Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 197 Cherry Blossom Season
The elevator door slid open and Kitano and Katsuki Yoshida shook hands again.

The horse owners who witnessed this scene looked normal, but there was a hint of surprise in their eyes.

The two did not stay at the elevator door and soon went their separate ways, one on the left and the other on the right.

Katsumi Yoshida walked straight to the production representative's area.

Kitano followed the guide and entered the lounge specially prepared for horse owners who wanted to enjoy the cherry blossoms.

On the table in the lounge, the Hanshin Racing Club has thoughtfully prepared lunch boxes for the horse owners.

Even Kitano, who competed as a local horse owner, was no exception.

but--

Upon closer inspection, there were only seven or eight lunch boxes prepared.

After all, nearly half of the horse owners participating in this Sakura Viewing event are club members whose identities are kept secret.

After randomly picking a seat and sitting down, Kitano opened the lid of the wooden lunch box.

The main dish that catches your eye is the red bean rice, which is full of meaning.

Although it looks delicious, the side dishes are mostly light in flavor.

Although it’s not to the point of being unpalatable, it’s hard to leave any impression on people.

After quickly filling their stomachs, several elderly horse owners soon dozed off on the sofa.

Kitano stood up and walked to the window, his eyes cast at the track being prepared.

The first stage of the Three Queens' Crowns - the cherry blossom viewing - has always been known for its suspense.

In the history of the Three Queens’ Crowns, whether it is the Outstanding Mares or the Autumn Flower Award or the old Queen Elizabeth Cup, there have been regrets of popular players being defeated, and there have also been cases of horses that fought for victory in a chaotic manner and then burned out.

Only in the first stage of the Triple Crown, the Sakura Viewing, the results are often highly consistent with the popularity before the game.

What is even more valuable is that among the cherry blossom horse viewing events, there are also many that shine brightly in the ancient horse racing field.

Therefore, the cherry blossom viewing has always been regarded as a stage to announce the top mares of each generation.

From this point of view, Sakura Appreciation and Gaoyue Appreciation, which is also the first stage of the classic battle line, are exactly the opposite of each other.

One of the most popular horses at this year's cherry blossom viewing event is Apricot Aurora, the champion of last year's Hanshin 2-Year-Old Mare Championship.

The second most popular person is Sudis from the Silk Club, who also comes from the club's legal entity.

Atalanta, who has only one grass-court performance and started from the outside gate at number 16, was listed as the sixth most popular player outside the favorite.

In recent years, there has only been one horse that has won the Cherry Blossom Award with the popularity of five outsiders.

The 82nd Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival shines brightly across the world.

The camp also tried to analyze the game at that time, trying to find an opportunity to win by defeating the opponent.

Although Atalanta's legs are too soft, she can't completely replicate the last leg of the big and powerful colt.

However, Master Mashima did find some points worth referring to.

In the 1600-meter race on the Hanshin Outer Circuit, the 200-meter downhill section from the fourth turn to the final straight is usually regarded as a buffer section "before the final battle."

During the 82nd cherry blossom viewing event, this section of road had the shortest passing time in recent years at 11.1 seconds.

He completed the last three waves almost without taking a breath.

The tactics that the faction ultimately adopted were derived from this inspiration:
It's not about running away with all your might from the beginning, but about taking control of the pace and then running at a fast pace throughout the whole race.

Drag the game to a battle of endurance, which is what Atalanta excels at—

This is the best possible development that the camp envisioned.

However, the gate position and track conditions were on the unfavorable side.

By the time we finished our slightly late lunch, the sunlight coming in from the window had become quite strong.

The white clouds are so clearly visible that they seem to emerge from the blue sky, making people feel that "summer is coming soon".

"If only it would rain—"

Although I knew it was impossible, I couldn't help but sigh like that.

He stared out the window for a while before finally looking away. He found a sofa, sat down, and, like the horse owners around him, began to doze off.

I hope I can run a race that shows my strength.

As I thought about it, my eyelids closed unconsciously and I quickly slipped into the abyss of sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was almost time for the competition.

"The owner of the North Wild Horse."

The gentle voice barely reached my ears.

They are the staff who came to gather the horse owners.

Most of the horse owners around were stretching slowly, and Kitano yawned out of infection when he stood up.

"Sorry to trouble you."

After saying this to the staff member next to him, he lowered his head to look at his watch.

The time was exactly 3 p.m.

So Kitano followed the footsteps of other horse owners and slowly walked towards the elevator to the reviewing ground.

The owner's reviewing area is designed with all seats similar to the Oi.

If the people in the first row were a little taller, they wouldn't be able to see anything behind them.

So, having learned from his previous experience, Kitano walked straight past the audience seats and headed towards the door of the preparation room.

The afternoon was hot as in summer, and even standing in the shade I soon felt thirsty.

So I unscrewed the bottle cap and drank the green tea that came with my lunch.

Wu Feng, wearing the famous general's peach-sleeved and green-peach-lined victory uniform, was the first to walk out of the preparation room.

"Good afternoon, President Kitano."

The rider greeted me with a smile while adjusting the elastic strap of his helmet.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Feng."

Kitano nodded slightly in greeting, and out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a figure in white and green deciding suit jogging out of the preparation room.

So, after a brief farewell to Wu Feng, he returned to the riders in his own camp.

"Please, today too."

Kitano bent down and bowed, and Sasagawa opposite him also lowered his head.

"Ata-chan is in good shape and was able to control the tempo smoothly during the chase last week."

"That's great."

Although a great battle was ahead, the two men's tone was not overly heavy.

In the last match of the Kisaragi Sho, when Atalanta stubbornly withstood the pressure from behind and escaped to win, Kitano thought, "This kid has grown to this level," and a feeling of anticipation emerged in his heart.

Turning his gaze towards the parade track, he soon spotted Atalanta, who was noticeably smaller than the other horses.

The chestnut horse's head was still fully armed with various horse harnesses.

Compared with the apricot-colored Aurora in front, Atalanta, which is obviously smaller in size, looks like a two-year-old horse that accidentally stumbled into the classic battle line.

This is also one of the reasons why the camp insisted on the vanguard strategy after careful consideration.

After entering the third year of life, when growth might resume, Atalanta's body had not changed much.

The only consolation is that my originally uncontrollable temper has finally become a little calmer.

However, it is still quite difficult.

Watching the chestnut-haired horse walk towards the track, Kitano slowly lowered his raised head.

"It must go smoothly."

I unconsciously clenched my fingertips.

　Chapter 2: Late
　　
　
(End of this chapter)