Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 317 This Day

The Friday before Valentine's Day.

The temperature should gradually warm up every day, but the change of seasons is always divided by "a certain day".

In the Japanese-style room at the ranch, the kotatsu had been moved away at some point, and replaced by a low table with a more refreshing design.

After entering February, the number of trainers and associates visiting the ranch gradually increased.

On the afternoon of the same day that Wada and Yoshida, two newly hired horse trainers, left, another trainer, Baba, immediately came to visit.

When discussing the plans for Mejiro Treasure's arrival in the stable, the racecourse manager was clearly taken aback by the name proposed by the horse owner.

Then, the trainer stated quite seriously that he would take good care of the foal born to the idol of all.

Next, the topic shifted to horses that both sides were familiar with, namely horses undergoing rest and horses with malfunctions.

"So, from the trainer's perspective, I think we can perhaps be more patient with horses that have problems."

"That's true, but even in Miura, besides Tresson, only Azabu University and Hokkaido University can perform more complex surgeries."

"That's indeed the case. I've heard that the situation is even more serious in the local areas."

At this point, both of their tone unconsciously became somewhat heavy.

In recent years, sales at local horse racing auctions have generally increased, with prize money and runner-up proceeds also showing a year-on-year upward trend.

However, facilities such as recuperation facilities and clinics have not kept pace due to various problems.

Not only in remote areas like Kochi or Saga, but even in the southern Kanto region, there was simply not enough.

"As expected, manpower is a big problem—"

This concluded today's second meeting with that statement.

Time slips away second by second in the midst of daily busyness, and before I know it, it's already evening.

The ranch welcomed its third group of visitors that day, just before dinner.

The team consists of trainer Arakawa, main rider Kim Mi-ki, and stable manager Oga Katsumi.

"I have something very important to discuss with President Kitano."

With this as the opening remark, the three, led by the trainer, all wore similar serious expressions.

Upon hearing those words, my heart skipped a beat.

"Please don't hold back, go ahead and speak."

I can only subconsciously avoid thinking about the worst-case scenario.

“Sakuya—”

Seemingly hesitant about how to begin, Huangshan paused for a moment before finally speaking.

"Sakuya's weight will probably be hard to control."

"call--"

I breathed a long sigh of relief.

Long ago, the faction had already conceived of what was going on now.

Because of concerns about training intensity, all the efforts made by the ranch and stables so far have actually only been to slow down the rate of weight gain as much as possible.

Even so, I couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"This day has finally come—"

"Of course, it's not to the point where my competitive ability will immediately reach the point where I have to retire."

At this moment, Jin Meiqi raised her head and spoke in slightly accented Japanese.

According to the main rider, Sakuya's performance in training has changed from "being able to handle it easily" to "requiring a moderate level of effort".

While the decline in condition may be due to a long break, the fact that weight gain and a drop in performance are undeniable is also true.

In any case, the travel plans for next year made at the end of last year have to be reconsidered.

[Regarding Sakuya, could we come to Mejiro Ranch to discuss this?]

Such messages were sent to Kimura, the representative of the production ranch, and Oga and his daughter, who served as advisors.

A few minutes later, besides the Oga father and daughter whose dinner was abruptly interrupted, Mr. Kimura, wearing a bathrobe, also arrived unexpectedly ahead of time.

—It is said that it came from the Sanshi Hot Springs after learning from the stallions at Dahong Ranch.

The group of people involved discussed the topic of "what Megumi Sakuya might do this year" while eating takeout they had ordered on the spur of the moment.

That's how it is nominally.

From "retire on the spot" to "persist on the planned route," basically everyone involved offered different opinions based on their own position.

"Just like Kitano-kun said, even if Sakuya retires now, she won't be able to breed within the year, so it would be better to try again if possible."

"Considering his current weight, the Breeders' Cup in November—"

All eyes turned toward the same direction.

To be honest, I don't have any concrete ideas yet.

But some things were actually decided from the beginning. Even ignoring the "possible decline" mentioned by the jockeys, Sakuya's weight would likely have risen to over 530 kilograms by the time of the Breeders' Cup in November.

