Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 305 Old Horses, New Horses

"This mare's outstanding performance at the Breeders' Cup Classic was voted the Moment of the Year!"

To be honest, I didn't feel much excitement or joy.

Besides the significance of the awards themselves, knowing the voting results in advance also diminished the element of surprise.

Nevertheless, Huang Shan, representing the camp, delivered an emotional acceptance speech, while the other stakeholders smiled and nodded in agreement.

"And also—thank you so much to everyone who supported us!"

Under the urging of the violin's glissando, the trainer hurriedly shouted out the last line.

He stepped off the stage amidst cheers and applause, some cheering and others congratulating him, and had barely put down the trophy when he headed back onto the stage.

Unsurprisingly, Mejiro Sakuya will also be the winner of the Eclipse Prize Horse Race of the Year in 2027.

The applause this time was much more enthusiastic than at the beginning, and trainer Eamon Shin, who was still dressed in shorts like last year, even whistled half-jokingly.

The moment the trophy changed hands, the somewhat noisy venue suddenly fell silent.

[My racehorse won the Eclipse Award for Racehorse of the Year: 1/1 (Completed)]

[Reward: Gold Amulet × 5]

[A racehorse under my name that was not trained in the United States has won the Eclipse Award for Racehorse of the Year: 1/1 (Completed)]

[Reward: Colorful Amulet × 1]

The tension has finally returned.

"Even the annual horse race only lasts one minute."

Last year's male emcee shook his pocket watch and smiled as he offered this reminder.

Of course, as someone who struggles with public speaking, there isn't much to say.

"This used to be a distant dream, but we still made it happen."

As he spoke, Kitano raised the champagne glass in his hand.

Thank you everyone, and cheers!

A few trainers and owners in the audience raised their champagne glasses, followed by scattered applause.

Breeders and trainers often only care about the results of their own racehorses, while deliberately avoiding or even being hostile towards other racehorses.

It's only natural to be uninterested; generally speaking, people only care about what those who are important to them say.

In other words, in unimportant situations, no matter how much a stranger says, it will just go in one ear and out the other.

This applies to myself as well.

Until the next award for older mare was presented, the camp's associates leisurely cut their steaks with knives and forks while discussing various topics.

"What are Kitano-kun's thoughts on the mare?"

Kimura put down his knife and fork, looked up and asked a question.

"I guess I should just follow my instincts."

Although it may sound a bit rash, it is a rare and honest truth.

If we disregard systemic influences, the answer would be something like "no bloodline crossover within five generations" or "able to breed with mainstream stallions"—a fairly standard answer.

"Isn't intuition a bit too ambiguous?"

Ogawa Katsu immediately offered a sarcastic remark, which drew laughter from those around him.

"How about the answer of 'trying to eliminate redundant parts of the bloodline'?"

This means prioritizing the breeding of healthy foals.

A horse that can run must first be able to run.

This simple principle is so easy that even a novice horse breeder can quickly grasp it.

But health alone isn't enough; horse racing is, after all, a game where speed reigns supreme. "Achieving a balance between the two isn't easy."

Kimura, also a horse breeder, shook his head, then looked somewhat troubled.

That's true, but with the assistance of the [Advisory Group], it's a different story.

Because it's a streamlined ranch, the goal is to ensure that each horse gets the best possible performance.

Specifically, this means that everything from the initial breeding plan to the breeding and domestication process, as well as the subsequent introduction into the stable, is included in the planning scope.

"In that case, it's somewhat similar to the model used by Zhu Dewang."

After taking a sip of his drink, Ogawa Katsumi nodded thoughtfully.

"But I guess they'll still move to the stable, especially that girl named Kaguya. I'm pretty optimistic about her leaving the gate and establishing herself in the center."

Kimura raised his champagne glass, smiling as if celebrating something, and said...

We haven't found it yet, Mr. Kimura.

The topic then veered slightly towards the other side, the stables.

It is said that for a considerable period of time in the past, changing stables was an absolute taboo.

Even today, some older horse owners still resist changing stables, and are quite concerned about their relationship with the stables and how others perceive them.

Perhaps for horse owners and breeders from the Showa and Heisei eras, it is common for a racehorse to belong to the same stable for its entire racing career, just like the lifetime employment system in the human world.

As for Kitano——

For someone who has had little contact with that era and knows nothing about horse racing during that time, such unspoken rules are best left unsaid.

Nevertheless, some difficulties were encountered in moving the stables.

It's not that the stables were deliberately obstructing things.

Tanaka is a good-natured trainer who is open and honest with his customers. He not only offered his support for the decision to transfer Pegasus, but also provided a fairly detailed analysis of Pegasus's potential and potential problems.

From daily diet, gait, temperament, to hoof care, forelimb maintenance, stretching methods, and even the details of stable setup.

Regarding training, after the Nagoya Grand Prix, Coach Tanaka was quite optimistic, believing that Pegasus was well-suited to playing on the central grass courts.

However, the trainer still expressed some concerns, such as "cardiopulmonary function still has room for improvement" and "according to JRA standards, the muscles should be thicker."

In addition, Tanaka suggested using the long ramps of the two central training centers for progressive training, and then fully utilizing racing ability once the cardiopulmonary function is fully developed.

After piecing together these scattered pieces of information, a new problem arose—

The location of Pegasus's move to the central stables has not yet been determined.

Although he has matured in training and competitions, he still retains the unpredictable temperament of a spoiled young master at other times.

As I get older, this temperament becomes more and more pronounced.

Finding a suitable stable for this guy won't be easy.

"This is really a headache—"

I still couldn't figure it out by the end of the banquet.

Back at the hotel, they heard a somewhat unexpected name from Huangshankou.

"Hiroyuki Uchida."

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"【Pay attention to horse movements】

Breeders' Cup Classic winner Sakuya Shirasaki has confirmed she will accept the invitation to the Dubai World Cup and, if all goes well, will travel to Dubai in late February to prepare for the competition.
Huangshan Shi said, "We will spend some time in Japan to adjust first, and whether she participates in this competition will depend on her condition at that time."

The rider on the saddle, Jin Meiqi, is appointed.”

——《n○tkeiba》

(End of this chapter)