Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 267 The Meadow Where Good Fortune Arrives

Around 4:30 pm at Bemon Garden.

The sunlight was now shining at an angle, and the coolness in the air was clearly noticeable.

"No problem, boss. All four hooves have been checked!"

Zep, who was squatting on the ground, made an "OK" sign.

After patting the neck of the horse, Tochigi obediently lowered its raised hind legs.

The horseshoe formula, originally designed for mud racing, was changed a few days ago to one designed for grass.

Judging from Zepu and Jin Meiqi's feedback, it seems to be going quite well.

"His physical condition looks good, so he should be able to enter the competition in good form."

As he spoke, Kitano tied the belly band around Tochiguri's neck.

"The bit is no problem either."

The female rider, now dressed in her final outfit, nodded in agreement.

Despite it being a competition with a prize of less than $10,000, the camp is already prepared for it.

Of course, Reed, the nominal trainer, did not show up.

For the next while, everyone in the camp stayed in the open-air stables, making final checks before their next adventure.

I could hear a few whispers of conversation, the different sounds of horses' hooves on the non-slip ground and the muddy parade ground, mixed with the constant chirping of birds.

It's similar to the feeling of twilight races in Japan.

In the grassy area in the center of the parade ground, horse racing enthusiasts holding heavy SLR cameras kept pressing the shutter.

"Mr. Kitano, why do you want him to run on the grass?"

Putting down their cameras, the horse racing fans shouted in a volume loud enough to reach the stables without startling the horses.

“Even if it’s just to get to know the Belmont Park, we should have signed him up for the mud race.”

The backyard of Bellamy Park is known as a gathering place for horse racing enthusiasts.

Even if it's not a particularly noteworthy race, many horse racing enthusiasts will gather here to carefully observe the saddle-loading process before the race.

"It's just a new attempt."

Kitano nodded slightly to the horse enthusiast, while simultaneously taking the reins in his hand.

Next time, good luck will come your way.

Passing through the white fence into the reviewing stand, the exposed skin did not feel the heat of the sun.

In the center of the field of vision stands a white pine tree that is even older than the Bellemont Garden itself, and the area under its shade almost covers the entire parade ground.

As I walked past the Secretariat statue surrounded by flowers, horse racing enthusiasts with DSLR cameras jogged up to catch up.

"Wish ya'll good luck."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed the shutter.

"Thanks, you too."

Kitano released the tow rope and handed it to Zep, and together with Kim Mi-ki, they crossed the muddy path of the parade ground.

"This kid has great control and temperament, and he should have a lot of options in terms of running style."

Standing in a corner of the grass, the female rider looked up and spoke.

"However, it's the first time playing on grass."

My gaze followed the slow movement of Tochigi's body, then paused subtly at a certain point.

Zep's vest, with the Arabic numeral "3" written on it, seemed to be worn backwards.

Is it too late to remind them now?

"After all, it's a horse with a strong fighting spirit, so I think we should try keeping it in the front."

Jin Meiqi tucked the riding crop under her armpit and made a suggestion while flexing her wrist.

"You can handle this. After all, I don't know much about horse racing."

Kitano smiled and agreed to take a photo with a horse racing fan.

"You're too modest." "I'm not lying. I'm counting on you from now on."

After watching the female rider mount her horse, he mingled with the horse racing fans and headed towards the stands.

The grass track at Bemon Garden, a racecourse primarily featuring dirt tracks, is located on the inside of the dirt tracks, which are the opposite of those in Japan.

There are two rather awkward railings separating the two, making it difficult to see the situation on the other side of the grass with the naked eye.

Just like in the central racetrack, the frontmost position of the railing is not the closest spectator position for dirt track races.

However, out of habit, Kitano still stood at the railing facing the finish line, which was marked by red, white and blue fronds.

Huang Shan shared a similar idea, and the horse trainer, adapting to local customs, picked up binoculars for watching the races.

"Want to see it?"

The horse trainer handed over the binoculars.

"You can't see anything from here."

Kitano waved his hand, declining the other party's offer.

The starting point of the 1600m grass course at Bellmont Park is located on the straight section directly opposite, and like the 1800m dirt course, it has a long opening window.

It felt like I was back in the mansion—

It felt like both a mile race and a physical battle.

"I have a feeling that the competition will get really fierce starting from the third bend."

Putting down his binoculars, Huang Shan pointed to a corner of the bend in the road in the distance and murmured.

"Because the straightaway is shorter than on dirt, if you want to decide the outcome with your last kick, you have to stick as close to the inside rail as possible from the third turn to ensure you can get through the fourth turn with minimal loss."

At this time, Katsuya Ogawa, who had several on-site experiences at the Bemon Garden, offered his explanation.

"If you only start to accelerate from the fourth bend, you'll often end up losing because you can't catch up."

"That does make it somewhat similar to the straight lines in Zhongshan."

"Judging from the results, that makes sense. The Belmont Mile does require significantly more endurance and explosive power from the horses than a normal mile."

While the three were chatting, all six horses that had run away had entered the gate.

It sounded like a gunshot.

The gates popped open, and the crisp sound of bells mingled with cheers from a few horse racing fans.

"I can't see it at all—"

From the starting gate all the way to the straight end of the road directly opposite, the view along the way is almost completely blocked by tall shrubs in the center of the field.

Because of the great distance, the screens placed between the grassy paths were also quite difficult to see.

This is arguably the worst viewing experience to date.

With Ogawa Katsu's guidance, he finally managed to find the somewhat blurry white-green outline on the screen.

Kim Mi-ki and Next Good Luck, who were teaming up for the first time in the race, were at the forefront of the six runners, just as expected before the race.

Due to the combined effects of the number of horses that left the field and track conditions, the opening of the race was a relatively slow start, which is not common in North America.

As they slowly advanced along the straight road directly opposite, offering no scenic views, the riders began to accelerate as they entered the third bend.

By the fourth bend, the gap had been narrowed to within one horse length by the chasing herd, but as the female rider cracked her whip, the gap with the rear was widened once again.

Seemingly ready to sweep away the gloom of the previous nine races, Next Good Luck's lead had widened to more than three horse lengths before crossing the finish line.

Despite it being just a low-level grass court match that didn't reveal much, Kim Mi-ki still celebrated by pumping her fist.

"Good job!"

As she spoke, the female rider excitedly patted the Tochigi horse's head.

Slowing down leisurely, good luck twitched its ears in response.

The people in front of the railing also offered their congratulations.

It seems pretty good.

(End of this chapter)