Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 285 The Night the First Snow Falls

Under the gray sky, the breath exhaled was a striking white.

Around 6 p.m. in the evening.

"The baseball cap doesn't match the shirt!"

"There seem to be some left in the warehouse. If all else fails, we can use part of the souvenir shop."

Where is my pen?

"That's not enough, this isn't enough," they scurried around the lounge like headless flies before setting off.

In addition to the things you need to prepare for watching the race under normal circumstances, another important point is the free merchandise prepared for local horse racing fans.

It's been a long time since I've seen a sight like this.

To be more specific, the last time was probably during the Mizuho Award.

It seems that back then, the entire ranch mobilized, busy with this and that.

Although the memories left behind weren't very good.

"If we can win the Daoying Memorial Tournament, we might be able to qualify for the Hong Kong legislator visa—"

"You're overthinking it. No matter how much you talk about the camp commemoration, it's just a local competition."

"That's true. It's too much of a stretch to rely on muddy conditions to qualify for leaving."

"But Pegasus is really popular, he's leading Beljajun by a lot in the votes."

"After all, it's Pegasus—"

While chatting about such a relatively light topic, their hands were still busy.

After another twenty minutes of effort, the five large cardboard boxes, containing enough merchandise for about three hundred people, were finally loaded onto the back of the pickup truck.

"Hey!"

Rachel Ho easily loaded the last, smaller cardboard box onto the pickup truck.

"As long as the men and horses are safe, that's good."

Before officially setting off, I made this wish at Minowa Shrine on the banks of the Fumai River.

"Alright, time to go!"

The final Grand Prix of the Daoying Horse Racing Championship, a commemorative event for Daoying.

Eight horses left the race by vote, and one horse left first, for a total of nine horses leaving.

Pegasus, who started with a single move, carries the weight of popularity and votes.

Despite it being such a match, I didn't feel much pressure from the high expectations.

Once the car doors are closed, the sound of the tires driving over the road and the wind are so faint that they are barely perceptible.

With a relatively relaxed mindset, I arrived at the Menbie Racecourse after several months.

"It's so cold!"

"The wind is so strong on this side of the door—"

Despite saying these words, everyone's faces flushed slightly as they stood on tiptoe, excitedly gazing in the direction where the crowd had gathered.

When they met at the parade ground, in addition to Ogawa Takeshi and Ogawa Kanna, who were representing the production ranch, they also encountered Ogawa Masaru, who had not appeared in Menbie for a long time.

"After all, this could be the last time Ochiai and Pegasus team up—"

As he said this, the boy's forehead was immediately met with a snap of Ogawa Kanna's finger.

"What are you talking about, you idiot? Rider Ochiai is just going overseas for training."

Seeing his children, who had only just met, start fighting again, Ogawa shook his head helplessly.

"He's really a handful. By the way, Kitano-kun, what kind of horse does he plan to pair with Kamui Anna?"

Here we go again—

Just like the common greeting of "How's the weather?", recently, both industry insiders and outsiders have been asking about Anna.

"For now, the considerations are leaning towards Europe."

Although he tried to brush it off with such words, he gradually found himself unable to cope as more and more people joined the discussion.

"Over here, Genta!"

He waved to a figure outside the circle of people.

A book with yellow and black checkered patterns and three-scaled sleeves—

Even if they couldn't win, they wanted to at least leave something memorable in their last race of the year. With that in mind, they asked the stables to use the rider's final outfit.

"President Kitano."

From the riders coming towards me, I could clearly feel something called "determination" or "fighting spirit".

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Hyunta."

Although it was well-intentioned advice, there was no room for accepting it at this moment.

"Please don't worry."

The rider's gaze hardened at that moment.

"If we don't win—"

"I will not leave."

Master Tanaka, the horse owner Kitano, and all the other stakeholders in the camp all looked surprised at this moment.

After a deep bow, they stepped onto the battlefield shared by man and horse.

"He's in great shape, Ochiai."

The stable boy, unaware of what had just happened, patted the spruce horse's neck with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work, Kobayashi-kun."

After giving a slight nod to the stable boy, she turned to look at her partner with whom she had spent three years.

There have been laughter, tears, and moments of confusion—

The road gradually became clear under our feet.

"I'm counting on you today too, Pegasus."

While stroking his neck with the same force as usual, he whispered in the ear of the white horse.

His eyes, burning with the flames of revenge, are fixed on the unfinished task of avenging his humiliation.

We must win this final match together with Pegasus—

Even in adversity, the riders maintained a clear head.

Given Pegasus's true skill level, winning such a match is not impossible.

To prove the horse's strength.

In pursuit of that slim hope of going to Hong Kong.

In order to leave with my head held high and without regrets—

This battle is absolutely crucial and cannot be lost.

With tightly pursed lips, Ochiai mounted his horse and stepped into the Daoying Memorial Arena with a tragic determination.

As the starting tower slowly rose to the top, the bugle call for the Dao Camp Grand Prix sounded amidst the cold wind mixed with light snow.

"This year, the opening band will once again be from the Bucheon High School Wind Ensemble, and they will be performing at the Doyeong Horse Racing Final."

The live broadcast featured a slightly faster speaking pace than usual, and even the applause from the stands seemed much lighter than usual.

"The last twelfth race of the year for the Monbetsu horse racing, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award Ceremony, the 70th Doei Commemoration, the Landmark Image Award, a Hokkaido Grade 1 race, the outer 2,000-meter open race for ages 3 and up, today is the departure of the nine heads."

Amid a sigh of relief, the white figure smoothly entered the gate.

"Ah! It seems that the first-rounder, Bai Ba, went in smoothly. Will today be a perfect start?"

Looking up at the tightly closed gate, the noise around me seemed to disappear for a moment.

"Keep it up, Pegasus."

The rider parted his lips slightly and said something as if in a murmur.

The horse beneath him seemed somewhat dissatisfied and grunted a few times.

"Alright, alright, I promise you."

This seems to be a Pegasusian-style answer.

At this moment, the only thing that can be felt is the temperature that can be touched by people and horses.

"Alright, the miso from number nine has also entered the gate. This is the final training session for Monbetsu Racecourse this year—"

My heart is beating so fast it's sickening.

"Game start!"