Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 9 Before the Beginning

On the night of the 22nd, Kitano suffered from insomnia for the first time in a long time.

The last time I was that nervous was the day I got my veterinary license.

Ever since he learned the results of the gate position lottery from Master Tanaka a few days ago, his thoughts have been spreading like weeds.

Closing his eyes, Kitano repeatedly reminded himself: If he continued to stay up late, his hairline would sooner or later become higher than those guys in the medical department.

Calm soon returned to the bedroom.

Ten minutes later, Kitano opened his eyes again.

Although he knew that in this situation, pouring a glass of warm water, taking a sleeping pill and continuing to sleep was undoubtedly the most sensible choice, he still picked up the mobile phone under the pillow.

The bright light from the screen made Kitano squint subconsciously.

To protect your eyes, turn on your bedside lamp.

It’s not good to play with your phone while lying down.

Then, sit up.

As a result, the sleepiness that was not much to begin with completely disappeared.

He suddenly felt an urge to say something.

Open the software named "X".

An update notification popped up.

Taking advantage of the gap between software updates, Kitano struggled to think about the content of the tweet.

He is not the kind of person who would casually show his life on social platforms.

There is nothing outstanding in the writing style.

I can't be like other horse owners who naturally type out a long list of words of outlook or expectation before the race starts.

Kitano had no idea what was going on until the screen slowly dimmed.

“How do I become a qualified horse owner?”

Finally, he wrote down his questions.

As a new horse owner in the first episode, he really wanted answers.

Click Send.

Although it was already late at night, the tweet quickly received likes.

In addition to his university mentors and alumni, many livestock industry workers and people associated with the Veterinary Association are also following his account.

Occasionally, he would answer medical questions about livestock on "X".

It seems that this has helped it gain a certain amount of fans among breeders and veterinary students.

But Kitano had no intention of using this to expand his fame, and even the personal profile section was left blank, just like when he first registered.

Apart from the casual likes, the tweet itself quickly fell silent.

The few sporadic replies were just words of envy or compliments from younger students who were staying up late to their seniors.

Kitano suddenly felt a little sleepy.

Just as I was about to lie back down on the bed, a notification popped up in the background indicating that a reply had been received.

That was a slightly long tweet.

@seiun0005: From a horse owner's perspective, as long as they have money, that's all they need, right? (Laughs) But going the extra mile and becoming a "qualified horse owner" can get quite difficult. It's not just the racehorses themselves, but also the farms, riders, trainers, stablehands, farriers, and even the fans. Just figuring out how to interact with all these different people with different needs can be quite a challenge.

Judging from the profile picture, he is obviously an old man.

It's amazing that you can stay up so late.

“So how do you behave like a proper horse owner on race day?”

With an attitude of humbly asking questions, Kitano continued to ask questions under the tweet.

The reply came quickly.

@seiun0005: My father, when he was still alive, always taught me to respect the game itself. If I don't have too many ideas, how about trying to approach it as seriously as possible?

After thanking the old man, Kitano lay back down on the bed.

"Are you serious?"

The time was 4:53 a.m. the next day. Ochiai opened his eyes before the alarm clock went off.

Local riders generally don't have to worry about oversleeping and missing a race like their counterparts in the central region.

But he would still set the alarm for 5 a.m. on game days.

Then wake up earlier than the alarm clock.

I stood in front of the mirror, squeezed the toothpaste, and my brain, which had just started working again, immediately started thinking about today's game.

The first race was a two-year-old mixed race that started at 2:35 p.m. The horse on hand was a slightly lazy type.

The distance is exactly one thousand meters. If you don't have an advantage in the gate position, you may have to whip it early and put some pressure on it.

Then comes the second race limited to two-year-old mares.

The race distance is longer, 1,100 meters, and the gate position is the outermost ten.

The horse has a strong fighting spirit, but its strength is not outstanding.

After discussing with trainer Hiroyuki Oguni, the result was to adopt a slightly more radical strategy.

The third race is also a battle for two-year-old horses. The distance is one thousand meters and the gate position is six on the outside of the middle.

There is nothing to worry about regarding the horse itself. In fact, its level of training is even better than many neglected three-year-old horses.

However, its strength is not outstanding and its physical growth is not as good as expected.

When assigned to such a gate position, you have to be extremely alert at the beginning.

If you are delayed by the horses squeezing in from both sides when leaving the gate, you may suffer a crushing defeat.

After ensuring that all nine games of the day had been played through, the fourth, fifth, and sixth games, Ochiai's attention finally returned to reality.

The foam in the mouth has been reduced to an unnoticeable level.

After spitting out the remaining foam, he quickly wiped his face with a towel that was not yet completely wet.

I ate the vegetarian sandwich with half a glass of ice water.

Then, the morning exercise began.

During the break, Ochiai was browsing his phone.

His homepage mostly contains information related to horse racing.

I also forwarded my idol Andohara Rider's derby prediction.

After taking a shower, he changed into a black sportswear that looked somewhat serious.

Then he put on a black windbreaker.

Before going out, he checked his shoelaces meticulously.

Such attire often attracts ridicule from colleagues.

Even the riders at the central station dressed quite casually before officially starting their shift.

Many people even went out in slippers.

Changing several sets of clothes is a complete waste of trouble.

From this point of view, local riders who only need to wear the same winning uniform even when running several races in a row will occasionally attract the envy of their colleagues at the central level.

Picking up his handbag, Ochiai walked out of the rider's dormitory.

Riding on a bicycle, the distance to the race track, which was not very long to begin with, was reached in the blink of an eye.

After changing his equipment and briefly greeting the staff in front of the preparation room, Ochiai chose a place where he would not be easily disturbed and sat down.

Although some people choose to relieve stress or pass the time by chatting, he is not that type.

When the time for the competition came, riders in various winning uniforms stood up one after another and began to move towards the reviewing ground.

Ochiai's yellow and black victory suit was also mixed in.

Amidst the live footage and the sound of shutter clicks, he jumped onto the horse's back.

Feeling the bumps coming from below his body, Ochiai pursed his lips tightly.

The game is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)