The Limping Queen

"So, the dam's sire should be Tanino Gimlet, right?"

Kitano recalled the relevant bloodlines in his mind.

Tracing further back, there was Brian's Time, the major stallion imported from the United States.

It was rare for the maternal line to have nothing to do with Sunday Silence.

"That's right, that's right. I didn't expect Mr. Kitano to have such a deep understanding of this bloodline."

Kimura smiled as he flattered him.

"I wouldn't call it research. I just happened to know about it."

Kitano shook his head lightly and turned his gaze to the chestnut horse.

At that moment, the chestnut mare, which had been grazing with her head lowered, happened to raise her head as well.

The chestnut mare's muscles flowed smoothly where her waist connected to her hindquarters. Her back was straight, without any obvious dips, while her gluteal and biceps femoris muscles were developed to a normal degree.

Her front fetlocks and legs were proportionate, but her hooves were somewhat narrow and pointed. Her leg muscles were slender, and she was relatively small-framed.

Without using the [Detector], Kitano completed his assessment through experience alone.

"This horse should be more suited to turf, right?"

he asked.

"That's right. We're indeed looking forward to her performance on turf."

Kimura nodded and pointed at the chestnut mare. "Her sire, London Tower, performed quite well in short-distance turf races. Combined with the explosiveness passed down from her dam's sire, this filly might one day recreate her father's achievements."

"Bloodline matching—what theory is behind that?"

Kitano turned curiously to the matching theory Kimura had mentioned.

"Well... broadly speaking, it's about balance."

After considering it for a moment, Kimura spoke slowly.

"You breed a smaller stallion with a larger mare, or a horse with a stiffer body but excellent hooves with one that has a supple body but fragile hooves. That way, they might inherit the shared advantages of both parents."

"But couldn't they also inherit the shared disadvantages of both parents?"

Kitano asked with a frown.

"That's why horse racing has been a constant gamble from the very beginning!"

Kimura's expression became somewhat serious.

"How about that? Doesn't it suddenly sound philosophical? It took me quite some effort to come up with that line!"

He laughed again and patted Kitano on the shoulder.

"Come on, let's see what you think of this one."

Kimura stroked the bay horse peering out over the edge of the fence.

"Her sire is Four-Wheel Drive from the United States, and her dam's sire is Afleet from Canada. There's no need to say anything about the Prospector line's dirt-track record."

Kitano bent down and examined the bay mare's hooves.

Her hoof walls were indeed somewhat thicker than those of ordinary racehorses, while her soles were also broad and round.

Her physique was likewise a robust build that perfectly fit the standard for a dirt horse.

Even without careful measurements, one could tell with the naked eye that the explosive muscle groups in her hindquarters were exceptionally developed, enough to make one instinctively overlook the fact that she was only a two-year-old filly.

Combined with her pedigree, this horse's potential on dirt was absolutely worth anticipating.

"Even if she were put up at the Select Sale in a few days, she shouldn't lack buyers, should she?"

Kitano stood and turned to ask.

He did not believe a foal of this caliber would end up in a private sale at the farm.

"You'll understand after taking another look."

Kimura took out a carrot stick and waved it before the bay mare's eyes.

"Come here, Resistance Queen."

The bay mare called Resistance Queen instantly had her attention drawn to the carrot and obediently started walking over.

"Stringhalt."

Kitano softly uttered the word.

As she walked, Resistance Queen's right hind leg would often lift high into the air beyond her control.

"That's right. She's lame."

Kimura smiled helplessly.

Stringhalt was caused by a loss of inhibitory function in the interneurons of spinal cord segments L4-S2, resulting in abnormal contractions of the EDL and TA muscles controlled by the peroneal nerve, causing the hind limbs to display excessively high leg lifting.

For a speed racehorse, such a defect was nearly fatal.

To maintain balance, an affected horse's forelimbs suffered landing impacts fifteen to twenty percent greater than those of a normal racehorse, and the risk of metacarpal periostitis was more than three times higher.

Furthermore, abnormal flexion of the hind legs caused a series of problems, including shortened stride length, wasted energy, and delayed starts.

More importantly—

At the current level of medical technology, Stringhalt could not be cured.

Even the closed-loop neural stimulator that Johns Hopkins University had only begun clinical trials for this year could merely provide a certain degree of regulation for Stringhalt.

"Mr. Kimura, have you considered converting her into a broodmare?"

Kitano asked, withdrawing his gaze from the limping Resistance Queen.

"This bloodline hasn't been progressing very well in Japan. Four-Wheel Drive's breeding numbers this year nearly fell below fifty."

The helplessness on Kimura's face seemed to deepen.

Although no one had yet been able to verify Four-Wheel Drive's performance as a dam's sire, with his foals proving less than ideal, few people would likely choose to continue betting on him.

In fact, Kimura had considered disposing of her from the very beginning.

At the time, Mr. Shibata, the veterinarian responsible for the diagnosis, had said, "She might still be able to race."

Holding onto a sliver of hope, Kimura had delayed the decision until now.

Resistance Queen's physique had become even more outstanding, but the defect she had been born with had erected a towering wall across her path.

Even the people at Nishiken Farm, while admiring her, could not help scrutinizing a horse with such a congenital defect through cautious eyes.

"But she's already been registered as a racehorse, hasn't she, Mr. Kimura?"

Kitano continued.

Normally, few foals received names while they were still at the breeding farm.

For thoroughbreds, receiving an official name often meant they were about to complete, or had already completed, racehorse registration and had formally begun working toward their debut.

"Not yet..."

After sighing, Kimura shook his head.

Resistance Queen was actually only a name used by the farm staff.

"I see—"

Kitano lowered his head slightly and began to think.

"If Mr. Kitano is interested, one and a half million... no, 1.2 million yen will do!"

Kimura's eyes held a faint expectation.

Normally, a breeder's expected sale price for a foal was the stud fee times n, plus the cost of raising it.

The "n" represented the expected development of the racehorse.

Kimura's quoted price was the same figure as the stud fee.

Without immediately replying, Kitano turned his gaze toward the bay mare.

[Miss Pro2023/Resistance Queen (Unnamed)]

[Filly, 2]

[Bay]

He had not used the [Detector].

There was something Kitano needed to verify for himself.

"Mr. Kimura, could you give me some time to think it over?"

That was what he said.