Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 356 The Step Before Stepping onto the Field

On a hot morning, in front of the grazing ground.

"The summer solstice is almost here."

Upon hearing this, Yoshida, who had been stroking Baozu's head through the fence, also spoke up.

"Is that so? This child's back line is as excellent as ever, and even the muscles in his buttocks have grown quite a bit."

Seemingly aware that the trainer was praising him, the black deer horse quietly turned half a circle around its previously relaxed, furry ears.

"Not at all, not at all. Whether it's the area or the thickness, there's still a lot of work to be done on the rear section."

Although it may sound like a self-deprecating remark, the actual situation is just as described.

While inheriting his father's good dorsal line and well-developed forelimbs, Baozu also inherited a slightly unfavorable aspect of his lineage.

Simply put, it refers to the weakest part of the hindquarters.

Despite consciously starting targeted strengthening exercises from the age of one, Bojo's gluteal muscles still appear somewhat lacking as she approaches her debut.

In addition, the scapular slope is more inherited from the maternal line and is more gradual than that of the paternal line, which to some extent leads to his unique running style where each of his four legs runs independently.

Just as its name suggests, Baozuo has inherited the bloodlines of both its parents very well in terms of its equine physique.

—Whether it's the good or the bad side.

How has the child's appetite been lately?

Yoshida changed the direction of his palm and scratched Baozuo's chin with slightly more force.

The black deer-haired horse narrowed its eyes slightly and stuck out its tongue, revealing a relaxed expression.

Another hand appeared on her chin.

"Although the pressure is a bit intense as the debut approaches, it's still an occasion where my appetite increases, and my weight has increased by 3 kilograms to 462 compared to last month."

After receiving this answer, the trainer gave a relaxed smile, as if to say, "You're really impressive."

During the domestication process, foals accustomed to free grazing need to go through unfamiliar stages such as being restrained by a girth and adapting to the bit. Each new attempt may bring stress.

Similar to humans, foals that can maintain normal eating and sleeping habits even under pressure are often able to break through their limits and improve upon their existing qualities.

Using the two-year transition period as a benchmark, trainers usually judge whether a new horse has reached the standard for entering the stable based on changes in its food intake.

In this respect, Baozuo and everyone at the ranch did a pretty good job.

Of course, I also owe a great deal to the help of my relatives and friends.

"In that case, how about we start moving into the state next week?"

Yoshida asked while rubbing the half-protruding tongue of the black deer horse.

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Slightly relieved.

The transfer to Honshu Island, and then into the stable—

For novice horse owners who don't have many connections in the horse racing world, this step alone could waste a lot of time.

Because of the lack of suitable breeding ranches or the lack of available stables, gate trials and debut races have been repeatedly delayed. This situation has become quite common in recent years in the central region and even the southern Kanto region.

Whether a horse can successfully debut depends largely on luck.

However, since this is essentially a business rather than a pure gamble, the core lies in the joint accumulation of resources by both the person and the horse.

—At least that's how I see it as both a horse owner and breeder. Breeding environment, stable selection, resting locations, and even potential transfer opportunities—these connections and resource networks need to be gradually built through the process of operating racehorses.

This is precisely the kind of experience that novice horse owners lack most.

In this respect, Meguro's reputation was a great help.

Discussions about pre-debut planning ended quickly, and the new trainer and the new central owner ultimately decided on a prudent approach: "transfer to the state, rest and recuperate at the breeding farm, and then move into the stables."

Besides addressing potential anxieties about the first long-distance transport, there was actually another reason—

There are about three weeks left before I can officially obtain the Central Horse Ownership qualification.

Since the breeding is progressing well, it will not stay in the breeding field for too long.

The breeding farm was chosen by representative Taniguchi of the production ranch, who recommended Matsukaze Equestrian Center, located northwest of Mipu Tresen.

Although its facilities are slightly inferior to those of large ranches, Matsukaze Horse Management has a good reputation among those involved as "quite reliable," and it is sufficient as a temporary rest stop.

After seeing Yoshida off, I was not able to relax.

At the Yakumo branch farm, land preparation has been basically completed.

The next part requires frequent on-site verification.

This includes selecting building materials, dividing areas, and repairing fences. Although these are all rather trivial tasks, they must all be completed conscientiously.

It had been a long time since I'd driven alone, and along the way, I unusually started playing enka on the radio.

After a somewhat long journey, we finally arrived at the branch site under construction.

Outside, the midday sun was blazing in the summer, and as soon as I got out of the car, the light, unique to high latitudes, was so bright that I could hardly open my eyes.

Nevertheless, he quickly got back to work.

The plan is to build a well-equipped stable that can accommodate no more than twenty racehorses, including a saddlery room, hay barn, bathing area, and treatment area.

Compared to the relatively spacious land area, a design was chosen that compromised on the total number of stables, but slightly expanded the space for each stable.

In addition to confirming the agreed-upon blueprints, the focus was on communicating about ventilation performance.

Since this wasn't their first collaboration, they quickly reached an agreement with the architect who had come from Australia.

Then, we received a quote from the construction team for a total of $259,000.

Due to the slope issues, the investment in the foundation was slightly larger than expected.

Including the emergency fund, the entire budget of 50 million yen was utilized.

Although he would likely be complained about by Lavida, looking at the messy construction site in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment.

It's starting to feel a bit like when I first started striving to become a horse breeder.

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“【Mejiro_JP：

Meguro Spirit will make its debut on Wednesday in the JRA Certified Two-Year-Old Race (Dough 1000m) at Menbeki 2R!

Although she passed the fitness test, she still didn't seem like she could run very well, and we even considered having her retire along with Ruth.
Nevertheless, through her own efforts, the efforts of Tanaka and Ishikawa, and the support of all horse racing fans, she has persevered to this point.

Thank you all so much for your continued support! If possible, please look forward to the debut of the Mejiro Spirit Horse both online and offline!

——Mejiro Ranch

(End of this chapter)