Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 323 The Door's Other Abilities for Inspection

The third Thursday of March.

The annual ability test at Menbes Racecourse begins on this day.

The annual competition between the two giants of Doei horse racing—Tanaka Stables and Kadokawa Stables—will begin on this day.

In the first ability test race, both stables sent out more than two two-year-old horses each, and the situation even reached the point of intense debate: "Is this really okay?"

"Everyone met the standard!"

During breakfast after the 25th health check, Tanaka toasted with tea poured into a thermos instead of alcohol to celebrate.

At the current rate, more than 30 two-year-old horses will complete their final preparations for debut tomorrow alone.

"Thank you all for your hard work. But please keep up the good work and try to achieve the same goal as last year, with everyone meeting the target on the first day, okay?"

"Oh--"

A chorus of responses rose and fell.

Tanaka waved his hand and turned his gaze to the training assistant beside him.

"Next, the horses we have coming out of our stables are the two from President Kitano's family in the thirtieth race, which is the second to last race of the day."

The training assistant nodded and answered while flipping through his notebook.

"...It's those two children."

The training assistants and stable staff exchanged somewhat subtle glances.

"Those two children are not in a situation where they can run."

Despite receiving prior warning from the horse owners, the entire stable staff still celebrated with some excitement when they received the two-year-old horses, Mejiro Takumi and Mejiro Spirit, both owned by President Kitano.

Then--

During the intensive training session a week before the ability test, the two horses named Muhaku surprised the stable staff who were gathered in front of the railing.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed.

However, after a brief period of disappointment, the stables quickly rallied and began discussing countermeasures.

"If we try a little harder, we should be able to pass."

Ultimately, trainer Tanaka made this judgment with a solemn expression.

For this purpose, two of the top riders from the Daoying (traditional military camp) were commissioned: Ishikawa and Kuwamura.

Among the two major stables of Daoying Racing, Kadokawa Stables focuses more on ensuring that the horse passes the testing standards, while Tanaka Stables emphasizes practical training from the ability testing stage.

This time, the trainer, who has emphasized "testing is the first battle" for decades, adopted a more compromising strategy.

In addition to the rider arrangements, after discussions with the horse owners, it was decided that the two horses named after Meguro would be able to be checked out in the same race.

It appears to be a stable type of horse with a calm and composed temperament, and its growth rate and handling are significantly higher than average.

Although it can't actually run very fast.

On the other hand, Megumi Reiko is in a slightly troublesome situation.

Besides the fact that he doesn't know how he developed a way of exerting force that is not suitable for sandy terrain, his unstable temperament is also a major problem.

However, after enduring the same rigorous tests for years with the same named Reed Horse, it was still able to cope to some extent.

The final decision was to "let both ends run together".

Besides alleviating the instability of Meguro Spirit Horse's temperament, it is hoped that this method can slightly activate Meguro Takumi's fighting spirit.

In addition, the sessions scheduled were relatively late and tended to be less intense.

When we returned to the track after a slightly late breakfast, the sun had already become quite intense.

The temperature has risen, and the white clouds are clearly visible, as if they are emerging from the blue sky.

Even as the races were drawing to a close, the grandstand was still packed with horse racing enthusiasts and breeders.

Occasionally, discussions like "Why not participate in the Super Rookie Challenge?" or "We should be able to break the record today, right?" would come from above.

The penultimate test session started a little later than scheduled.

It took an unusual three stable hands to finally get Meguro's spirit horse through the gates. "Kitano-kun, those two children—"

In the nearby seat, Sugiyama spoke with an even more excited tone than the person in question.

Despite only one of his own horses running away today, this Gifu businessman still came to Hokkaido with undiminished enthusiasm.

"It's probably a situation where they can't run very fast."

"Eh!"

Sugiyama, along with several familiar horse breeders in the back row, stared in astonishment.

Amidst comforting words like "Maybe he's a late bloomer" and "Why don't we try moving him to the grass?", the field inspection began.

The two-year-old's exit from the gate is a unique feature of Singapore and Malaysia, characterized by a vertical, straight line.

Many people, including the stable staff and trainers in front of the railing, couldn't help but laugh.

"It's easy to get off the gate, Leila-chan."

"Ruth followed too, well done."

Whispering cheers came from the front row.

Bathed in the pouring spring sunshine, the Mubai Spirit Steed, with its chestnut coat gleaming with golden light, was the first to burst out of the gate.

Although it caused the rider Ishikawa on the saddle to stumble.

Megumi, who was near the gate, followed closely behind, maintaining a position about half a horse length behind the chestnut horse.

"Maybe those two kids really can do it?"

Despite having a relatively conservative premonition, the Mejiro Ranch members, who occupied the front row in front of Chairman Ma, still appeared excited and uneasy.

the other side--

The owners, who knew the strengths and weaknesses of both horses on the track, simultaneously pressed the timing app on their phones.

I hope I can pass.

It's okay if you fail.

With that level of expectation, I raised my head and looked out onto the field.

The two horses that were originally running at the very front of the herd slowed down suddenly after turning from the fourth bend onto the straightaway, as if they "couldn't run anymore".

The already low volume of cheers from Chairman Ma and the fans in the nearby stands dropped even further.

As the herd gradually overtaken them, the chestnut horse was left at the back, its head held high with a defiant look on its face.

"But this isn't the end of it yet!"

Despite exuding a similar aura, the distance between the White Horse and the herd of horses in front of it continued to grow.

Further back, Meguro Takumi slowed down under the urging of the rider on saddle, Kuwamura.

【56.9】

【57.3】

On the first day of the two-year-old test at Menbes Racecourse, two popular horses delivered barely passable and unsatisfactory results, respectively.

Amidst the continuous wails, the horse owner let out a sigh that was hard to tell whether it was regret or relief.

Since this is the outcome—

The decisions that followed were perhaps easier to make.

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"[@Mejiro_JP:]"

After discussions with various stakeholders, our ranch has decided to retire Mejiro Takumi (female, 2nd mate, Reed Hair, father: Brann Gorilla, mother: Oofune), who was originally slated to be placed in the Tanaka stable, back to the ranch, and to begin her second life as a breeding mares at an appropriate time.

——Mejiro Ranch

(End of this chapter)