Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 99 Game Day

The time soon came to October 2st.

Perhaps because of the festival, there are a lot more foreign tourists on the streets of Riyadh than a few days ago.

"Valentine's Day" is widely known in Christian countries as a day for giving gifts to important people.

Later, this custom was introduced to Japan.

In recent years, for some reason, it has become a day for girls to give chocolates to boys.

However, the foreign tourists walking through the streets of Riyadh may also be visiting the city for other purposes.

The Saudi Cup competition day with a total prize of 30 million US dollars is also held today.

Because there were no training or interviews scheduled in the morning, the six people in the camp got up a little late.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Kitano slowly came to the hotel restaurant.

Kanna Ogawa sat at the table next to her, pouring white condensed milk into her green tea.

It was not until Kitano, who was watching from the sidelines, felt a faint phantom pain in his teeth that the girl reluctantly put down the can of condensed milk.

"Want some?"

Ogawa Kana raised her head and asked.

The girl was wearing the black dress she wore on the day of her departure, with an exquisite bow at the neckline.

"no need."

Kitano quickly shook his head and sat down opposite Ogawa Kanna with his coffee and a grilled meat roll called "Shawarma".

He chewed the meat roll in small bites, taking a sip of coffee from time to time to help him swallow.

As match point approached, Kitano was calmer than expected.

You won't be so excited that you can't sleep all night like you were at the beginning, nor will you allow unnecessary anxiety to spread.

He swallowed the last bite of the meat roll, wiped his fingertips and took out his phone.

I replied to the blessing messages sent by the relatives one by one, and then started planning today's itinerary.

As the camp's accompanying veterinarian, he will contact Saudi Arabian horse welfare officials before the race and submit to them the feed formula list and feeding records since he moved into the hospitality stable.

In addition, since she was selected to collect urine after the game, it is also necessary to ensure that Sakuya Mejiro has enough water today to facilitate sample collection.

After that, there are matters concerning the horse owners.

There was still a lot to worry about until 4:20 p.m., when the competition officially started.

He sighed somewhat heavily.

"Mr. Kitano has done well enough, hasn't he?"

While stirring the green tea whose original color could no longer be seen, Ogawa Kana spoke lazily.

"I'm not just lamenting that there's so much to do today."

Kitano held the slightly hot Fenyang cup in his hand.

This small ceramic cup has no handle and is decorated with geometric patterns with Arabic characteristics.

The rich aroma of spicy and caramel soon wafted through my nose.

Taking their eyes away from the blurry mist, they both raised their heads at the same time.

It was the same tired yet powerful gaze.

"Ah, I see."

Ogawa Kana suddenly nodded.

"'We must win this game,' that's what Mr. Kitano's eyes said."

The girl deliberately lowered her voice and imitated the man's tone.

"If you can really tell so much from someone's eyes, it's like being able to read their minds."

Kitano smiled and shook his head.

"So, Mr. Kitano has tacitly agreed to win the game?"

Ogawa Kana covered her mouth and let out a wicked laugh, "Hehehe."

"There is no such thing."

Although he still had a smile on his face, Kitano's gaze was changing unconsciously.

Even if you put in the effort, the rewards are not to be taken for granted.

This is common knowledge in horse racing, and indeed in most competitive sports. Kitano is keenly aware of this.

Even so, I still give it my all.

It's not about competing to win.

But to win in the game.

He enjoyed the resonance between man and horse at extreme speed.

"But it would be nice if we could win."

A few hours later, under the lights of King Abdulaziz Stadium, the answer was revealed.

Before that, you need enough patience.

If you enter the competition with this idea in mind, you may reap unexpected results.

After breakfast, Kitano walked out of the hotel.

Through the gaps in the tall buildings, you can clearly see the crimson fireball rising from the other side of the horizon.

The sky seemed very close.

Standing on the streets of Riyadh, the wind blowing towards me is mixed with the scent of summer.

The subtle heat makes it hard to breathe.

Kitano couldn't help but start to worry about the afternoon game.

It's not about worrying about the game itself, but about the situation outside the field.

Thoroughbred horses are not good at handling high temperatures and have difficulty performing at their best in overly hot weather.

In cases of lameness, the effects of high temperatures may become more pronounced.

"We can't be careless about heatstroke prevention."

In addition to the prepared ice packs, you also need to find ways to prepare other heatstroke prevention measures.

Thinking this, I took a step forward.

Then, the morning work began.

The negotiation process with local horse racing welfare officials can be described as a long tug-of-war.

Even if all the formalities are complete, the other party will still cause a lot of trouble.

It was not until 11 o'clock, almost an hour later than expected, that Kitano arrived at the reception stable at the meeting point.

While humming a little tune, Ogawa Masaru bent down and braided Mejiro Sakuya's hair with a pink ribbon.

The huge deer-haired horse stood still obediently, allowing the young man to play with the hair on its neck.

Zep was kneeling on the ground with his butt sticking up, repeatedly measuring something on the horse's hooves with an instrument he couldn't name.

Standing far away outside the stable, Kitano did not go forward to disturb the two of them.

Trainers and stable boys from JRA also rushed to the stables one after another.

The empty stables, which were originally a mixture of Japanese and English, were gradually filled with the sound of Japanese.

On the day of the Saudi Cup, there were a total of 19 runners from Japan.

JRA18 head, NAR1 head.

"Finish!"

After tying the last bunch of mane into a bow, Ogawa Masaru stood up and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"I have no problem here either!"

After checking the horseshoe's condition for the last time, the German farrier made an "OK" gesture.

After packing up their tools, the two walked out of the stable.

At this moment, a local stable boy passing by stopped.

After checking the pass hanging on Zep's chest for a few seconds, the local stable boy said something in English with an Arabic accent.

"It's best to change into formal attire. Is it okay if you don't?"

Zep looked down at his short-sleeved shirt and shorts, scratched his head and asked.

"Try to dress formally. Okay, okay, I get it."

After the stable boy left, the German hoof trimmer said in Japanese with a frustrated look on his face, "What a nosy Arab!"

(End of this chapter)