Even for a mud mare, this would be an exaggerated weight.

Aside from situations requiring competitive ability, participating in a Breeders' Cup or similar competition with an excessively heavy horse body is inherently very dangerous.

"This year's Breeders' Cup, no runaways."

I thought the other people involved would be surprised, but to my surprise, no one seemed to show any surprise.

"So it's a three-choice or two-choice situation."

After muttering a few words with a hint of resentment, "As expected of Mr. Kitano," Ogawa Kanna raised her head.

The hesitation didn't last long.

Even the slightest sense of unease would cause them to cancel their trip.

With that thought in mind, I silently opened the panel in front of me.

Soon, a tremor came from inside the pocket.

Taking advantage of the break in the conversation between the people in the relationship, I swiped the screen and skillfully opened the LINE interface.

The three remain as advisors.

Changfeng:
Although it is gradually beginning to show signs of relaxation, the potential contained within the horse's body remains at a world-class level.

The mental instability has improved to some extent with age, and the adaptability to changing environments has been honed to perfection.

Although she has some excess fat on her abdomen and hindquarters, she is undoubtedly among the top contenders in this competition.

If you try to approach the game with a more relaxed attitude, you might achieve a satisfactory result.

Recommended rider: Buyixue (foreign)

The assessment seems quite optimistic.

But even if that's all there is to it, I still can't put my mind at ease.

He looked down and continued reading.

[Kappa wood:

Compared to when it performed well in the Breeders' Cup Classic, it has increased in both muscle mass and fat, which has affected its athletic performance to some extent.

As last year's defending champions, they may have a certain degree of adaptability, but it is more likely that they will make up for it with their hard-earned strength.

Given that the level of the participating teams this year is lower than last year, a victory is not out of the question if adjustments are made in time.

Recommended rider: Jin Meiqi (outside)

In fact, the camp had been wary of Sakuya's uncontrollable weight gain for a long time.

Although, in retrospect, the results of our vigilance don't seem to be very ideal.

The mention of a decline in the level of the participating teams was only briefly mentioned. After confirming that there was no indication of any uneasy departures, the reporter then turned to the message from the next advisor.

[Meixiang:
Compared to last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, he has gained a significant amount of weight, especially in the muscles of his waist and hips.

Excessive muscle mass may be a burden in middle-distance races of 2400 meters and above, but with proper adjustments, it may allow for even better performance in middle-distance races of 2000 meters.

To achieve a consecutive victory in this race, in addition to overcoming the disadvantages of long-distance travel, adjusting the horse's physical condition and form is equally crucial.

Recommended rider: Su Minglun (foreign)

Similar to the advice given by the two advisors above, this was also about adjusting one's state of mind.

Of course, some things cannot be achieved immediately just by knowing how to do them; the saying "knowing is easy, doing is hard" illustrates this point.

Whether it's slimming down or recovering from a slightly sluggish state after a long break, both present considerable challenges for Sakuya at the moment.

"In other words, there is still a long time before the Dubai World Cup and even the Breeders' Cup, so we can make adjustments and observe slowly."

I heard indistinct voices, and my briefly scattered thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

Then, I made up my mind.

"Regarding Sakuya's next match—"

After a slight pause, I changed my tune here.

"As for Sakuya's last match, it's still the Dubai World Cup."

After saying that, he turned to look at the trainer, whose eyes showed a slight surprise.

"If possible, how about we leave a little earlier?"

------------

"[Recent Status Report of the World's Strongest Horse]"

Sakuya Mejiro, who has already accepted the invitation from the Dubai WC, will travel to Dubai after a preliminary check-up. This match may well be her retirement game.

"She can still perform like a top-tier racehorse for a considerable period of time, but it's a decision made by the team as a whole; it's time for her to stop and rest."
Regarding the Dubai World Cup, we will only participate when we are fully prepared, which means we cannot rule out the possibility of retiring before then.

——n○tkeba

(End of this chapter)