Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 294 The Horse Breeder's Year-End Party

The next few days passed peacefully for the time being.

In late November, Mejiro Ranch becomes the venue for a year-end party.

Besides Mejiro, the Nishiken family includes Ogawa and his daughter, the newly born Kimura, and even Sugiyama from the Meiji era.

"excuse me--"

Such a greeting came from the entrance hall, followed by the sounds of shoes being taken off and coats being changed.

"Is it alright to include me, a guy from Fukawa, in Hidaka's gathering?"

Kimura shook the liter of sake in his hand and asked with a smile.

"Mr. Sugiyama will be angry if he hears this."

The paper sliding door at the end of the corridor echoed with the voice saying, "I am a native of Gifu."

"In any case, please come in quickly."

The corridor shimmered in the setting sun.

On the other side of the paper sliding door, another burst of laughter erupted.

Upon opening the paper door, representatives from various ranches were already sitting in a circle on the tatami mats, making the eight-tatami room seem a bit cramped.

In the center of the room were three low tables pushed together, covered with drinks and snacks.

"Oh dear, Mr. Kimura is here."

"We've finally arrived. Fuchuan is really far away."

Ogawa Takeru, his face flushed from drinking, staggered to his feet, while Sugiyama raised his glass in a toast from his seat.

"It's really lively."

While greeting him, Kimura placed the sake, a souvenir, on the table.

"Oh, it's Otokoyama!"

As he spoke, Ogawa Takeshi eagerly picked up his wine glass.

"It would be better to exercise a little more restraint, Father."

Kanna Ogawa wore a gentle smile.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Looking at Ogawa Takeru, who obediently put his wine glass away, Kimura said this with a smile.

After a few jokes, everyone quickly started talking about horse racing.

"For children born in May, this door is indeed a bit of a stretch."

"How about trying to send it to a racetrack in Iwate or Nagoya?"

"But Menbie has its advantages after all. Whether it's training or the level of competition for two-year-olds, it's a level above other places."

"That's true, we really have to make choices."

At this point, Kimura turned his head and looked over.

"If it were Kitano-kun, he probably wouldn't have such worries."

"After all, trainers would love to receive a request from Meguro."

Even Sugiyama joined in the joke.

"Oh, not at all, I was just lucky."

Even if it's just a compliment, receiving positive feedback is still gratifying.

"That kid still hasn't escaped the 'unbeaten' phase, but the trainer's feedback is rather positive, like 'with a little more effort, he should be able to do it.'"

"If that's the case, then it's fine to keep going. Starting to exert oneself at three years old is still considered early for muddy fields."

When talking about the two-year-old sama who debuted this year, Kitano only used a few simple sentences.

Despite successfully escaping the unwinners group in the first race, the owner did not want to put too much pressure on Noah.

Hattori's side also gave feedback such as "we need to accumulate and be patient more at this stage".

After discussing with the stables, it was decided to postpone the competition until January or February of the following year, depending on the situation.

The rest of the year will be spent in Saga, where the facilities will be utilized to conduct gradual training.

"It would be great if we had an indoor training facility—"

As soon as he said that, the other horse breeders looked at him with expressions that seemed to say, "Are we starting again?" "Just kidding, I'm penniless now."

More importantly, apart from the reserved stallion warehouse, there is not much room left for the ranch to be renovated.

There's no immediate plan to expand the ranch.

Resist the urge to poke it with chopsticks, and carefully and slowly pick up the small sausage and put it in your mouth.

"The terrain in the muddy area is quite good lately, so the auction next year should also have a good sales rate."

slide.

"The stud fees for stallions have also gone up."

After repeating the process several times, I finally managed to pick up the small sausage that had circled the table a few times.

"Moreover, the cost of breeding is constantly increasing, and the price of fodder will most likely rise again next year, which is really a headache."

Just as it was getting close to my mouth, the little sausage slipped out of my chopsticks again.

"However, the auction prices are also rising, so I'm on the more optimistic side."

He reached out with his chopsticks again.

"It's true that breeding stallions is still very important. The breeding fees for muddy terrain will increase significantly next year."

slide--

"How about staying young forever? With the same breeding fee, you should be the most famous mud track athlete, right?"

In the end, I poked it with chopsticks.

"It's unimaginable what the future holds for foals that seem to stay young forever. Early-stage stallions always present such an unpredictable choice."

He chewed the small sausage in his mouth in a fit of rage, but finally turned his attention back to the conversation in front of him.

"That's the charm of the first-year male stallion. On the other hand, even if it's an unpopular option, you have to give it a try if the combination is right."

Kimura shook his head and said those words in a very serious tone.

That suits his style quite well.

"Thanks to Kitano-kun, we've obtained a few rare breeding rights. We'll have to make good use of them next year."

"Landmark-patterned foals are very popular in Hokkaido, they'll definitely be in high demand!"

"So in order to keep up with the trend, we have to arrange for mares to be bred with these types of stallions as much as possible."

As he said this, Ogawa Takeshi looked regretful.

"The combination of short-distance grazing stallions and muddy mares won't sell, old man."

After exchanging a glance, Kanna Ogawa frowned and gave him this look.

On the other side, Kimura scrolled through his phone, introducing his recent finds in Keenland to those on either side.

Sugiyama nodded, seemingly deep in thought, while muttering something like, "So this is the kind of mares that are used to breed with mud-breeding stallions—"

With his sleeves rolled up, Kimura poured himself another cup of sake with a flourish.

"Although we may increase the proportion of muddy fields next year, we also need to work harder on the grasslands!"

Then, he turned his head and looked this way.

"As for Kitano-kun, after all, you're the main character among us."

The gazes on their faces suddenly became intense.

The members of the commune not far away adopted a spectator's stance, as if they were watching a spectacle.

Golden Horn —

Upon hearing this name, Ogawa Takeshi and Kimura, who had been smiling, were stunned on the spot, while Sugiyama stared wide-eyed with an incredulous expression.

Even Kanna Ogawa slowly opened her mouth wide, giving her a look that seemed to say, "Are you crazy?"

"Eh--"

After a moment of silence, the area in front of the low table descended into complete chaos.

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"While it is certainly a prerequisite that horse racing is first and foremost a sport of pedigree, I believe that everything must begin with breeding horses that are strong and capable of withstanding training, so we must proceed step by step in a solid manner."

—Yoshiaki Aoki, a researcher of horse racing pedigree and pairing
(End of this chapter)