Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 297 Dilemma
There were no cheers from horse fans, nor any shouts of instructions from the trainers in front of the training ring; only the sound of hooves striking the ground before dawn.

"How about having a little more, Ata-chan?"

The tone was so deliberate it bordered on disgusting.

In response, the chestnut horse merely twitched its ears and then listlessly arched its paws with its nose.

"Failed again—"

Majima put the slightly wilted carrot sticks back into the feed bucket, letting out a sigh with a bitter face.

It was the morning of the third day after arriving in Hong Kong.

In the training sand ring, some distance from the quarantine stables, the Gold Soul and Starry Sea Bonds, also from Japan, have begun their morning exercises.

Meanwhile, the A4 paper in Okizawa's hand still listed the arrangements for Atalanta's morning exercises as "undetermined."

Although she managed to resume eating, Atalanta's already meager appetite dwindled to less than three liters.

Although his weight did not continue to decrease, he remained in a state of mental instability due to the transportation.

It will probably take at least a few more days to completely calm them down.

Ultimately, the trainer made a decision.

"Today is also a light training session in the stables."

Putting the horses into morning exercises when they are already struggling will only worsen their condition.

“Overseas expeditions are occasions that should never be forced.”

Putting aside the warning from trainer Shusuke Oi, the camp itself actually leans towards a conservative stance.

"understood."

After nodding, Okizawa, the stable boy, filled in "QS" on the morning exercise record form.

Sasagawa pursed his lips and remained silent.

The atmosphere at the scene shifted from serious to somewhat somber.

It's definitely not that simple overseas—

Silently stroking the chestnut horse's neck, the rider soothed his partner in this way, all the while thinking to himself.

Just as he was about to change out of his training clothes, just like yesterday, Majima called him back—

"Let's go and take a look."

Despite the setbacks, preparations for the competition must continue.

"The reconnaissance of the horse farm will be conducted shortly. We have fifteen minutes."

Unfolding the folded A4 paper in his hand, Majima pointed to the application form for the racetrack and said.

Expedition horses are unable to participate in morning exercises normally.

For other horse trainers, this could be a rather tricky problem.

However, Majima, who was not new to being Atalanta's horse trainer, was more or less used to similar scenes.

The horses continued their low-intensity training and desensitization in the stables, while the trainers and riders moved their field visit, originally scheduled for a few days later, to today.

It's still a real headache.

"Fifteen minutes is a bit short if you want to walk the entire 2,400-meter route."

Sasagawa shook his head.

"There's nothing we can do about it. The track here can only be used for a maximum of fifteen minutes at a time, and we can only apply for morning slots to explore the racecourse."

After sighing and putting down the form, the trainer shrugged helplessly.

"You can't really tell anything from tonight's game, you still have to go there in person."

"Of course I understand that logic. But ultimately it's still—"

At this point, Majima closed his mouth with a soft "hmm".

"Is there any other way for Ata-chan?"

After a period of silence, Sasagawa spoke first.

“We’ve tried almost everything we could, but—” Majima glanced in the direction of the training sand ring, then turned back and continued, “I brought Chutaro with me.”

"Chiu Taro?"

"But we can't even get into the stables! Master Huangshan said that the regulations in the United States are not like this."

They both sighed.

However, upon arriving at the racecourse area, the trainers and riders quickly composed themselves and began their exploration of the racecourse as fast as they could.

Stepping into the boots felt quite different from what I experienced at the major racetracks in the center.

It's probably similar to Yoshishiba in Sapporo—

After exchanging opinions, the two quickly reached this consensus.

It is said that the race turf at Sha Tin Racecourse was changed once starting in October.

However, after two months of use, the quality of the lawn has declined significantly.

Especially the section that leans towards the inner column.

"From the first stack closest to the inside rail to the third and fourth stacks near the middle, my condition wasn't very good, and it might even worsen during the main competition."

"I feel the same way, but the benefits of staying close to the inside should be slightly greater than staying on the outside."

"Ata-chan, you could definitely give it a try."

"It would be great if we could arrange one or two quick sessions to see the effect."

The two exchanged a glance and gave each other a wry smile.

After completing the horizontal exploration, Sasakawa jogged all the way to the starting point of the 2400-meter route.

The Hong Kong Bottle begins on the approach road leading to the fourth bend, and the distance from the starting point to the first bend is approximately 500 meters.

After closing his eyes and imagining it for a moment, the rider opened them and continued walking.

"The opening game will likely be a bit slow."

Even after reaching the end of the straight line directly opposite, I couldn't think of a good opportunity to accelerate.

The final bend leads to the finish line at 430 meters, which is slightly longer than the outer track of the Hanshin Circuit.

"If you start to exert your strength in the middle of the straight line directly opposite or even earlier, even Ata-chan will find it difficult to keep going until the end."

Thinking of this, the rider subconsciously bit his finger.

If the pace is relatively slow in the first half of the game—

The second half is likely to feature some rather extreme changes in pace.

At that time, it will probably be a match that depends on both endurance and stamina.

While it wasn't exactly a bad thing for Atalanta, it was hardly a development that fully utilized her strengths.

"We'll have to make the trip to find out what's going on."

Even after leaving the track, I kept simulating in my mind what the possible race would entail.

"So that's how it is."

The voice of a third-rate horse trainer pulled me back to reality.

"It's time to find reinforcements."

After saying that, the trainer closed his lips tightly again.

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“「2027浪琴香港国际赛事」全日共设十场赛事，沙田及跑马地马场將於上午10时25分开放入场，首场赛事定於下午12时25分开跑。

On the day of the event, members of the public entering Sha Tin and Happy Valley Racecourses at or before 3:30 pm will receive a complimentary "International Race CAP" hat and a randomly selected horse plush toy. Quantities are limited and will be distributed while supplies last.

——HKJC
The winners of the Hong Kong Bottle (G1) on December 12th have been confirmed.
Meguro Atalanta (Chinese transliteration: Meguro Heroine) will continue to partner with the main battle rider, Sasakawa Tsubasa.

In addition, Motonori Mashima, a trainer from Saga Prefecture, will serve as a cooperating training assistant in Hong Kong.

——Tokyo City Racing (TCK)

(End of this chapter)