A Multi-Party Consultation

After a while, Ogawa Joe and Tanaka also arrived at the lounge.

Shimura, the farrier, came with them as well.

Before the consultation officially began, Kitano handed everyone a set of copies, including electromyography results, MRI scans of the hindquarters, and X-ray reports.

After the transaction was finalized, the transfer of ownership had also included a comprehensive neurological examination and diagnostic imaging report.

"So the symptoms are in a stable phase... How is she when she runs?"

After quickly reviewing the reports in his hand, Tanaka was the first to ask the question he cared about most.

"There's no obvious compensatory lameness in her gait while running, and the flexion isn't particularly severe either."

As he spoke, Ogawa Joe took out his phone and played a slow-motion video of Resistance Queen running down a straight.

At Kitano's request, he had conducted a basic test of Resistance Queen's running gait.

"The flexion angle should be acceptable. Was there anything unusual before or after the test?"

Tanaka nodded and continued asking.

"She trembles slightly during warm-ups, and after a period of intense exercise, her lameness becomes more pronounced when she walks."

Ogawa Joe answered.

Although he had not held out much hope at first, Resistance Queen's performance had exceeded his expectations.

Even with her lameness, he could clearly sense the power hidden within her body.

"In that case, she can at least receive a G2 or G3 rating."

Tanaka said with a smile.

Under the rules established by the Japan Racehorse Association, lame racehorses were divided into five grades, G1 through G5, according to the severity of their lameness.

A G1-rated lame horse showed no abnormalities throughout a race and only displayed slight muscle tremors after warming up.

In such cases, after passing a veterinary examination, the horse could even compete normally in central G1 races.

The G2 standard required the flexion angle during the initial evaluation to be under 30°, with no compensatory lameness throughout.

Although they were not permitted to enter G1 races, G2-rated lame horses could register for most graded and open races outside of G1.

If flexion occurred at least once every two hundred meters but the straight-line gait remained unaffected, the horse would receive a G3 rating.

G3-rated lame horses were barred from all central graded races, and even entry into open races required strict veterinary review.

However, in local racing, a G3 rating was enough to enter every race except exchange graded races.

As for G4-rated lame horses, they had usually reached the point where compensatory lameness appeared continuously.

If they wished to keep racing, converting them into jump horses was the only option.

The lowest rating, G5, meant the horse could not even complete one thousand meters of training.

Under those circumstances, the lame horse would be prohibited from entering any race.

Judging from the video, Resistance Queen's lameness while running was not as severe as when she walked, and she even had a decent chance of receiving a G1 rating.

However, since the displayed distance was too short, Tanaka preferred to make a more conservative estimate.

"If there are no problems, aside from three hydrotherapy sessions during the week, I plan to schedule two days in the round pen and one day of long-rein walking before her debut to improve her hindquarter coordination."

Putting away his phone, Ogawa Joe began explaining the training plan to everyone.

"No problem. In addition, you could try combining the round-pen sessions with ground-pole exercises to improve the symmetry of her gait."

Tanaka approved of Ogawa Joe's customized training plan, then added his own suggestion.

As an experienced trainer, he had worked with quite a few lame horses over the years, so he naturally had some insight into targeted training methods.

The two looked toward Kitano.

"After training, make sure to stretch and apply heat to the hind leg flexor muscles to prevent excessive tension in the hindquarter muscles."

"As for the specific training arrangements, I'll leave them to Mr. Ogawa and Teacher Tanaka."

He nodded, indicating that he had no further questions.

"Leave it to me, Kitano!"

Ogawa Masaru patted his chest from the side.

"Don't get cocky too soon. Taking care of a lame horse isn't nearly as easy as you think."

Ogawa Joe smiled and patted him on the head.

"How about we go to the stable and observe her in person?"

After comparing the slow-motion footage against the reports several times, Shimura finally made the suggestion at an unhurried pace.

"No problem. Please follow me, everyone."

Ogawa Joe stood up first and led the way.

When they entered the stable, Resistance Queen had her head buried in the feed trough, chewing hay at an unhurried pace.

She merely flicked her ears slightly at the people who had appeared before her, then made no further movement.

Entering the stall, Shimura crouched down and began examining the affected hoof.

"The toe needs to be shortened a little more. Also, there may be too much pressure on the rear tendon. How about trying to lower the hoof angle slightly?"

Shimura said, gesturing at an angle in front of Resistance Queen's hoof.

"Also, we can try replacing the front shoes with wide aluminum ones. If we add a layer of silicone cushioning to the hind shoes, that should reduce quite a bit of the rebound force from the ground."

Kitano accepted each of Shimura's recommendations.

Even if it meant adding several more fixed expenses.

"Her frame looks exceptionally impressive, and her musculature is far beyond what you'd expect from a two-year-old filly."

Meanwhile, Tanaka was also observing Resistance Queen's body, preparing to use it as a reference for planning her debut race.

"Her temperament is extremely steady too. Even someone who has never ridden a horse before could probably sit securely on her back."

As he wrote something in his notebook, he thought to himself.

"Still, aside from the lameness, such an overly steady temperament is somewhat concerning."

After hesitating briefly, he gave Resistance Queen the label [inclined toward dullness].

"She may be the type who needs external stimulation before she'll truly put in effort."

In the end, he wrote that concluding sentence at the bottom of the page.

"Mr. Kitano, do you have any preferences regarding this girl's primary jockey?"

Under normal circumstances, for a racehorse like this with a good physical build but a somewhat relaxed disposition, Tanaka would consider assigning the stable's top jockey, Shigeshi Hattori, to take over.

Hattori was highly skilled with the whip and could provide effective encouragement for this type of racehorse.

But before making a decision, he first had to ask the owner himself for his opinion.

Finding suitable jockeys for an owner's horses was also part of a trainer's duties.

"How about jockey Ochiai?"

After a brief consideration, Kitano named someone.

For him, the pool of possible choices was actually quite limited.

Up to this point, the only jockey he had interacted with was Ochiai Genta.

This serious jockey, who was around his age, had left a good impression on Kitano.

Moreover, there had been no major flaws to pick at in Ochiai's rides during the previous two races, so Kitano quickly settled on a candidate.

"Genta? I'll try to speak with him."

Though somewhat surprised, Tanaka quickly agreed.