Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 257 The Prelude to Autumn
JRA owns twelve horses, and one local horse belongs to the local government. The total number of horses that left in the 12th Aster Trophy was thirteen.

Atalanta Meguro, who won the Oaks Tournament in the spring, was overwhelmingly favored to win the Aster Trophy.

Although the prize money for the Aster Trophy increased to 60 million yen that year, most of the runners were mares with a low profile in the classic mares competition.

Even if there were one or two truly strong horses, they were mostly defeated by Atalanta.

The media's attention was mostly focused on the suspense of "how Mejiro Atalanta will win".

Despite the high expectations placed upon them by the fans, Kitano and his team did not become complacent or arrogant.

The distance is 2000 meters within the shooting range, and the venue is the Nakayama Racecourse, which is a racecourse owned by JRA and has the largest elevation difference of 5.3 meters and the shortest straight line among the "Big Four" racecourses.

It can be said to be a superior track tailor-made for Atalanta.

however--

Even Kitano knew that his opponents would never allow the favorite, Atalanta, to lead the field so freely.

Although it may seem like a completely advantageous situation on the surface, the actual execution may not be so.

Whether it's a quick escape or high-speed cruising, which is considered a winning weapon, it will be difficult to execute these tactics smoothly in the next Aster Championship match.

Kitano, representing the horse owners, made his position clear early on.

"Because it is a preliminary battle, there are things that are more important than simply winning or losing."

Based on this statement, including the training pace at Atalanta's move to Meppu a week ago, the training rhythm was not particularly tight.

Even many of Miura's trainers believe that this preparation is not aimed at winning a big reward.

Just like his predecessor, who was barren, Majima ignored the outside world's evaluations and continued his training in preparation for the Shion Championship.

"Next stop, Funabashi Hodo Station, Funabashi Hodo Station."

The car door opened with a soft, exhalation-like sound, and Kitano stepped out.

Asayama and Lavid, who were following behind, were still refreshing the information on n○tkeiba on their phones.

Germans, on the other hand, were tapping on their mobile games while walking.

"It's still a good venue."

The Indians still wore the same inexplicably serious expressions that had appeared on their faces a few days earlier.

"Don't worry, don't worry, Ata-chan's shoulder muscles have gotten a bit stronger, she'll definitely be fine handling the Zhongshan track—ah! How could she fail at this?"

Zep's voice turned into a wail in the second half.

"But other competitors are also growing in the summer. Who knows, there might be one who suddenly awakens and becomes very dangerous."

Asayama also wore a serious expression similar to Ravid's.

"A magnificent transformation, like a complete overhaul?"

"Where did you learn that metaphor from—?"

"Anime series, anime series, is something so obvious even necessary to ask?"

The three of them walked off the tram amidst their bickering, while Kitano, standing ahead, shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

Compared to the upcoming Aster Trophy, these three are probably more worrisome.

As for the upcoming match—

Whether it's today's Aster Trophy or next month's Woodward Trophy, they hold the same place in his heart.

A competition prepared for the sake of competition.

In other words, just as the Woodward Stakes is part of the Breeders' Cup Classic preparations, the Aster Stakes is also part of the Autumn Splendor preparations.

It's not the "must win" mentality that's been rumored.

Of course, it would be even better if we could win.

Thinking this, I almost walked straight to the ticket gate just like last time.

Although the weather outdoors wasn't particularly hot, walking through the underground passage wasn't exactly easy either.

On September 11th, the Zhongshan Racecourse was bathed in clear blue skies.

They met on the grass at the parade ground before the race, and Majima, holding the race information sheet, loosened his tightly pursed lips. "Compared to Oakes, it's just a slight weight gain."

Having learned from the lessons of previous expeditions, Majima moved Atalanta to Miura's training center earlier than usual this time.

Although the impact of transportation and environmental changes is still evident, they managed to recover quite a bit before the competition.

"The last training session was on a straightaway."

While flipping through the training sheet handed to him by the trainer, Kitano asked in a calm tone.

"Well, although we didn't say we should deliberately run a fast timer, it's still very necessary to check Ata-chan's reaction on the straightaway."

Majima nodded, then looked at Zep, who was holding his phone high in front of the railing.

"Thanks to Mr. Joseph's assistance, the confirmation of the horseshoes and gait is progressing smoothly. At this rate, we should be able to meet the Qiuhua Award competition in good condition."

"Thank you for your hard work, Sasagawa-kun too."

Kitano bowed to the horse trainer and the approaching rider.

"The same goes for the president."

He trotted forward, bowed in return, and then Sasagawa began to discuss the upcoming race with the trainer and the horse owner.

The three members of the same faction share a common goal—

More important than the race itself is to assess Atalanta's condition and performance on complex tracks.

"Keep it up, Ata-chan!"

Kitano waved to the chestnut horse that was walking by.

Atalanta blinked and turned her head with some curiosity.

After staring at the three people lined up for a while, he continued walking forward with light steps.

"You look great."

"Yes, and Mr. Feng is no longer here."

To prepare for the Prince of Orange Championship, which serves as a warm-up for the Arc de Triomphe, Wu Feng traveled to France earlier today.

Of course, given that the renowned general Gekkei has already confirmed his departure, he will definitely return on the day of the Autumn Flower Festival.

"Then it's up to you now!"

He patted the rider on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Do not worry."

Sasakawa waved his hand, fastened his helmet, and resolutely walked toward the parade ground's runway.

Atalanta slowed down to match, and the rider swiftly flipped onto the horse's back.

"Then I'll go to Chairman Ma's seat too."

Kitano waved goodbye to the trainer for the time being.

He looked up and greeted Chairman Ma a few times at the second-level review area, then slowly walked towards the viewing room with his familiar friend, Sasaki Ma.

"Leave it to me, we absolutely won't lose this match!"

The voice behind me was quite resolute.

"That really has an imposing presence."

Thinking this, I couldn't help but turn my head and take a look.

It is the decisive outfit of the black and red cross-patterned top.

------------

"—This is not an easy thing, but I'll wait until I can't ride anymore before giving up."

"The sole objective of this competition is to dominate the Arc de Triomphe; this is a very clear goal."

— Nikkan Sport - Interview with Wu Feng Riders at the Arc de Triomphe
(End of this chapter)