Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 346 Part Three
The second Saturday of May.

The colors in sight became brighter.

She took off her monochromatic coat and put on a lighter, more cheerful color.

The temperature is gradually rising, and if you stay in the sun today, you'll probably sweat a lot. The tram's air conditioning has been running at full capacity since you boarded.

I arrived in Tokyo on this day.

To be precise, it is the Tokyo Racecourse located in Fuchu City.

After landing at Haneda Airport, take the shuttle bus to Shinjuku, then transfer to the Keio Line to Fuchu Station.

During the swaying ride inside the carriage, my other hand, besides the one holding the handrail, was also busy, scrolling through the screen to browse information about the upcoming competition.

The eleventh race at Tokyo Racecourse today, the G3 Re-Winning Yesen Cup on the 1800m turf, departed at 3:45 pm.

Although it was their first expedition to the grasslands, according to Tanaka's feedback a few days prior, Pegasus adapted quickly after arriving at the Miura Training Center.

His appetite and spirit remained unaffected as always, and during training, he immediately became friends with the Central horses that Miura belonged to.

Last week, during a training run alongside another three-year-old stallion aiming for the Classic on the Sakamichi, it held on until the very end before being overtaken.

Even Ishikawa, the rider who wasn't very confident about this turf trial, said that Pegasus had made further progress in both physical and mental aspects.

Of course, the rear section is still weak compared to the central-level opponents, which is why the team chose the Tokyo Esen Cup, rather than other competitions, as a grass-court route experiment.

As for another major reason for not leaving Kwai Fong –

Noah, who was also trying grass for the first time, will be absent from that match.

May will be a month of departures for three major races on the central turf.

In other words, the next few weeks will be busier than usual.

In Hokkaido, the purchase of a small ranch has also made some progress, and in a few days there will be a trip to Yakumo Town along the Hakodate Main Line for a face-to-face meeting.

In addition, dazzling activities and the ongoing care of Moonbeam, Moon Leap's quarantine, and the adjustment after arriving at the ranch are all situations that require a lot of effort.

"Next stop, Fuzhong Station, Fuzhong Station."

While gazing at the scenery and lost in thought, the train's announcement system read out the station names.

After getting off the bus, it took about ten minutes of walking to finally arrive at Tokyo Racecourse.

"Wow, it's huge!"

Just like the last time I came, I couldn't help but sigh with the sentiments of a country bumpkin.

Entering the stadium from the west gate, the majestic Fuji Main Stand, resembling a mountain range, comes into view, while the Commemorative 60th Anniversary Stand, located a little further away, is also quite large.

I've seen many different styles of racetracks, both in Japan and overseas, but only Tokyo Racecourse has such a huge grandstand.

It took quite a while to walk from one end of the Fuji Stand to the other, crossing the connecting corridor to reach the Commemorative 60th Stand on the other side.

Watching the games in Tokyo is definitely a physically demanding task.

With that in mind, I had a quick curry lunch at the food court in the basement.

When we returned to the ground, the lawn outside the stands was already covered with picnic mats.

When the weather is neither too cold nor too hot, it is said that many horse racing fans who watch the races all day will choose to have a leisurely picnic on this lawn.

—Although it could also be a consideration to secure a good viewing spot in advance.

Upon arriving at the horse owners' room in front of the reviewing stand, only two figures were visible at the conference table.

"Oh, we were just talking about when Mr. Kitano would be coming."

The middle-aged man, wearing a blue peach-patterned victory badge on his suit lapel, rose from his seat and bowed slightly. "Good afternoon, Mr. Matsumoto."

First, he returned the greeting with a Japanese-style bow, and then naturally grasped the hand that the other person offered.

"Alright, alright, you two, don't be so polite."

The elderly man with gray hair in the seat laughed "Ahahaha" and patted the shoulder with some heavy force.

"You missed the banquet a few days ago, Kitano-kun."

"Relax your shoulders," Xishan said jokingly.

"Sorry, but I was in Australia at the time and couldn't get away."

"Australia?"

"That's right, we acquired two very interesting children at the auction over there."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Xishan immediately displayed an exaggerated expression that said, "It must be an extraordinary horse."

Even Matsumoto joined in the commotion, saying things like, "We definitely have to go to the ranch to see what it's like."

However, after exchanging pleasantries, he earnestly shared his experiences in Australia with the two of them, and also discussed topics related to bloodlines.

"Therefore, although the cost of transporting horses to Japan is not cheap, it is still worthwhile to import horses from Australia, especially New Zealand, into Japan."

"Haha—forget about me, I already have enough horses as a horse owner."

As he spoke, Xishan shook his head helplessly.

Mr. Yoshitaka, on the other hand, showed a somewhat interested expression.

They chatted about horse racing, both domestic and overseas, until the tenth race, the Blue Dragon Stakes, when the owners' room was still occupied by three individual owners.

Of course, several horses, including Pegasus, which were originally planned to be transferred to the Central Army, have now been transferred to Mejiro Ranch. Their final battle outfits have also been changed to a style that is slightly different from their individual final battle outfits, featuring white and green sashes and white and green stripes.

The announcement of their departure was broadcast, and the three of them got up from their seats.

—Before heading to the reviewing stand to join the troops, Mr. Matsumoto and I were pulled aside by Mr. Nishiyama to take a group photo.

In short—big.

Like the grandstand, Tokyo’s long and narrow parade ground is so impressive that you can’t see the whole thing without looking down from the upper terrace.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this that even racehorses with volatile temperaments can be relatively calm during inspections.

Among the people chatting in small groups, the first person I noticed was Tanaka Shi, whose expression was unusually serious.

Seemingly noticing the gaze, the trainer, his face tense, waved in their direction.

"how is the situation?"

After exchanging brief greetings, he turned his head and looked towards the entrance tunnel of the parade ground while asking questions.

"If he stays in Miura for a few more days, that guy will probably really become the boss of the stables."

Looking at the white guy swaggering out of the tunnel, Tanaka couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

"Not surprising at all—"

After all, Pegasus was that kind of guy.

Seemingly noticing the horse fans calling his name in front of the railing, the Reed Horse half-forced the stableman away from the original parade route.

He shook his head up and down, as if saying something smug like, "Great, I've received your support, you bastard."

(End of this chapter)