Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 90 The Wind Rises

There was a slight pain deep in his eyes, and Kitano's eyelids twitched.

On the other side of the glass window, the afternoon sky of Shinagawa was cut vertically into long and thin strips.

Outside the blinds, the winter sun wasn't very hot.

But it's still a bit dazzling.

I picked up my phone and the time displayed on the screen was 1pm.

Still quite a bit of room.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

The scheduled flight will depart at 5:00 in the evening.

Then, it arrived at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport at exactly 11:00 a.m. local Saudi time.

At the stables, Ogawa Katsu had already set off earlier with the horse carriage.

The rest of the expedition will meet at Haneda Airport and board the same flight to the Middle East.

I lifted the quilt and could clearly feel the drop in body temperature.

Even in February, it's still cold enough to wear just socks.

However, this is not the case after arriving in Saudi Arabia.

The clothes in the backpack are mostly summer styles.

Although it is still early, it is indeed the season when the heat starts to set in in the Middle East.

After stamping his feet to wash his face and shaving, he hesitantly patted the toner he had just bought that morning onto his face.

This is the style recommended by Kanna Ogawa.

It is said to be quite popular among those born in their twenties after the millennium.

Perhaps because he is a member of the "enlightenment generation", Kitano hardly ever uses lotion.

In his opinion, this can be regarded as a "luxury" that is linked to waste.

And by 2026, won’t the so-called “millennial generation” also be entering their 30s?
Looking at the somewhat cramped makeup mirror in the hotel bathroom, a corner of my mind had some vague thoughts.

Then, I used some hairspray to style my hair.

The so-called "casual" means making the face that looks relaxed after waking up a little tighter.

Before going out, I put on a casual suit of an unidentified brand recommended by Dr. Kobayashi.

It is an off-white style.

The tie was chosen to be a slightly darker dark green than the winning suit.

I picked up the suitcase by the door and set off.

It contains various certifications including international health certificates and vaccination records.

On the way to the airport, the sky outside the car window looked out of reach.

Driving over the viaduct, the azure blue sea and soft yellow light flow around Keihin Island.

The air conditioner in the car blew a drowsy warm breeze.

"Sakuya should have arrived at the airport by now, right?"

A long cloud of airplanes passed by the end of his sight, and Kitano couldn't help but think.

At the last weighing, it had reached 503 kilograms, a huge number for a mare.

However, after transportation, the weight will likely drop by five to ten kilograms.

The energy accumulated in advance is precisely to cope with such consumption.

On the part of Master Arashiyama, he focused on training Mejiro Sakuya's hind limb muscles.

Mejiro Sakuya, who made her debut by running on a sand track in Menbie, has developed well-developed forelimbs.

But for various reasons, the hind limbs are relatively weak.

The Middle East is a mixed track between grass and mud, which requires the use of the upper hind limbs.

"Like a little chestnut hat that just arrived at the center, exert force lightly."

This is the Saudi Derby run chosen by the trainer in consultation with the rider.

Just like in previous races, the strategy was to stay in the back of the pack, around seventh or eighth place – a conservative approach. In fact, there weren't many other running options available.

Due to the lack of neuronal inhibition function, Sakuya's right hind leg's reaction is inherently half a beat slower than other racehorses.

Even Kitano's conservative treatment plan and Zep's horseshoe improvement could not make up for the disadvantage in the starting phase.

The strengthening of the hind limb muscles is also a very slow progress.

Taking into account the condition of the lame mare Mejiro Sakuya, Arashiyama did not put too much pressure on her in training, but carefully controlled the amount of training while ensuring her health.

Typically, it's only about one-half to two-thirds of the other horses in the stable.

If the goal is transformational growth, one month is too short.

Even though I did a lot, it felt like I didn't do anything.

This is Kitano’s biggest feeling after a busy January.

After each training session, we receive feedback from the riders in Hotan.

But most of them are vague expressions like "feels good" or "feels good on the back".

I wondered if there was anything the riders were not comfortable saying, so I took some time out from the duties of the owner and veterinarian to observe the training at Kobayashi Ranch.

Although I concluded that "it seems okay" through visual observation, I still asked the trainer Huangshan about it with some concerns.

"There is absolutely no problem. The spirits of man and horse are in a highly compatible state."

This was the response I received from Master Huangshan, who had a tense face.

After the training, the Hotan rider gave a brief impression of "not bad" as usual.

So we just let the trainer and rider do their best.

As for the extent of the conversion, even Kitano, the horse owner, is not quite sure.

Racehorses are not machines, they are living creatures.

The upward arrows on the panel represent the hard work of humans and horses over the past thirty days.

Whether in terms of strength or overseas experience, they are far inferior to the strong people from all over the world.

You must put in far more effort than your opponent—

This is the only weapon possessed by the expedition group, dubbed the "Mejiro Tour Group" by the outside world.

He curled his fingertips in his knees and took a breath of warm air in his throat.

The glass windows reflected the cracks in the white clouds, and the outline of the airport gradually enlarged in the sight.

Haneda Airport, the meeting point, is right in front of us.

When I opened the car door, the wind blowing towards me didn't seem to be cold anymore.

In another month, it will be the season when cherry blossoms bloom.

With a vague longing for the future, Kitano picked up his suitcase and joined the surging crowd.

Half an hour before boarding, we successfully met up with the other members of the expedition team.

Whether it was Huangshan or Hotan, they were all wearing black suits that looked quite serious.

Even Zep was dressed the same way.

Kana Ogawa, who was standing next to her, was wearing sunglasses that covered most of her face. Her dress was also black.

On the contrary, Kitano, the horse owner, seemed a little out of place.

Will they really not be considered as a gang?
With this question in mind, he quickly walked towards the expedition group's location.

Sure enough, the staff member next to him gave him a wary look.

"Feel sorry."

Kitano spoke with a stiff expression, not knowing whether he was addressing the people in front of him or the staff not far away.

About thirty minutes later, the huge fuselage began to move slowly on the runway.

With the sea breeze as its messenger, the seeds of the tea flower drifted to the kingdom of the corona.

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(End of this chapter)