Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 372 The Day of Reunion

We arrived at the West Coast of the United States for a layover, and it was past noon.

Nashville International Airport, Tennessee —

Upon arrival in the evening local time, a large electronic billboard in front of me was playing Marriott hotel advertisements on a loop.

Instead of choosing the on-site car rental service at the airport, I opened a ride-hailing app on my phone.

The journey is about 45 miles across state lines.

We took a rental car from the airport, and the car drove along the interstate highway for about forty minutes.

Finally, we arrived at a grass racetrack, a rarity in North America, located on the border between Tennessee and Kentucky.

After getting off the bus, I picked up my luggage and walked to the hotel on the west side of the parking lot.

After checking in and settling my luggage in the room, I asked the staff passing by in the corridor for directions to the meeting room.

A smiling staff member stepped aside, raised his hand, and led the way.

The room I was led to was a Western-style room, equipped with a projector and two square conference tables put together. The west-facing floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the hotel's swimming pool.

If the center of the guest rooms is a Japanese-style room, it is called a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn); if it is a Western-style room, it is called a hotel; and smaller ones are called guesthouses.

Of course, this is only a method of differentiation used within China.

"Long time no see, President Kitano."

One of the people at the table got up and came over, greeting him warmly.

He replied with "Long time no see, Hyunta" and then grasped the hand offered by the rider.

Let's set aside the criticism that they are two Japanese people.

His frameless glasses exude an intellectual air, his hairline seems to be receding upwards, and his muscles are even more muscular.

Because of their light weight, riders are often perceived as thin and weak at first glance.

Of course, such ideas are not very accurate in most cases.

When I first learned that the rider was almost entirely muscle with very little fat, I was inevitably taken aback.

"Maintaining this figure must be even harder than when you were in Japan."

"That's true, but it feels great too."

Shaking his head and smiling, Ochiai stepped aside to give up his seat in front of the conference table.

"Gentlemen, we have limited time."

Reed put down the form he was filling out and shrugged.

"So, how about we get started quickly?"

The projection screen lit up, and the trainer began his explanation in conjunction with the displayed content.

Unlike most racetracks in North America with their oval track designs, Kentucky Meadows Park features a pear-shaped track that is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom.

"We drew the fourth gate out of twelve, which is great!"

With that, Reed stood up and walked to the projection screen.

“But that’s not enough if we want to get a good ranking. We have to attack from the inside from the beginning and take the better route.”

Ochiai's expression turned serious, and as the horse owner, he subconsciously nodded in agreement.

Such a short starting straight line—

This was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the race route for the Kentucky Green Sprint Championship.

The horses will enter the large bend at the bottom of the pear-shaped track almost the second after they leave the gate, which is obviously disadvantageous for horses starting from the outside.

Furthermore, Kentucky Meadows Park is close to Oz's heavy-duty track, and given the reportedly poor condition of the turf, tomorrow's race is expected to be a war of attrition, more like a dirt track than a grass track.

"Stay as close to the railing as possible, and try to get a forward position early in the race, understand?"

"understood."

"Then I have nothing more to say."

The conversation between Reed and Ochiai.

After saying "It's getting late," the trainer grabbed his things and hurriedly left the meeting room.

Besides his good luck next time, two other horses from his stable will be ridden by Ochiai in the Kentucky Meadows race tomorrow—though they are both unclassified races.

Ochiai took off his glasses, then took out a glasses case from his handbag, swapped the glasses in his hand with another pair in the case, and put them back on.

A style suitable for sports.

"So, how's life here?"

After a curious look, the rider smiled and started talking about his experiences in the United States.

"Suddenly arriving in a completely unfamiliar environment can indeed be quite lonely."

"That's exactly what happened."

He nodded in deep agreement.

"But thanks to my girlfriend's constant support, I managed to persevere."

At this point, Ochiai scratched his temple, revealing an embarrassed expression.

"Eh!"

"So, we're getting married at the end of the year."

I was quite surprised.

—It's obvious that he has a girlfriend.

Upon asking, I learned that "girlfriend" was a year younger than Ochiai and they seemed to be childhood friends who had known each other since they were very young.

This means that they've been dating for over ten years.

The riders in front of me, who were about the same age, suddenly seemed to have become a generation older.

"As for the specific wedding date, I'll be angry if you don't invite me."

"Currently, the plan is to hold the wedding in the United States after the Breeders' Cup. In addition to the president, Master Reito must also grace us with his presence."

They chatted as they walked toward the elevator at the end of the corridor.

It is said that from the very beginning of his arrival in the United States, Reed readily gave Loki a lot of riding opportunities in Kentucky.

—Although almost all of them are events outside of the tiered competitions.

"Although I feel I've improved a lot compared to when I was in Japan, I'm still far from being a match for the top fighters in the US—"

"That's too modest."

"No, someone like me can't afford to stop pushing myself."

The elevator doors opened on the gym floor, and Ochiai waved goodbye.

Please take good care of me tomorrow as well.

Before parting, I bowed deeply.

The rider's figure disappeared between the slowly closing elevator doors.

I was once again struck by how reliable he is as a rider, and it was so good to be able to chat with him again after so long.

[What are President Kitano's thoughts on the Niigata 2-year-old S-level tournament?]

After returning to my room, I received a message from Yoshida.

Not far away, a loud voice, seemingly from the Mao Zedong camp, came through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and figures could be seen celebrating enthusiastically on the terrace.

They really have a lot of confidence, don't they?

With that in mind, I typed out the reply word by word.

[Please leave the tactics to you and the rider to decide. I have the same request as for the last competition.]

If possible, please avoid consuming too much horsepower.

After entering this, send the message.

The message was instantly marked as read, and Yoshida replied with a rather solemn tone, "Understood."

The next thing sent was a sticker of my sister squinting at her phone.

(End of this chapter)