Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 279 Falling for You
Monday morning, after the weekend.

From the moment he opened his eyes and became conscious until the auction began, he was studying the list in his hands.

As part of the preparations for this event, while in Japan, approximately twenty candidate horses were pre-selected from the approximately four hundred horses featured in each volume, with a selection made each day.

The next step is to further narrow down the scope, controlling it to around ten heads per day.

Starting from the second day, we also need to visit the horses in person while narrowing down the options to those that can be purchased within our budget.

Actually, this process is quite similar to the preparation I did when attending auctions in Japan.

However, Keenland is a more troublesome occasion.

Unlike the "table payment" method commonly seen in Japanese auctions, in the United States, the sale is only possible if the bid price exceeds the reserve price.

Take the first volume of the Goddess of Mercy, which will be auctioned soon, as an example. Although the starting bid is set at two million US dollars, only the bids exceeding four million seven hundred thousand US dollars will be accepted. Otherwise, the bid will be awarded by default.

Unlike in Japan, sellers are allowed to change their reserve price up to ten minutes before the auction begins, so the actual reserve price often changes suddenly.

I received advice from Mr. Naoya: "When conducting on-site inspections, it's best not to stare at the horse you really want for too long."

This is because it might cause the seller to raise the reserve price, which involves a game of strategy.

In this respect, it felt somewhat like attending an auction in Japan.

After eating an American breakfast that made me wonder if I would develop diabetes, I mustered my energy and headed to Keaneland Horse Ranch, which was a five-minute drive away.

The venue in Keenland has a total of fifty stables, and the horses that take the stage on the same day and the following day will stay there in rotation.

Therefore, you can see the horses that might race the next day a day in advance, and adjust the candidate horses in the two-day share of the list accordingly.

This is also a characteristic of Keenland auctions.

Unlike his first participation in the Keenland auction, where he targeted a specific horse, his attitude towards the horses appearing on the second day and beyond was more like "just taking a casual look".

Walking along the stables, you'll see that most of the yearlings and mares are broad-bodied, with short, thick limbs and strong gluteal muscles.

Typical American dirt track horse racing.

"Hello, would you like something to drink? We have both hot and cold drinks."

As I passed by the stables of a sales agent, a staff member in a blue vest called out enthusiastically.

I was feeling a bit thirsty.

"Please give me a glass of iced lemon tea."

Keenland is warmer than New York, with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius.

Even though it's clearly autumn, I still broke out in a sweat while walking around.

"Okay, if you feel a little tired, you can sit here for a while."

Along with the lemon tea, a souvenir paper bag with the Godofen logo and an information booklet were also politely provided.

This is the same in other stables.

Seller ranches often attract potential customers by giving away free drinks, snacks, and souvenirs.

After taking the manual and flipping through it casually, I found that the Year of the Horse made up the vast majority of the content.

The section on breeding mares consists of only a few inconspicuous pages.

Nevertheless, on the recommendation of Godolphin North America staff, I decided to visit their stables.

We skipped directly over the section of yearlings and finally stopped at the stables a little further back.

"This mare's father is the Gold Medalist, and her mother is the daughter of the Street Slogan Sky Painter."

The staff who had followed along provided supplementary information as needed.

It is a long and slender body type that is not common among American horses.

According to Godolphin's manual, the Deerman's Horse in front of us, named Painted Desert, has a chance of giving birth to foals that are adaptable to both mud and grass.

Of course, it's best to just listen to it.

Because this is a two-year program for breeding mares, there is not much information about foal production.

However, Godolphin's reserve price seems quite reasonable at $195,000.

"Let's give it a try."

With that in mind, I opened the panel and used the [Detector]. [Painted Desert]

【Female 5】

【Deer hair】

[Father: Gold Medal]

[Mother and Father: Street Slogans]

【grassland】

【Small handle horse body】

"She achieved a respectable second place in her first grass court tournament, and even better on clay."

The staff member next to them was still giving a very enthusiastic introduction.

No matter how much you say, it doesn't change the fact that the Painted Desert is just a typical mare.

However, if you target large stallions for breeding beforehand, even traits like a small stud might be turned into a positive.

It's still not very good, as expected.

So, I closed the panel and looked away.

The staff then stopped giving their presentations and switched to a "follow" mode.

From a buyer's perspective, this is significantly better than those overly talkative guys at summer auctions who never stop talking once they start.

This is also something to keep in mind when participating in auctions as a seller in the future.

They even adopted the tactic of distributing souvenirs.

In addition to introducing horse breeds that are relatively rare in Japan, the purpose of this trip was also to learn about the American horse racing industry and to acquire breeder skills such as land use and husbandry management methods.

What they learn in the United States and other horse racing powerhouses may provide more diverse thinking and methods for horse breeders in Japan.

—That is exactly what I was thinking.

After that, until we passed the last stable, we did not stop to observe carefully any further.

On the surface, the visit to Godolphin's sales stables came to an end.

Then, I reopened the manual from a slightly farther distance.

[Fond Of You]

【Female 4】

【Deer hair】

[Father: Street Wisdom]

[Mother and Father: Gold Medal]

【precocious】

【strength】

Located in the second auction, the Godolphin breeding mares have a reserve price of US$179,000.

I found the corresponding page in the second register I was carrying and marked it as "important".

It was a pretty good start for the first day of the Keenland auction.

Turning my gaze to another stable not far away, my mood inadvertently lightened.

"Next, let's go check out Gumoa's side—"

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"【Pay attention to horse movements】

Jin Qiluo, who previously ran 12th in the Breeders' Cup Turf Race, may return to the dirt track.
Saito Takashi

"It's a slightly unfortunate match; he didn't fully unleash his power on the final straight."

Overall, however, it was a worthwhile attempt.

(End of this chapter)