Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 365 The Journey Home Towards August

After the celebration banquet, the journey was a bumpy ride in the pickup truck.

I pondered as I felt the vibrations transmitted through the back of the chair.

Regarding the approach for the two-year-old generation.

Having just won her debut match in excellent form, Bao Zuo will return to the main venue for a week of rest and recuperation, and will return to the competition after regaining her strength.

Although the three 2-year-old championships in Niigata, Chukyo and Sapporo are all within my next consideration, based on feedback from stables and riders, the Niigata 2-year-old championship is the priority.

Besides the relatively flat track in Niigata, the already well-known firing range was also a major reason.

In addition, the Niigata U20 Championship rarely sees a full field of runners-up, so there's no need to worry too much about being excluded due to insufficient prize money.

Although Lingju was unable to escape defeat in one battle, the future is still long.

Horses that can win new races at this time can easily handle even the dirt tracks in the center, so owners are not in a hurry to succeed.

After discussions with the stables, it was decided to attempt a match again in mid-August after further training.

Back to the JRA side, Miura's and Kuritō's Strike and Treasure will also depart next week for Treisen on Honshu Island for their race registration.

Thanks to its continued increase in appetite, the treasure, which was originally somewhat thin at the auction, has grown to a weight of 429 kilograms.

The goal is to allow them to graze and recuperate at breeding farms on Honshu Island after passing the gate test, and then return to the stables when they have gained weight naturally.

The field manager readily agreed to the request and recommended Higashiyoshizawa, which was more suitable as a rest and recuperation place than Matsukaze Horse Racing Center, as a place for subsequent adjustments.

Then comes the force of Kuri's entry into the stable.

When it was one year old in the autumn, it weighed less than 410 kilograms, and its body proportions were obviously not harmonious.

From the beginning, the plan was to patiently wait for it to grow and to proceed with training cautiously. Before it even entered the stable, it had already grown into a behemoth weighing nearly 500 kilograms.

Although there has been a significant improvement in the muscles of the fore and hindquarters and the proportions of the horse's body, starting a race with this level of weight will be a considerable burden on the horse's momentum.

Furthermore, based on the growth potential detected by the [detector], after discussing with Master Wada, we will not rush to let him participate in two-year-old horse races.

The plan is to train them at a pace that allows them to win the classic annual prize in the fall of their third year. Whether it's the gate test or the debut battle, they will only start after making full preparations.

As for the Mejiro Ryūzō, a horse breed from the Southern Hemisphere—

Although they will be transported to Honshu Island for race registration, the plan is still for them to return to the racecourse for rest and intensive training afterward.

On this point, I reached a consensus with Professor Ikee a long time ago.

Atalanta, currently a regular starter, will return to the stables in early August to prepare for the team's selected autumn preseason tournament, the Sankei Prize, a 2200-meter turf race similar to the Queen Elizabeth Cup.

Of the two guys who moved from the local area to Uchida stables, Noah, who has been on a good run, will be the one to compete in the CBC Prize Summer Sprint in early August.

As local horse racing, in Japan where sprint races are already rare, the only way to increase prize money is to start working hard during the sweltering summer months.

The saddle was entrusted to Takeshi, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, this combination should continue for a long time.

—And finally, there's that guy Pegasus.

It was a bit of a shame that they couldn't win the race, and they also received feedback from both the local and central stables that "their hindquarters muscles still need improvement."

However, for local transfer horses, JRA's lack of wins is not important in itself; the key is to understand the specific reasons for its failure to win.

In addition to physical conditioning and strengthening, we also considered trying to shorten the distance.

Based on the progress of summer training, the next race will likely be either the Keisei Cup or the Challenge Cup. The overseas owner has already arranged to attend the Kentucky Green Sprint.

Even so, it's impossible for them to make it to the Niigata 2nd Year Championships the following day.

However, considering the subsequent developments within the year, we can only choose the more important former between the two.

In Australia, where horses are owned, Mahana will send detailed weekly reports on the progress of Moonwheel breeding.

—By the way, I want to complain about the pronunciation, which is too difficult for native English speakers.

For the time being, the official naming of the current generation of horses will be based on the theme of festivals. Therefore, several alternative names were proposed to the trainers based on this premise.

Ultimately, the camp chose the Maori festival "Te Matatini" as the name for the Moon Wheel racehorse.

It is said that during this biennial national festival, New Zealand's top Te Matatini teams will gather together for a grand performance that combines action, singing, war dance and traditional instruments.

It is a combination of "mata" (face) and "tini" (numerous) – therefore Te Matatini literally means "numerous faces".

If it's registered in Japan, adding a name would probably exceed the maximum character limit.

However, Australia does not have such a regulation.

For NAR horse owners who are fond of unique names, this might become a major selling point for Australian horse racing.

Riding in the swaying pickup truck, my mood swayed along with it.

After chatting with Asayama in the driver's seat for a few minutes, the topic gradually shifted to the ranch.

Kikuchi, sitting in the back seat, yawned and scrolled through his phone, saying things like, "I've received a lot of electronic resumes again~".

"However, in reality, very few people are willing to apply."

Zepp, who was actually in charge of accepting resumes and applications, shook his head and then sighed.

"How about trying an online interview?"

"But given the nature of this industry, face-to-face communication is definitely better, isn't it?"

"That's true."

"And if it's an online interview, Zepu-kun will have a lot of work to do too."

"I never expected Asayama-kun to be so considerate of me. I'm so touched."

As he said this, the deputy director exaggeratedly wiped away non-existent tears.

Although no one expected that manzai would be brought up at this time, everyone chuckled in response.

The journey home was no different from usual, just a noisy one.

"correct--"

I suddenly remembered something quite important.

"When you get back, remember to remind me to contact Ms. McGiwin and Mr. Oppenheimer in the UK."

As he said this, he also entered a new to-do list into the notes app on his phone.

Registration for this year's Breeders' Cup stallion is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)