Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 340 A Last Resort

I traveled to Tokyo in mid-April, and this time I chose to land at Narita Airport, which is not a common choice for me.

Before leaving Japan, there were still matters concerning the Atalanta route that needed to be discussed with Master Majima.

Time and again, I boarded the long escalator, slowly moving through the bloated queue where shoulders were pressed together.

This time, we opted for the lightest possible travel strategy, so we were able to skip the baggage check-in process.

The tram departed from the airport station.

Since it was late afternoon, there were more passengers on the tram than I had expected.

However, after transferring to the branch line to Kobayashi at Narita Station, the carriages became much emptier.

With about twenty minutes to go before the tram arrived, I took this time to start thinking about possible trips to other events.

According to information sent in advance by Majima, there are theoretically three possible second-round events in the first half of the year.

In early June, the 2500-meter Tokyo grass track race, the Kuro Kinen, was held.

In mid-June, the Takarazuka Memorial Grand Prix, a 2200-meter race on the Hanshin Grassland.

as well as--

The Emperor's Viewing in Spring at an altitude of 3200 meters on the grasslands of Kyoto.

From the horse owner's perspective, none of the three races are ideal choices.

Meguro Nori, whose transport difficulty and race distance are more suitable and whose competitive pressure is relatively lower, is a long straight line in Fuchu that is not conducive to escaping.

Even if starting early can offset some of the impact on transportation from Kanto to Kansai, it is not easy to achieve a good result in a race that is far superior to the level of a horse race, such as the Takarazuka Memorial.

As for the final Emperor's Appreciation - Spring.

Even ignoring the distance beyond Atalanta's shooting range, this was a match with almost no chance of winning.

Why are there still people fixated on long-distance races these days?

Despite that thought, route planning still needs to continue.

After getting off the tram, I transferred to the Keisei Bus at the same spot after passing through the ticket gate.

It took about an hour from the time the flight arrived at Narita Airport.

If the goal is the Mipo Training Center, it will take even longer.

It is said that Narita Airport, which is physically closer, actually takes longer to get to Miura than Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

Thinking about all sorts of things related to or unrelated to horse racing, I spent another five minutes swaying on the connecting bus.

We finally arrived at Kobayashi Ranch.

After getting off at the specially designated Kobayashi Ranch Station, walk in the opposite direction from Sakura Namiki to reach Kobayashi's stables directly.

After showing my ownership certificate at the gate and passing the inspection, I walked along the long trail that was separated from the sandy training track by only a tree, and then met the trainer who was already waiting in front of the stable.

During this period, I have been thinking about the race that Atalanta will be participating in.

To be honest, I still don't have many clues.

Even the seemingly easy Nori Meguro had to carry an unexpected weight due to the weight class.

His brows furrowed involuntarily.

After exchanging greetings, what I saw on Majima's face was a somewhat troubled expression.

"I really appreciate it if you could make this trip, President Kitano."

"Not at all, we horse owners can only give instructions; the hard work is up to you."

On the way to the stables, I learned more details from the trainer that had not been mentioned during the long-distance communication.

After the Nikkei Prize match, Atalanta experienced a slightly easier exertion than she had anticipated.

Besides the race itself, both Majima and Sasakawa agreed that the short-distance transport between Nakayama Racecourse and Kobayashi Ranch was one of the reasons they were able to maintain good form.

“After returning from Hong Kong, Ata-chan’s dedication to training has improved significantly, and she is no longer as resistant to changes in the environment as before.”

Entering the stables, passing through the corridor, and arriving at Atalanta's stable, Majima stopped and turned around.

“However, transportation is still not working well—” The trainer said this with a helpless touch, rubbing his head that was peeking out from between the fences.

"Then, if it's Kansai who are leaving, we need to make a decision as soon as possible."

"Yes, that's it."

After nodding, Majima opened the thick paper bag that he had been tucking under his arm.

Atalanta in the stable also turned her ears, looking at the stack of manuscripts in his hand with some curiosity.

"actually--"

After some hesitation, the trainer continued to speak.

"Sasakawa and I both think that our main goal for the year should be the Queen Elizabeth Cup, a women-only tournament, in the second half of the year."

In other words, it means "we shouldn't invest too much in the remaining games in the first half of the year."

“That makes sense. I also think that the Spring and Takarazuka matches are not easy to win.”

Upon receiving this reply, the trainer's previously tense shoulders relaxed as if he had just breathed a sigh of relief.

The Spring Emperor's Prize and the Takarazuka Commemoration.

As someone with Kitano family blood flowing through my veins, and the owner of the horse named "Meshiro" for the White and Green Ichiban race, it would be a lie to say that I have no desire for these two races.

however--

"You should let the racehorse run the races it is meant to run, not the races it wants to run."

This was a decision I made at the very beginning of my career as a horse owner.

"You look very energetic, Ata-chan."

I patted the chestnut horse's head with slightly more force than usual.

Such a simple action can calm the mind without one even realizing it.

Later, a long three-way meeting was held at the Ura Chaya with Majima and Sasakawa.

First, the Spring Emperor's Gift was ruled out.

Sending small mares to the Spring Emperor's Prize certainly creates a lot of buzz, but that's about it.

Even in years when the long-distance ancient horse battlefront was slightly weaker, the probability of winning against the Spring Shield was not very high.

Moreover, there's a super team like Noda Power this year.

Regarding the Takarazuka Memorial event, the only prediction based on the possible list of runners is that "if they participate, their best result will be to make the board."

"If it's a Meguro memorial event, Ata-chan will likely have to carry a weight heavier than many old stallions when participating in the race."

"While the Takarazuka Memorial team has a certain advantage in terms of weight compared to other popular top-ranked horses, the transportation costs from the Kanto to Kansai region are a factor that cannot be ignored, as are the costs of the race itself."

Despite his seemingly logical explanation, even the horse trainer himself wasn't sure how accurate his arguments were.

On the horse owner's side—

The green amulets should be enough for two or three more [Advisory Group] uses.

However, this departure was not aimed at "winning the game as much as possible".

If it weren't for the difficulty in maintaining form during a long off-season, he even planned to rest until the start of the fall season.

"Then, I'll have to go to Meguro to commemorate it."

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"[Time report]

Nikkei Prize winner Atalanta Meguro's second visit to Meguro commemoration

Daisuke Mashima said, "The team's main goal is the Queen Elizabeth Cup in the second half of the year. This match is mainly for gaining experience."

The saddle rider Sasakawa Tsubasa is predestined”

——《n○tkeiba》