Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 259 A Morning in Saratoga

On the very day the Aster Championship concluded, Kitano immediately boarded a flight to the United States.

The destination is Saratoga, New York, requiring a transit point within North America.

It was a rather long journey.

I stuffed my travel bag into the overhead shelf, sat down, and then placed my shoulder bag on my lap.

I let out a soft breath and sank back into the seat.

The defeat in the Sapporo Trophy instantly thrust the team—especially trainer Majima and jockey Sasakawa—into the eye of the storm.

In this internet age, connecting people has become incredibly easy.

On the other hand, avoiding those piercing sounds is almost an impossible dream.

Whether ordinary horse racing fans or self-proclaimed professional horse racing commentators, almost all of them have been criticized relentlessly and miserably.

—The other side of victory in the horse racing world.

During the wait for takeoff, Kitano closed his eyes and listened intently.

Mixed in with the passengers' chatter was probably the low hum of the engine.

We still have at least ten minutes before the plane takes off.

As I pulled my phone out of my bag, the moment the screen lit up, a flood of unread red dots appeared.

I simply don't have the energy to respond to each and every one of them.

But she still mustered her strength and replied to all the greetings from those she was in touch with.

Clicking on the contact listed as "Huangshan Shi" reveals information sent by the trainer regarding the two races at the Saratoga stadium tomorrow.

One of them is a mixed race for three-year-olds, and the other is a race for three-year-old fillies only.

The starting bid for both auctions was $30,000.

Kitano quickly put down his phone after glancing briefly at the pedigree of the stray horse.

A significant portion of the horses sold through auctions are grassroots racehorses with unappealing pedigrees, which would be almost impossible to sell at any auction.

Another group consists of horses with obvious physical or temperamental problems.

Of course, for those whose only goal is a "good-natured companion horse," finding a suitable one is not difficult.

As I closed my eyes to think about tomorrow's plans, the familiar in-flight announcement came on.

A slight vibration soon came from the fuselage.

We're finally about to take off.

Once you get used to it, the takeoff scenes everywhere are pretty much the same.

The scenery outside the window seemed no different whether it was New Chitose or Haneda.

Just before drifting off to sleep, I suddenly remembered something—

"Bringing PONY along on expeditions can be quite effective."

Advice from Yahagi.

Alternatively, what if we tried bringing the cats along like we do with other stables?

I fell into a deep sleep with these questions in mind.

After enduring what could be described as an extreme MCT (Mid-Trip Time) at San Francisco International Airport, I finally boarded my flight to Newark Airport.

The plane encountered unstable air currents while crossing the Appalachian Mountains, and experienced a real turbulence.

The surrounding passengers seemed unfazed, but Kitano silently broke out in a cold sweat.

We arrived in New York at 3 a.m. local time.

Unsurprisingly, it was delayed.

"Newark is terrible."

He muttered something to the passenger next to him, then unbuckled his seatbelt and got up to look for his luggage.

There was no time to appreciate the legendary metropolitan night view. Moving from an air-conditioned airplane to an air-conditioned airport, I couldn't really tell the difference between it and Tokyo.

I took a rental car from the airport, and the drive north took almost three hours. It was even more inconvenient than getting from Tokyo to Miura!

In early September, sunrise in New York City occurs around 6:30 a.m.

In other words, almost thirty minutes had passed since dawn, and the scenery outside the car window was clearly visible.

The hotel we finally arrived at looked more like a detached house that you could find anywhere in the American suburbs.

The rocking chairs and fairy figurines on the hotel terrace make it look no different from the houses on either side.

However, the price is not cheap at all, at 20,000 yen per night.

Of course, other hotels nearby are more expensive.

When the moment finally arrived and we got out of the rental car and headed to the hotel, I could finally breathe some fresh air.

Unlike Tokyo, where the summer heat lingers, the wind here already carries the coolness of early autumn.

He zipped up his coat before pushing open the hotel door.

After checking in and putting my luggage in the room, it was time for breakfast.

Although it's a self-service restaurant, there aren't actually many dishes to choose from besides various breads and waffles.

While I would normally refuse such a sugary dish, now is the time when I desperately need to replenish my energy.

A waffle covered in syrup, two pieces of fried bacon, and a small cup of espresso—

A classic combination, almost stereotypical.

Just as Kitano was trying to use the bitterness of coffee to overpower the sweetness of the waffles, the restaurant gradually became lively.

"You've arrived, President Kitano."

Huangshan strode over with great spirit, waving and greeting everyone.

"yes--"

Kitano forced himself to nod.

"Just arrived."

The day began early and the weariness of being overwhelmed was already evident.

Nevertheless, the work at hand must continue.

The two discussed their plans for the day at the dining table.

In addition to the daytime auction of Marseille, the PONY proposal put forward by Kitano was also included in the preparations for the expedition.

After flipping through a thick stack of printed New York City Jockey Club regulations for quite a while, the trainer shook his head.

“PONY is fine, but cats might not work.”

"Then let's set the goal for now as one companion horse and one PONY. If possible, how about preparing another companion training horse?"

"Won't the cost be a concern then?"

The trainer's tone was somewhat hesitant.

Kitano took a big gulp of coffee, until the sweetness in his mouth was completely replaced by bitterness, before continuing to speak.

"Since the goal is the Breeders' Cup, there's nothing we can do about it."

There was a full four months between the Imperial Appreciation and the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Although the Woodward Stakes serves as a warm-up race, it is difficult to maintain the best form of a racehorse based solely on this one warm-up race.

Training in an overseas environment completely different from Japan is also a major test for the camp.

Besides issues related to environment and venue, the lack of suitable horses may also make overseas training difficult to carry out.

Among the Japanese team, who have the Breeders' Cup Series as their main goal for the second half of the year, only Mejiro Sakuya will venture to the Woodward Stakes, a frontline race.

Looking back now, the Kentucky Road was truly full of luck.

Setting down the porcelain cup, Kitano's face was almost contorted in a grimace.

"If only I could buy a horse with a good temperament that could keep up with Sakuya's during training."

(End of this chapter)