When Ogawa Joe saw Kitano's gaze move away from Performer's Step 2023, he sighed inwardly, then quickly pulled himself together and introduced the next foal.
"This one's sire is Creator II from the United States, while its damsire is Casino Shuttle, winner of the American dirt G2 Peter Pan Stakes. You can rest completely assured about its suitability for dirt."
Kitano shifted his gaze to the foal Ogawa Joe had introduced, and the relevant information immediately appeared on the panel.
[Flax2023 (Unnamed)] [Colt, 2] [Gray]
All other ability information was still unknown.
As the little foal tilted its head and studied Kitano, he lowered his head slightly and sank into thought.
Although he had been a complete racing novice not long ago, Kitano had still drawn on his training as a veterinary student over the past month and crammed a great deal of Racehorse-related knowledge into his head.
On the system's ability panel, his [Pedigree Knowledge] had also risen from E- to C+.
At the very least, he could now make sense of several stallion bloodlines that were popular in modern Japan.
What Kitano was hesitating over now was whether to use the two remaining [Detectors].
In his judgment, this foal was simply far too ordinary.
Neither its build nor its gait had anything particularly eye-catching about them.
But Kitano did not dare place too much faith in his own eye for horses.
"And Flax 23 has been an exceptionally rare gray for three straight generations!"
Ogawa Joe seized the chance to continue.
"Mm, I suppose I should still—"
Just as Kitano was about to suggest looking at the other foals, he felt a faint tug on his sleeve.
D:<
After letting go of his sleeve, Flax2023 curled its upper lip high.
It looked as though it were mocking Kitano.
In fact, the scientific name for this behavior was the "Flehmen Response."
Flehmen response was an instinctive behavior in which horses gathered scent information through special facial movements.
When a horse smelled something it could not identify, it curled its upper lip, brought its head close to the source of the scent, and exhaled, pushing the information in the air toward the vomeronasal organ in its nasal cavity to detect and analyze the chemicals within it.
So although it looked like a smile, the emotion expressed by this action was generally curiosity.
Kitano patted Flax 23's upper lip, then calmly wiped the traces of saliva from the railing.
Opening the panel, he used his second [Detector].
[Flax2023 (Unnamed)] [Colt, 2] [Gray] [Distance Aptitude: ?] [Track Aptitude: ?] [Running Style: ?] [Growth Type: ?] [Temperament: ?] [Personality: ?] [Speed: ?] [Stamina: ?] [Competitive Grit: ?] [Acceleration: ?] [Power: ?] [Health: ?] [Wisdom: A-] [Mental Strength: ?] [Flexibility: ?]
According to the system's explanation, the higher the [Wisdom] value, the easier it was for a horse to understand a Jockey's instructions. It could even judge the state of a race by itself before the Jockey did.
An A- rating was enough to show that this was a very intelligent horse.
"So, Mr. Ogawa, what price do you have in mind for this foal?"
Kitano asked.
"Eight hundred thousand yen. What do you think?"
Ogawa Joe rubbed his hands together and smiled as he held up the number.
"Eight hundred thousand yen, huh."
For regional Racehorse racing, eight hundred thousand yen was already quite an expensive price.
Kitano paused, then asked, "Could I take a look at its pedigree certificate?"
"Of course! Of course!"
Ogawa Joe hurriedly picked up the document envelope in his hands, pulled out an A4 sheet, and handed it to Kitano.
"Oh?"
After taking the pedigree chart and examining it closely, Kitano revealed a surprised expression.
Unlike the "Miracle Bloodline" of 3×4 crosses found everywhere in Japan, Flax2023's pedigree had no close inbreeding within four generations.
"3×4" was a term used in Racehorse breeding.
On a Racehorse pedigree chart, if the same Racehorse appeared in the "X" generation and the "Y" generation, it would be called "X×Y."
From the perspective of genetics and the long-term development of bloodline depth throughout Japanese Racehorse racing, breeding without close inbreeding was naturally best.
But it was also the least realistic option.
If this breeding philosophy were truly enforced, the vast majority of small and medium-sized farm owners would go bankrupt.
They simply could not afford the cost of pairings with no repeated bloodlines within five generations.
Moreover, inbreeding within four generations was generally believed to make it easier to produce offspring with explosive potential.
Though most people could not clearly explain the basis for that belief.
"What an exceptionally rare pedigree combination—"
Kitano could not help sighing as he put down the pedigree chart.
"Well... actually... Flax 23's pedigree... is pretty good too."
"Its maternal great-great-grandsire is Sunday Silence!"
Ogawa Joe's tone immediately became much less confident.
He had taken Kitano for one of those owners who worshipped the "Miracle Bloodline" and the "SS Lineage."
"I'm a veterinarian. I've studied at least a little about genetics and inheritance."
Kitano said.
Sunday Silence was an insurmountable giant in modern Japanese stallion bloodlines.
Strictly speaking, the decline of Kitano's family fortunes had also been inseparable from Sunday Silence.
But he was not the sort to vent his misfortune on an animal.
"So please don't worry too much about that."
Ogawa Masaru, who had been watching the excitement from the side, could not help laughing.
At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed this guy named Kitano was not the type to act recklessly.
In truth, Flax2023's pedigree and the physique it displayed on the surface made the price of eight hundred thousand yen somewhat hard to justify.
Even if it was gray.
As for Sunday Silence's bloodline—
There were probably not many Racehorses left in modern Japanese racing that were not related to Sunday Silence in some way.
"Eight hundred thousand is still a bit of a stretch."
Kitano slowly spoke as he handed the pedigree chart back to Ogawa Joe.
Ogawa Joe's expression tightened, and the A4 sheet in his hand was inadvertently creased.
"However, I'll take it."
Kitano continued.
The three members of the Ogawa family all showed delight at once.
For a newly established farm, every foal sold was particularly hard-won.
Especially at such a relatively high price.
At that moment, Kitano used his final [Detector].
The target was still Flax2023.
[Growth Type: Late Bloomer]
With that, the [Detectors] worth one million yen had all been used up.
The later a Racehorse's growth type, the more slowly it developed.
Late-blooming Racehorses usually did not come into their own until the latter half of their four-year-old season.
It looked like there was a considerable chance he would lose money on this one.
Through the railing, Kitano stroked Flax2023's head, feeling no great stir in his heart.
Perhaps it was an unintentional resonance between man and horse, perhaps it was his trust in that A- [Wisdom] rating, or perhaps it was the mindset of a gambler at the end of the road—
In any case, Kitano did not stop the transaction.
Seemingly unaware that it was about to gain a new owner, Flax2023 continued looking around curiously with its pair of black, bean-sized eyes.