Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 353 The Women's Meeting in the Afternoon
The application to purchase the former site of Jincheng Ranch has been officially submitted.

Even with the planned recruitment of new staff, this isn't land that can be managed before winter—

After on-site investigation, the following conclusion was reached.

Nevertheless, the decision to purchase was made after the meeting at the ranch concluded.

Including the purchase procedures, the application process with the Agricultural Commission, and various coordination efforts, the project is expected to officially commence next month.

Adding to the issues with the central horse owners, July, which hasn't even arrived yet, is already predictably busy.

After completing the acquisition of the acquisition team, which included real estate appraisers, it was already afternoon.

He went back to his bedroom, opened the window, loosened his tie, and changed out of his suit.

The cool breeze felt quite comfortable on my sweaty skin, so I let out a sigh.

Hokkaido has entered the most pleasant time of year.

Tourists visiting for sightseeing and educational purposes will probably start to increase around this time, just like in previous years.

As I changed into my casual clothes for the ranch activity and headed to the lounge, something suddenly occurred to me.

There are still unresolved issues on today's agenda.

The creation of the memorial statue was already planned before Sakuya's retirement.

Although it was a project that would obviously cost a lot of money, the members surprisingly did not raise any objections.

Open the refrigerator, pour the barley tea into a glass filled with ice, and then take out your phone.

Because he didn't know much about art, let alone have any connections in the carving world, he originally considered commissioning a local craftsman in Hokkaido.

Then, I received a recommendation for a candidate from a familiar horse owner—

Takashi Yoshida, the renowned sculptor who was responsible for creating the Derby Horse's "Affectionate Heart" and the Triple Crown Horse's "Iron Bird Soaring in the Sky" sculptures.

He placed the cup on the low table, sat cross-legged, swiped the screen, and dialed the number provided by the person he was in contact with.

The person who answered the phone was an assistant or apprentice. After briefly explaining the purpose of the call, the other party politely replied, "Please wait a moment," and then quickly switched to another voice.

A bronze statue that is one-to-one with, or even slightly larger than, Sakuya Haruma.

Faced with such a request, Yoshida readily agreed without much hesitation.

However, the other party then requested that they visit the ranch for an on-site inspection before starting the design.

After reaching a preliminary agreement on the commission, I breathed a sigh of relief and hung up the phone.

—According to the person who provided the phone number, this horse racing sculptor is a rather difficult type to talk to.

Now it seems that's not the case.

Although there is a significant possibility that it's due to Sakuya's side.

Just as I was about to search for Mr. Yoshida's past works, I suddenly stopped.

The top left corner of the phone screen is now always in sight.

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

It was almost time to start the second round of stable inspections, so I stood up with my phone in hand.

He downed the barley tea in one gulp, then sipped the still-wet ice cubes like candy in his mouth. Setting down the hoof trimmer's journal or something similar, Zep looked up with a "Are you a child?" expression.

After giving a thumbs-up, he walked out of the entrance hall.

On the way to the stables, he was also thinking about horse racing.

In the two-year-old category, Baozuo was already able to run a record of 13 seconds and 9 seconds on the Sakamichi track when he was just one year old, which shocked Coach Yoshida.

In contrast, the time taken by the sprinter was 17.6 seconds, which is in line with the expected growth, while the sprinter only managed to get under 17 seconds at the age of two.

but--

There are racehorses that shine brightly from their debut, and there are those that quietly accumulate strength in unnoticed corners; the growth rates of horses and people are different.

Even though Hojo had shown his speed talent early on and his early career path was already set, he still couldn't solve the problem of being bad at the slope.

The next goal is not "to depart from Hokkaido as soon as possible", but rather "how to properly arrange the preparation process before debut".

For horses that successfully debut early and enter the races, the next important thing is to achieve secondary growth as much as possible at some stage.

Early-stage racehorses are inevitably driven at a faster pace, so they need compensatory adjustments at some point in their careers to maintain their long-term viability.

Qualified racehorses tend to prioritize securing early prize money to lay the foundation for racing opportunities after age three, while also allowing time to readjust the parts they rushed to achieve earlier.

First and foremost, it is crucial to ensure that racehorses have a place to "go back to".

During races, horses inevitably experience fatigue and injuries. In order to establish a scientific cycle of "grazing and rest - treatment - return to the racetrack", it is crucial to establish a rest base for racehorses after they leave the training center or racetrack.

While it's called a period of rest and recuperation, if the horses are placed in different pastures each time, the racehorses need to constantly adapt to the new environment, and the staff also need time to familiarize themselves with their temperament. This reduces the efficiency of both rest and treatment.

There are still no resorts on Honshu Island, and the construction of ranches between Sapporo and Hakodate must be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

—More than the satisfaction of building what horse racing commentators call a "world-class rest and recuperation ranch," there is a greater sense of urgency about the future.

Whether you're a horse owner or a breeder, there's still a lot to do this summer.

There is no forced aspect in the development stage, and Yoshida has confirmed that Baozuo is an early debut horse that can be transported before summer. However, if the pressure is too great in the subsequent gate trials and debut process, it may become a step back and a postponement of the race schedule.

Despite the differences in horse prices, pedigrees, breeder experience, and facilities, it is still possible to achieve a level of "best based on the current situation" with sufficient effort.

I walked casually across the gravel path and then entered the stable.

In the two adjacent stables, Tsukikage and Anna were intimately huddled together between the bars, their heads touching, their manes swaying gently with each nod, like high school girls exchanging secrets in a corner of the corridor during recess.

Seemingly hearing the commotion in the corridor, the two fluffy heads, which had been keeping their distance, turned towards each other with gentle eyes that seemed to ask, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Anna patted the heads of the two prospective mothers, and like a puppy, she stuck out her tongue and showed a slightly shy expression.

Moonshadow casually lowered her head to sniff the food trough, then secretly cast a somewhat concerned glance.

"You two have gotten along very well."

Reluctantly withdrawing his palm, he then turned his gaze to Sakuya's stable.

After lingering outside the stables for quite some time, until he unleashed his mint candy trick, the guy who was focused on battling the Slow Food Network finally turned his attention to him.

"Looks like the grazing time needs to be adjusted, Sakuya."

With that, he put the mint back into his pocket.

(End of this chapter)