Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 245 Two-Faced

"If possible, how about letting Mr. Noah try running from the rear?"

Despite having reached an agreement with trainer Hattori, there was still some nervousness when making the proposal to the horse owner.

"If Tobita-kun thinks it's suitable, then please give it a try."

Without harboring any thought of "I must win the first race," he readily agreed to the rider's suggestions on riding techniques.

The Singapore-Malaysia War, and indeed the entire second year, is a time for various attempts.

Even if problems arise now, it doesn't matter; rather, this is precisely the significance of the Singapore-Malaysia War.

Afterwards, in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, we finished what I couldn't quite classify as breakfast or lunch.

The duo who had gone sightseeing in Dazaifu began their return journey, and Lavida had already gotten up and was preparing to head to the racetrack.

On the way back to the racetrack, Kitano asked a few questions about how to get from the back gate to the grandstand of President Ma.

"After you see that sign, turn right and you'll arrive."

"No, it should be a left turn, and then a right turn at the fork in the road."

"That's right, that's about it."

The trainer and rider enthusiastically gave directions.

However, it sounds far too complicated.

Even though Kitano has a pretty good memory, he still found it a bit difficult to remember the entire route.

Following their directions, I wandered around the stands for quite a while.

After navigating through a maze-like passageway, we finally saw Chairman Ma's seat.

After all, I had paid a membership fee of 50,000 yen to join the horse owners' association in Kyushu, so I had some expectations for the facilities.

They're really only at Saga level.

The room next to Chairman Ma's was the reserved seating room, and the two rooms didn't look much different.

Chairman Ma's drinks are free, but there aren't even any security guards here, so even non-owners could easily sneak in.

"President——"

As I was thinking this, a familiar voice reached my ears.

The two people carrying large and small bags walked in.

Did you have fun at Tenmangu Shrine?

"I just kept walking around, and ended up sweating all over."

"Mmm~ I had a lot of fun."

Two completely different answers.

"This is a souvenir for you, President."

Rachel Ho took out a small, exquisitely crafted wooden box from the bag in her hand.

"Hey, do I get a share too?"

A little surprised.

"Yes, everyone gets a share."

The moment the wooden box was opened, Kitano's expression became somewhat subtle.

"Safe delivery. Protection?"

"You took the wrong one! That one is for Mum-chan."

The girl quickly covered her face and apologized, hurriedly replacing the small wooden box with another one.

It is a lucky charm with a portrait of Sugawara no Michizane.

Although widely known as the god of knowledge, this deity's scope of business seems to be quite extensive.

There are even rumors that IT companies pray to him to prevent electronic accidents.

"Rachel, this doesn't seem to be a reserved seat."

"Hey, isn't that right!"

It's amazing that you guys were able to find that.

"excuse me--"

Ravid poked his head out from the doorway.

While chatting, they placed their bags of souvenirs into the lockers at their designated seats.

The conversation gradually shifted from the current competition to several months later. "President, Sakuya is going to compete in the Breeders' Cup, right?"

The three members of the cooperative all looked on with curiosity.

"There is indeed such a plan."

Kitano nodded.

However, no decision has yet been made regarding whether the race will be the Breeders' Cup Classic or the Fillies Classic.

So the topic shifted to Sakuya Tsuyoshi.

The debate between the Breeders' Classic and the Fillies' Classic continued until the announcement of the departure was broadcast.

Lavida's conservative option of "going to the Tokyo Grand Prix for the second time" was rejected by the other three from the start.

After arriving at the only right-hand parade ground in Japan, which is known as a Saga landmark, I briefly looked past the electronic screen displaying information about deserters and gazed at the distant mountains.

On the bright side, the scenery here is actually quite nice.

There were no special seats for people with disabilities or flower beds for isolation; it felt rather rudimentary.

However, this has also brought horse racing fans and horse racing closer together.

A crowd of horse racing fans, comparable in scale to a major prize day, lined up under the scorching sun to enter, with many making a special trip to greet Kitano or take photos with him.

There were even horse racing fans who came all the way from Osaka Prefecture and even further away in Sapporo.

When the horse made its debut and was inspected, the fans gathered in front of the railings erupted in cheers.

The two horses that came out in front were clearly startled, and the third horse that came out, the Blue Deer Horse, also took a crab-like step, not knowing what to do.

Noah, who was further back, neither went berserk nor showed any fear; he appeared very calm.

His eyes looked completely different from usual.

Although Tobita described the horse as having a "strong fighting spirit," it doesn't usually show obvious emotions in its eyes.

But on this day, as if knowing he was about to play his first game, Noah showed great enthusiasm after stepping onto the reviewing stand.

"What a powerful presence!"

"It's a perfect tune, Noah!"

The deer-mane horse, adorned with white and green pom-poms, responded to the fans' support with a gentle and calm gaze.

Having changed into rider's gear, Tobita jogged over and bowed deeply to Kitano.

Then, without waiting for Kitano to speak, he turned and ran towards the parade ground's runway.

Like Noah, he seemed to have acquired a completely different aura than usual—

Due to the high temperature countermeasures, the lap time only lasted three laps in the blink of an eye.

At the end of the third lap, Tobita calmly mounted Noah's horse.

Even with the rider already on his back, it did not affect Noah's composed pace in the slightest.

The horse's body was still somewhat relaxed, but its spirit was far more mature than its age.

"What a very good child."

Kitano watched as the young duo, one man and one horse, headed towards the track.

"Go for it, Noah!"

Rachel Ho and Kikuchi waved their arms exaggeratedly.

"oh----"

Another burst of cheers erupted among the horse racing fans.

Thanks to the guidance of several regulars at Saga Racecourse, we returned to Chairman Ma's room a little faster than the first time.

It seems the trial run for the debut circle has just ended.

The racehorses, still quite inexperienced, gathered behind the gate, and some disorderly music mixed with out-of-sync applause broke out.

This was a first-time experience for a two-year-old horse whose mind and body were far from mature.

With the combined efforts of the stable staff, the first three runaway horses were finally sent into the gate.

Although they passed the gate test, there are still quite a few that have difficulty entering the gate even in the classic year or the ancient horse year.

When it was Noah's turn, he walked in smoothly without the help of stablemen or riders, as if he were already familiar with the gate.

"Please take good care of me, Mr. Noah."

Tobita bent down slightly and spoke into Deer Hair Horse's ear.

(End of this chapter)