Chapter 47: Two-Horse Lineup
After returning home, Kitano received a call from Trainer Tanaka.
He wanted to discuss Mejiro Sakiya's next race soon.
Kitano readily agreed and scheduled the meeting for the following morning.
It happened to be Sunday, a day when the clinic was closed.
The next morning, Kitano arrived at the Monbetsu stable next to the racecourse at the appointed time.
As he approached Tanaka Stable, Kobayashi was waving a broom to drive away rows of crows perched on the water pipes.
It seemed he had tried several times without success.
"Let me try."
Another tall, thin Groom took the broom, stepped onto a stool, and swatted a few times unsteadily.
The crows cawed and took flight, flapping their wings.
Before they could celebrate for long, the black figures circled in the air a few times and quickly returned to their spots above the water pipes.
"Caw— Caw—"
As if mocking the incompetence of the humans below, the crows let out a chorus of cries.
Even though the early summer breeding season had passed, the crows in Liusha County were still making quite a racket.
"It seems we'll have to install some protective measures."
Tanaka could only silently add another expense to the stable's budget.
Then, he noticed Kitano nearby, watching with a curious gaze.
"Good morning, Mr. Kitano."
With a slightly apologetic look on his face, Tanaka jogged over to greet him.
Following behind were Kobayashi and the other tall Groom, their heads bowed like elementary school students who had done something wrong.
"Good morning, everyone."
Kitano looked away from the crows and greeted the three of them with a smile.
"Sorry, please come inside to talk."
Tanaka said, pointing toward the stalls.
As they entered the stalls, the temperature seemed to jump several degrees instantly.
Even with the fans running at full speed, the stifling heat showed no sign of dissipating.
Most of the racehorses in the stable looked listless.
"At first, I thought about spraying water to lower the temperature, but I didn't expect it to make things even hotter."
As they walked, Tanaka shook his head while explaining the situation in the stable.
"After that, I tried placing ice blocks in front of the fans, but it didn't seem to do much."
To lower the temperature in the stable, he had tried many methods he'd learned online.
But so far, except for the trick of sinking chilled mineral water bottles into the troughs, none of the other methods seemed to work.
"Spraying water probably didn't work because the humidity is too high... How about trying to hang some tarps on the windward side to funnel the breeze in?"
Glancing up at the sensor hanging on the wall, Kitano suggested.
"Tarps... will that work?"
Tanaka paused for a moment and asked uncertainly.
"It should lower the perceived temperature by about two or three degrees."
Kitano replied, also sounding somewhat unsure.
It was just a folk remedy he had heard from a few livestock farmers.
"Let's give it a try then."
Taking off his helmet to fan himself, Tanaka added another item to the expenses.
Anyway, it wouldn't cost much.
Passing through the narrow stalls, they reached the washroom area.
Large patches of mottled green stains spread along the edges of the partitions.
All three washrooms were occupied, with the racehorses sticking out their tongues and enjoying the hard-won coolness of summer.
Finally, they arrived at the somewhat cramped staff lounge.
Taking several cans of oolong tea from a small refrigerator, Tanaka handed one to Kitano.
A synchronized sound of cans opening rang out.
Immediately after, there was a synchronized sigh.
After that, Tanaka pulled out an entry form.
"With Mejiro Sakiya's ability, she should be able to try this race."
He said.
Then, he handed the entry form to Kitano.
"Next Star Monbetsu... a first-place prize of ten million yen?"
Kitano looked up in surprise.
He had thought Tanaka's words after the debut race were just polite talk.
Now it seemed the other party was truly considering entering Mejiro Sakiya into a Graded Race.
"That's right. I think Mejiro Sakiya has a good chance of securing a decent rank."
Tanaka nodded with a smile.
"Also, Pegasus should probably give it a try as well."
After a moment's hesitation, he continued.
Initially, he hadn't paid much attention to these two racehorses with the Mejiro prefix.
It could even be said that taking them into the stable was just a whim.
But looking at them now, these two horses are already like standouts among the two-year-olds in Tanaka's stable.
Repeatedly cycling through various Maiden Races is the norm for most two-year-olds.
"Will it work?"
The joy of having a chance to run in a Graded Race lasted only a brief moment before Kitano quickly regained his composure.
Factors such as the horse's own strength, eligibility, condition, and fatigue level all had to be considered.
"No problem. The 1,200-meter distance is well within their range. Both Pegasus and Sakiya should be able to perform well."
Tanaka nodded.
"What about eligibility? Is it okay that Sakiya has only won one Newcomers' Race?"
Kitano asked, still feeling a bit uneasy.
He vaguely remembered that for most Graded Races, aside from priority entry from Trial Races, entries should be ranked by prize money.
"Leave that to me. Eligibility for both horses won't be a problem."
Patting him on the shoulder with a smile, Tanaka replied.
There aren't any overly strict regulations for entering local Graded Races.
There's even a certain tacit understanding among Trainers, effectively dividing up the entry slots for Graded Races.
Last year, because he didn't have any strong two-year-olds on hand, Tanaka simply gave up the entry opportunity for this [Next Star Monbetsu].
In exchange, he earned a favor from his senior, Trainer Kadokawa.
The other party sent out three horses at once, including one favorite.
Although the results weren't very ideal.
This year, he intended to field a two-horse lineup for this race.
Both Mejiro Pegasus and Mejiro Sakiya have good competitiveness among their peers.
However, the premise was that Kitano, as the Horse Owner, had to give his nod of approval.
"I see—"
Having resolved the eligibility issue, Kitano began considering the condition of the horses themselves.
A month's time would be enough for Mejiro Sakiya to adjust to racing condition.
Although Mejiro Pegasus was a bit tired, recovering shouldn't be a problem.
There was plenty of time.
Besides, the fifty-thousand-yen-per-kilogram bedding underfoot should be of some help.
But there was one more issue.
"Both Pegasus and Sakiya currently have Ochiai Jockey as their main rider. What happens if both horses race at the same time?"
Kitano raised his final concern.
"How about Jockey Hattori Shigeru? His skills are quite good, and he has a certain rapport with Genta."
Tanaka took the opportunity to recommend another main Jockey from his stable.
"Jockey Hattori?"
Kitano frowned slightly as he considered it.
In his memory, he was indeed a very experienced Jockey.
"Then, I have no problem with that."
He nodded.