Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 266 Double Commander-in-Chief

Several racehorses flashed past in a row.

"Alright, let's go."

The staff member standing by the track waved.

So, Huang Shan and Jin Meiqi stepped onto the track.

Training and competitions overseas often present unexpected difficulties.

In the United States, it's not easy to ignore other training horses that suddenly appear on the track, riders or trainers who are scouting the area, and even reporters and horse racing fans who wander in.

When they first visited Churchill Garden, Huangshan and Hetian, who had no experience with European and American expeditions, were taken aback by the similar scene.

Of course, even now he is still not used to scouting locations in a disturbed environment.

"It wasn't that easy after all—"

Pulling the brand-new boots out of the mud, I could clearly feel the resistance coming from the soles.

Even on a sunny day, it can easily turn into a contest of endurance and strength.

This is generally a very unfavorable track setting for mares aiming for mixed dirt racing.

He took off his gloves, bent down, and grabbed a handful of materials.

The outer layer has a texture that is somewhere between powder and block.

When it reaches the inner layer, it completely transforms into a texture similar to mud.

"Starting from the position close to the inner rail might be quite difficult."

The female rider then shared her assessment.

“Breeders’ Cup, Ned’s condition will likely worsen further.”

Huang Shan subconsciously pursed his lips.

Pressing your palm against the track surface, you can feel a slightly damp sensation from your fingertips.

As expected, when I raised my hand, it was covered in a layer of mud.

As things stand, the inner path is only "barely usable".

After discussing it, the trainer and rider decided to avoid the inner railing as much as possible during the Breeders' Cup races.

As for the Woodward Stakes, the trainer, like the owner Kitano, did not give the rider any specific instructions.

It's okay if something goes wrong.

The camp is approaching this match with a similar attitude.

Next was a full track inspection, with the two starting their check from the 2400-meter starting point in front of the grandstand.

The moment I took my first step, I seemed to hear a frantic shout of "Wow!" and the constant sound of hooves.

In that environment, it would be almost impossible to calmly read the pace.

Therefore, for riders, it is very likely that the competition will become one that relies on intuition and experience to make decisions.

However, Bellmont Park doesn't have any significant terrain undulations; the only notable feature is its considerably larger corners compared to other American circuits.

Just as Huang Shan was thinking this, he noticed that the female rider beside him was frowning.

"The next section is a two-kilometer route."

After the first round of site inspection, Jin Meiqi immediately spoke up.

His tone had become somewhat serious at some point.

Arriving at the starting point of the Muddy 2000 route, Huangshan, a former rider, finally noticed something was amiss.

"This is really——"

The sound of hooves rushing past felt like they were pounding on his chest; the trainer could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat and his breathing becoming erratic.

Without any buffer zones, the Breeders' Cup Classic 10-mile race will start directly from the first corner.

The part that unfolded after exiting the gate was swept away.

Forcing a position here, regardless of the success rate, would pose a significant risk of injury to both the rider and the horse.

After silently navigating from the first bend to the straight ahead, the trainer finally spoke.

"This is an unfamiliar arena."

What is considered common sense is the overly intense opening sequence, like a "cowboy duel," as described by the rider from Wadahara. However, at Bemonen, the situation was exactly the opposite of this common sense.

However, it is different from the step-by-step development of grass court competitions in Japan.

"It's all about luck."

Jin Meiqi probably felt helpless and sighed deeply.

The initial positioning in this year's Breeders' Cup Classic will largely depend on the quality of the start.

On the other hand, horses starting from the outside gate will have a clear advantage over those starting from the inside gate.

It's as if they've been cursed with some kind of "you have to lose something to gain something" equivalent exchange, and everyone in the faction seems to have worse luck.

"Could we try moving a few positions forward on the straightaway directly opposite?"

Huang Shan's expression didn't change much, but his tone carried a familiar sense of frustration.

It's like subconsciously accepting the fact that you'll get a bad switch.

"This will cause your physical strength to be depleted prematurely."

Subconsciously biting her nails, the female rider mumbled "mmm" as she fell into deep thought.

"Even if the gate is opened, there won't be any changes in a short period of time."

"That's right."

After uttering "hmm" and "oh" in a circle back to the finish line in front of the stands, the two still couldn't come up with an answer.

When he returned to the stables, his expression and his steps were somewhat heavy.

However, the subsequent field drills went very smoothly.

Whether on the parade ground or the race track, Sakuya remained remarkably composed under the watchful eyes of media reporters and a few scattered spectators.

After the staff pushed the gate over, they specifically chose the innermost gate for practice.

We got in very smoothly.

Under the unsurprised gazes of Kitano and Ogawa, the trainer let out an exaggerated sigh.

At noon, after the site visit and drills, Huangshan finally held a media briefing.

Japanese media, who had arrived early from Japan, immediately swarmed around the area, including local, other state, and national American media outlets.

"Does the location of the Bemon Garden influence the faction's decision-making?"

Why choose the Woodward Championship as a warm-up tournament?

Why register the accompanying horse for a turf race?

"Are you confident in defending the Kentucky Derby's honor at the Breeders' Cup Classic?"

"How did this site visit go?"

The media, which had not received any information about Meguro Sakuya for almost a month, threw out a series of questions.

Somewhat surprisingly, Huang Shan's tone was more resolute than expected.

However, when the conversation turned to Joyful Time and Anna Kamui, Ooi Renma quickly reverted to his familiar demeanor.

"We don't know if this site visit was effective, but we did our best anyway."

At the end of the interview, the trainer spoke in his usual conservative tone.

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"—What is the goal of this warm-up tournament?"

"Find the problems as much as possible, and then make up for the shortcomings. Just don't lose too badly."

—"When I'm cutting, I'm in a relaxed state, just like usual."

"After all, both the people and the horses work very hard overseas, so it would be a good thing for the team if they could relax a bit more."

—"I'm a bit concerned about the companion horses that have been registered for turf races."

"That child is so cute."

—From *Jingma LAB* to *The Strongest on the Dirt Track: Japan's Top 100 General Sakuya Mejiro*

(End of this chapter)