Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 250 Jin Bole

After finishing their tea, the horse owner and trainer got up and headed towards Kobayashi Ranch.

"As for the rider, is it still Rachel?"

Master Huangshan suddenly spoke.

"Still Rachel the rider."

Kitano repeated the second half of the sentence, his tone calm.

There is no obsession with creating achievements solely through the efforts of the Japanese themselves.

In fact, the decision to have "Kin Rider serve as Mejiro Sakuya's main battle rider" was made a long time ago.

Of course, the recommendations from the advisory group also played a crucial role in this.

"I understand."

The trainer nodded to indicate that there was no problem.

The rider selection was thus finalized.

Then, the two discussed the final options for the preliminary battle.

How about the Woodward Championship?

"The Woodward Championship, huh?"

Kitano was no stranger to this name.

In the days before the internet was widespread, obtaining information about sporting events was far less convenient than it is now.

At that time, the only way to assess the next match venue was through "clumsy" methods like on-site reconnaissance, and the information obtained was often outdated.

Nowadays, even if you don't know anything at first, you can easily find a lot of relevant information by making good use of search engines.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Woodward Stakes

These two races are always at the very top of the shortlist of races leading up to the Breeders' Cup Classic.

As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge, the winner of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Gold Cup will automatically qualify for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

For those who didn't receive an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Classic, this reward is quite tempting.

Considering the race schedule, the Jockey Club Gold Cup is the same 10-fron distance as the Breeders' Cup Classic, with a generous eight-week interval between the two races.

As the most important race of the traditional Bellamy's autumn season, the departure of the Gold Cup itself is enough to show the team's determination to enter the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Nevertheless, the camp declined the invitation to the Jockey Club Cup last month.

This decision has led many to conclude that Mejiro Sakuya will avoid the Breeders' Cup Classic.

"In preliminary battles, terrain suitability is indeed more important."

Kitano then spoke.

The 2027 Breeders' Cup Series will be held at Belmont Park in New York.

In the absence of sufficient or delayed information, one might immediately conclude that "the only option left is the Gold Cup."

In fact, the Woodward Championship had already been moved from Saratoga to Bellmont in 2021.

As if in exchange, the venue for the Jockey Club Cup was moved from Belmont Park to Saratoga.

If we don't realize this, it could become quite a troublesome situation later.

Although the distance is slightly biased towards the 9-Front mile, track suitability is more important when considering the Breeders' Cup Classic.

After crossing the county road and walking on a gentle slope flanked by trees on both sides, the horse owner and the trainer quickly reached this consensus.

Megumi Sakuya's main goal remains the Breeders' Cup Classic, and the team is constantly exploring the best way to achieve this goal.

There's another reason for choosing the Woodward Championship instead of the Gold Cup as a prelude.

For American trainers based in their local racing circuits, an eight-week adjustment period allows them to calmly adjust their horses to their best racing condition.

However, for teams traveling abroad, excessively long intervals between matches are not necessarily a good thing.

We walked up the gentle slope and passed the "No Entry" sign before arriving at Kobayashi Ranch.

"Then, the stables will take the Woodward Championship as a preliminary step."

"Well, let's do it this way."

With that, Kitano walked toward the vending machine next to the security room. The screen on the rectangular box suddenly lit up, and a strange, mechanical voice said, "Welcome."

"Would Master Huangshan like something to drink?"

Looking up at the "3 Free Books" sign on top of the vending machine, Kitano took his phone out of his pocket.

"Eh, President Kitano hasn't used it yet?"

"After all, this is Hokkaido. Even if you participate in free events, you still can't find a suitable vending machine."

"That's true."

Simply verify your identity via SMS and use cashless payment to receive three drinks priced under 300 yen each from participating vending machines.

However, even ordinary vending machines are rare in Hokkaido.

Not to mention, like Cockon, you can easily find out which machines are participating in free promotions just by checking your phone.

Although we didn't miss out on the events from the previous two years, we could only watch helplessly as the free coupons expired.

Finally, I got to use it!

That's roughly how I feel right now.

"For me, milk tea would be fine."

"Then that's three cans of milk tea."

Press the beverage button, place your phone against the machine, and the canned beverage will immediately drop into the dispensing slot with a "thud".

Then repeat twice.

After handing one of the cans to the trainer, the two continued walking toward the stables.

"What are your plans for accompanying President Kitano on his side?"

It seemed that the bottle cap was too slippery, and Huangshan tried several times before he finally managed to unscrew it.

"It seems we'll have to use local horses after all."

Kitano answered while unscrewing the bottle cap.

Just like last year, neither Arakawa Stables nor Kitano owned any racehorses suitable for accompanying them on the expedition.

However, due to the approaching end of the season, the acquisition of shares in American horse racing has become significantly easier than the last time.

If you're lucky, you might even be able to find a decent breeding mares before Keenland's November auction.

Of course, this is just a low-probability, ideal scenario.

Moreover, this would likely mean I'd have to make a trip to the United States beforehand.

"There's a horse auction in Saratoga next week, how about I go check it out?"

As he tossed the empty can into the plastic bucket next to the vending machine, Huangshan asked while scrolling through his phone.

"I'll take charge of the Marseille auction."

"Ah, I almost forgot that Mr. Kitano is a 'talent scout'."

Where did this nickname come from?

While silently complaining to himself, Kitano imitated the horse trainer and threw the empty bottle into the plastic bucket.

Full marks.

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"[Time report]

Forever Young: Breeders' Cup Classic

Yahagi said, "This will be his last match, and we will give it our all no matter the outcome."

The Rider of Kurama Sakai Rusei has been decided”

——《n○tkeiba》

“McBerggar will arrange for the Divine Anna to go straight to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

——TDN
(End of this chapter)