Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 313 A Visit to the Shetai Stud Station
I opened my eyes in the morning while my mind was still foggy.

The alarm clock I set in advance is ringing.

I quickly turned off the alarm clock that was ringing incessantly in my ear and turned on the room lights.

Suddenly, the darkness in front of my eyes turned into light.

It was 4:30 in the dead of winter, and there were still more than two hours until sunrise.

I couldn't help but yawn as soon as I got out of bed.

For horse owners who are active in their local area, January and February at the beginning of the year are a time to step away from horse racing.

Many racetracks, including Menbee, are still in their off-season at this time.

However, from the perspective of horse breeders, it's time to get busy after the short winter break.

Assessment of the growth progress of two-year-old horses, growth checks of one-year-old horses, examinations and rest for mares awaiting or having already given birth, and examinations and vaccinations for mares awaiting mating—

If the person also owns the horse, the matters to consider will be even more complicated.

However, if you relax during this period, the backlog of unfinished tasks will quickly become too much to handle.

As for the result of forcing myself to persevere, it was several days of insufficient sleep.

Of course, while managing the ranch, the horse owners also kept up with their own business.

After careful consideration, we decided to abandon the option of leaving for the Osaka Cup.

Neither the "Nakayama Memorial - Osaka Cup" nor the "Golden Shachiho - Osaka Cup" route is particularly suitable for Atalanta.

Between the Hanshin Grand Prix and the Nikkei Prize recommended by Majima, the final choice was the Nikkei Prize at the Nakayama 2500m.

Besides factors such as distance or suitability, the most important consideration is the venue itself.

In the case of traveling to the Hanshin Grand Prix, the long-distance transport to the Kansai region would itself cause considerable strain on Atalanta before the competition.

On the other hand, the distance from Kobayashi Ranch to Nakayama Racecourse is even closer than the distance from the Miura Training Center.

Although the team has shown some improvement in morale after returning from the expedition, the team still considers "minimizing the impact of non-competitive factors" when planning the competition.

Of course, the so-called "horse owner business" is not actually limited to this one item.

In the US, Reed, the trainer for the horse "Next Lucky," also mentioned the topic of route selection a few days ago.

The Kentucky trainer said he will lead his stable's racehorses to Santa Anita Park in California in early February for the D. Wayne Lucas Stakes and the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, two dirt prize races.

On the same day, at Santa Anita Park, the Thunder Road Championship, a Grade 3 tournament on a one-mile grass course, was also being held.

Although he didn't have high hopes, Reed still sent an email confirming that he might accompany Ma to the Thunder Road Stakes next time.

To his surprise, the horse owners readily agreed to the suggestion and quickly wired the registration fee for the race.

certainly--

From the owner's perspective, such a slightly challenging race is not a bad thing for the next Ochiai with good luck and the new rider.

Let's assume it was a departure "aimed at the spiritual practice of humans and horses".

"Is it not ready yet, Boss?"

"Right now!"

Urged on by Zep, he finally sped up the process of changing clothes.

Today is a day when I need to go out.

To be precise, it was a training mission at the stallion station.

With the arrival of Manle's breeding application via email, she received an invitation to attend the 2028 Shetai Stallion Show.

I agreed, thinking that "it wouldn't hurt to see it for myself."

For breeders, visiting stallions is an invaluable learning opportunity to understand the physical structure of horses and the traits that offspring may inherit.

In addition, you can get first-hand information from the stallion about conception rates, health status, and which ranches have submitted breeding applications.

Although the original plan for early February included a visit to the stallion station.

"It's so cold!" After pushing open the door, I barely managed to resist the urge to go back to bed and take a nap.

The weather forecast says that temperatures in Sapporo will start to rise today.

Although San Shi was still freezing cold.

The drive from Mejiro Ranch to the Shadai Stud Station in Anhei Town is exactly 100 kilometers.

However, due to the snow on the roads, Zep drove a little slower than usual.

The heated carriage was so comfortable that it made me want to doze off.

but--

Thanks to a driver who kept nagging, I wasn't able to sleep the whole way.

With a dazed and confused mind, I arrived at Anping Town, where the Shedai Stallion is located.

After getting off the bus, I put on a somewhat bulky coat, carefully buttoned it up to keep out the cold, and then put on a hat and scarf.

Zep, standing to the side, kept saying "It's so cold, so cold," and put on an even thicker coat.

They were clearly Germanic people from a high latitude—

"What an impressive stallion."

The German, oblivious to the undercurrents of criticism he was being subtly mocked, buried his hands deep in his pockets and gazed at the building before him.

The two, exhaling white breath, stared wide-eyed at their surroundings like country bumpkins who had just arrived in the capital.

The stallion stables looked brand new, inside and out, as if they had just been renovated. The glass windows above the door frame made one wonder about the potential costs.

"It looks so expensive—"

I couldn't help but sigh like that.

A considerable number of ranch representatives and individual producers have gathered in the open space in front of the stallion stables.

Looking up, colorful posters of the spring and autumn equinoxes and the Northern Cross were hanging on either side of the stable entrance.

While passing the time chatting with horse breeders I knew or didn't know, the number of people around me began to increase.

When the first newly supplied breeding stallion, Northern Cross, was led out, many people raised their mobile phones or DSLR cameras to take pictures.

"He looks much fatter than when he was active in the league!"

As he spoke, Zep kept pressing the shutter button on his phone.

Hearing him say that, they also raised their heads.

Of course, I wouldn't be so bored as to use a [detector] in a place like this.

"The initial target is ten million yen—"

A representative from a nearby ranch couldn't help but express his feelings.

The breeding cost of ten million yen, if auctioned off at the age of one, would result in initial costs, including feed, ranging from approximately twelve million five hundred thousand to thirteen million yen.

In that case, it would be hard to call it enough unless it is sold for around 16 million yen.

For small and medium-sized ranches that generally lack good female resources, this can be considered a risky pairing.

Next, we observed many stallions on display, including some that looked impressive in physique and presence, and we wanted to include them in our breeding list.

It's impossible to do this until the advisory group gives clear advice.

When it was Manle's turn to appear, it was immediately apparent that Deer Hair Horse was a large horse with a body that was significantly larger than average.

For some reason, this skill was honed to an exceptionally high level.

"In that case, the foal might be on the larger side too—"

I'm a little worried about what will happen to Tsukikage at that time.

(End of this chapter)