The Starting Point of a Journey at the Other End

She had broken her maiden.

There were no tears or shouts, only joy and gratitude overflowing from the bottom of their hearts.

Having won many races as an owner, including graded stakes, they knew all too well how difficult it was to bring out a horse's full potential.

They did not make a grand spectacle of it, but during the winner's photo ceremony, they still pulled Teacher Tanaka over for a proper celebration.

"That was a hard-fought race."

In response to their words of thanks, the trainer smiled with the relief of someone finally unburdened.

"How about letting that girl return to the farm for the time being?"

Before preparations began for her next race, the trainer made that suggestion.

Generally speaking, up until the summer of a horse's two-year-old season, it was also the period when winless three-year-olds were being culled, so stables—whether central or local—were not overly crowded.

At times like this, the stable situation was relatively steady, allowing owners to have all kinds of in-depth discussions with their trainers about their horses.

But once October arrived, stables gradually began to fill up, with two-year-olds waiting to enter the stable already lining up far in advance.

Among those new horses awaiting admission could be runners owned by major owners, powerful farms, or even large clubs, and they undoubtedly placed both tangible and intangible pressure on the horses already in training.

With that, the already limited space would quickly reach capacity. Once a horse was sent away for a layoff, it became difficult to return to the stable easily—even Monbetsu, known for its large-scale stable, was no exception.

"I feel like she still has room to improve. Once she comes back, perhaps we can try a three-year-old sprint."

The trainer added that as well.

Teacher Tanaka had unexpectedly high