this buyer's offer, seven million four hundred thousand—"

After breaking the seven million yen mark, the bidding momentum showed no signs of slowing down.

"Your father is Kim Jae-suk, who won the Osaka Cup. What do you think of the price of 7.6 million yen?"

While the chestnut-haired pony and the stable boy were having a tug-of-war on stage, the bids from the audience reached tens of millions of yen.

It was only here that things finally started to slow down.

"One thousand fifty! Is there a higher offer?"

To purchase a colt from the same dam for over ten million yen, whose best racing record is in local class races, and whose sire's ability as a stallion is yet to be proven—this is a spirited horse.

Even gambler-like horse owners chose to withdraw at this point.

On the other side, Kitano clicked on the screen without hesitation.

For high-quality breeding mares, ten million yen is a very cheap price.

and--

This is the first time I've encountered a breeding trait with two heads.

"I am very grateful to Mr. Mejiro Ranch Company for the price of 1,100,000 yen."

Among the horse owners who had initiated the bidding, many showed expressions of regret.

However, it's not to the point of being alarmed.

Yoshitaka, who attended the on-site auction in place of Chairman Matsumoto, even sent a congratulatory text message very quickly.

[I never expected that it was President Kitano who was bidding all along. I should have gritted my teeth and persevered for a few more rounds.]

I replied in a relatively relaxed tone, "I'll keep going too."

There are three horses left to be auctioned.

After achieving his goal, Kitano did not leave immediately; unusually, he stayed in his seat until the very end of the auction.

Although, most of the time it was just dealing with the unread messages that had accumulated throughout the day.

One horse was purchased by the main team, and the other two were purchased by JRA as lottery horses.

The first day of the summer auction has come to an end.

As we left the venue, the sun had already set, and the sky, past dusk, gradually turned deep blue.

Although the surrounding scenery was shrouded in shadow, the lights illuminated the road.

"It's finally over."

Zep's voice and expression were exhausted.

However, his eyes were just as bright as Kitano's.

The two walked side by side, swaying like drunks on the streets of Shibuya, toward the handover area.

"Let's go see our horses—"

(End of this chapter)