The Resting Notes

The last Tuesday of March.

On waking that day, there was a strange heaviness in the air.

For horse owners and breeders alike, the day was packed with work.

Normally, two-year-old horses had already begun moving to their training stables by this point in mid-to-late March.

For owners outside the racing clubs, it was the hardest season.

Like a game that grew more difficult as time passed, Mejiro Farm's two-year-old crop had started this year on "HARD" mode, even though Poetic Banquet was its only horse.

The conditioning and obedience training that should have taken place during her yearling winter had been pushed back to March, after her purchase and arrival in Japan.

As for the rest of her training, she was still nowhere near ready to race, at least as things stood now, though Ikee had signaled more than once that he could take her in.

In recent years, stables had generally grown crowded, making the transition from early training to entering a racing stable more important than ever.

But rushing a horse along and arranging an early move based on the horse's own condition were two entirely different things.

Beyond a horse's physical condition, a fifth-year owner had also begun paying more attention to mental development, especially for youngsters that might pass the starting-gate test early on the central circuit or make an early debut on the regional circuit.

In that respect, Poetic Banquet still had the temperament of a child. She barely understood racing, or even the simple act of running.

Handing a youngster like her over to a racing stable would hardly be responsible toward Ikee, the owner, or Poetic Banquet herself.

Noon came after the morning's work.

Once everyone had gathered, the last person entered the break room.

Seeming to sense the unusual atmosphere, Ravide's