Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 326 Pre-match Heartbeat
March 22nd, Wednesday morning.

Yesterday's experience shows that Wild Mountain and Rider Rachel get up early.

Also, they go to the international stables as soon as they get up.

It was just a simple matter of checking on Sakuya's condition.

It was expected that I would be alone when I had breakfast, so I set an alarm for a little later.

Despite saying that, the alarm clock didn't go off when I opened my eyes.

I fumbled for my phone under my pillow; it was already past seven.

I completely forgot to set my alarm to local time!

He mentally complained to himself before looking back at the screen.

Ata-chan's gate position is number 2!!!

A short message with only one line popped up in the notification bar.

It was a LINE message from Majima.

That's wonderful!

He swiped the screen, sent a reply message, and then put the phone back in his pocket.

Honestly, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The 2500-meter stretch of the Zhongshan Grassland route is a fleeting initial phase.

It can be said that the choice of the gate position and the quality of the start will greatly influence the final outcome of the Nikkei Prize.

In Atalanta, a small-statured runner, the effects of the gate position and the start after exiting the gate will be even more amplified.

"If you are in the ninth position or higher, you will be eliminated from the match."

Before the Nikkei Prize gate lottery, the camp even made such a decision.

Fortunately, today's draw was a very favorable gate position with no bad habit of running out of the gate.

This makes it slightly easier to execute "Plan A," which has a higher probability of success.

Regarding the Nikkei Prize competition, the camp initially formulated two strategies—

After successfully taking the lead, use the control of pace as a weapon, and lead with a fast pace without resorting to tricks.

Firmly believing that Atalanta was capable of defeating his opponent fairly and squarely in a match of this level, this was the strategy that Majima first proposed.

As the horse owner, I readily agreed to make this running style the preferred option.

This was after consulting with three advisors.

The alternative plan takes into account situations where the gate position is unfavorable, or where the start-up is not smooth.

If Atalanta fails to secure an inside position at the start, she will need to move forward to disrupt the original rhythm of the game and try to throw the situation into disarray by making a run-out.

Of course, this would only result in a slightly better chance of winning than nothing.

It's so good that we don't have to fall into such a desperate situation—

Just as I was thinking this, another notification popped up on the screen.

My heart skipped a beat.

With the two big-reward match days drawing ever closer, there's another on-site gate draw to attend just a few hours later at noon.

At times like these, even the slightest disturbance can trigger the delicate "pre-race heart."

"So it's Master Huangshan."

The trainer and rider's stable inspection was over, and the two were heading back towards the hotel.

There was no further notification.

"And it's a horse weighing over 520 kilograms—"

"However, the momentum has gotten even stronger!"

At a table where international cuisines are served, a conversation between a trainer and a rider, each with their own distinct opinions, takes place.

"I was thinking of arranging a high-intensity short-distance sprint training session, but it seems too late now." Although the trainer still looked like a contagious source of negativity, it was not hard to tell from the details of their conversation that Sakuya's side was more optimistic.

"Is there time to go to the stables after dinner?"

"No problem, today's schedule isn't so tight that we have to leave right after dinner."

After he finished speaking, Master Huangshan, who had been looking solemn, gave him a curious look.

"I just wanted to see Sakuya."

“Ah Sheng is going to relieve the international stable boy in ten minutes. How about I ask him to wait a little longer?”

"No need for that. It's just a trip to take a look."

It wasn't a situation that required major changes, deciding whether to move the game or formulate tactics.

To put it simply, it's similar to the bizarre behavior of guys like Sugiyama or Noda who suddenly abandon their work, rush to a ranch in Hokkaido, and stare silently at their beloved horses.

"President Kitano!"

Although I initially suspected it was a hallucination, I did see the figure of a long-haired man dressed as a designer.

After a belated greeting, Huangshan on the other side had already risen from his seat and bowed slightly to the long-haired man.

"You've arrived too, President Noda."

"After all, we're the first ones to draw lots!"

As he spoke, Noda, dressed in a trendy outfit, patted someone on the shoulder behind him.

"Yano-kun has complained to me quite a bit about things like, 'I have to put in JBC-level effort just to barely keep up with Sakuya,' you know—"

"Thank you for your hard work."

For this trip to Dubai for the World Cup, Sakuya was unusually accompanied by Ma from the beginning of the trip.

The one who took on this important task was a three-year-old stallion under Noda's name, which also belonged to the Arashiyama stables.

Calling it a "heavy responsibility" or even a "heavy pressure" is not an exaggeration at all.

According to Arashiyama, no horse in the stable could train with Sakuya more than twice, not even the experienced mud-ground veterans with dozens of races under their belt.

"The child's slow and leisurely pace during training would probably look quite awful to other horses."

"Sakuya is serious this time."

"That just means I'm the one who's really in trouble—"

"No, I was the one who was defeated first, wasn't I?"

Yano's exaggerated吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or witty remarks) drew laughter.

After breakfast, the trainers and riders returned to their rooms to change into their selection uniforms.

The two horse owners strolled aimlessly all the way to the somewhat deserted international stables after training.

When she greeted the international stable girl who was also in charge of Sakuya during last year's Dubai World Cup, the girl jokingly said that she didn't want to let her go to Japan.

After exchanging pleasantries, Noda rushed straight to the stable where his beloved horse was, as if he had been struck on the head.

Of course, the situation on the other side is actually quite similar.

"Did you bring me anything delicious?"

Seemingly having heard the voices at the stable door, Sakuya, whom Arashi had described as "still looking relaxed in both body and spirit," poked her head out of the stable early on, revealing an expectant look in her eyes.

"That won't do now. How about we endure one more game?"

He patted the indeed empty pocket, rubbed the deer-mane horse's head, and spoke in a coaxing tone as if to a child.

The fluffy ears that had been turned this way seemed to say, "Hey, you should have said so earlier," before drooping down in disappointment.

Then, the deer-haired horse began to paw at the bedding on the ground with its front hooves, as if it were being affectionate.

"Okay, okay, I really don't have any mints here—"

(End of this chapter)