"The list of two-year-olds is all here."
"Oh my, you really went to a lot of trouble."
"It's all part of our job. You're the one who has it tough, Teacher Tanaka, what with managing so many Racehorses."
"Haha, not at all."
Taking the thin sheet from a racing association employee, Tanaka Junji immediately began reviewing the list of two-year-olds scheduled to enter his stable.
"A Satomi Family horse..."
"It's making its debut on the local circuit right away?"
"Looks like Jazz Blues has sired a few more foals."
Tanaka's gaze swept quickly over the list, and he occasionally muttered a few comments to himself.
Due to the shortage of personnel in regional racing, Trainers like him each had to oversee dozens or even hundreds of Racehorses.
The central circuit was not entirely free of the same problem, but there was no doubt that the shortage of Trainers and Jockeys was far more severe in regional racing.
Aside from the obligatory horses accepted each year as favors, Tanaka was fairly casual about choosing which horses entered his stable.
After all, he was not short on Racehorses capable of winning prize money.
Soon, only the final small section of the list remained.
"This is..."
After spotting a certain name, Tanaka frowned in confusion.
"Mejiro... Pegasus..."
"Is it really okay to give a horse a name like that?"
Most regional owners were rather frivolous when naming their horses.
To draw more attention to local races, regional racing associations often turned a blind eye during the first round of review, allowing some rather improper-sounding names to be submitted to the JRA.
But names that went too far were not actually permitted.
Even if they passed the racing association's review, they could easily lead to legal disputes.
However, once he saw "Mr. Kitano" listed as the owner, Tanaka quickly understood.
He had heard of this rookie owner as early as last month.
"Then you're the one."
Sired by Creator II and out of a Casino Shuttle mare, the gray horse named Mejiro Pegasus did not have a pedigree that particularly caught the eye.
But that did not matter.
He casually selected a few more horses from the list.
He folded the list in half and slipped it into his pocket, bringing that year's selection of incoming horses to an end.
Before they formally entered the stable, he still needed to personally inspect their physical condition.
And while he was at it, he could see what kind of person this "Mr. Kitano" was.
"Nishiken Farm... That's a farm that only opened a couple of years ago, isn't it..."
With a rookie owner and an inexperienced breeding farm, the horses' quality could not be expected to be much.
That meant there was no need to trouble Hattori.
With that in mind, Tanaka called the stable's other primary Jockey, Ochiai Genta.
Though he was called a primary Jockey, their relationship was actually closer to that of teacher and student.
"Genta, this year's incoming horses have been decided. Come take a look with me in a few days."
"Understood, Teacher Tanaka."
A reply came quickly from the other end of the call.
The following day, at Nishiken Farm.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Kitano!"
Having once again lost the tug-of-war between man and horse, Ogawa Masaru crashed heavily to the ground.
As Hokkaido's weather gradually warmed, beads of sweat streamed down the young man's face.
He tried to hide his embarrassment behind the sound of his ragged breathing.
In three days, Flax2023, now renamed Mejiro Pegasus, would officially enter the stable.
Under the terms agreed upon between Nishiken Farm and Kitano Yuk, the farm would continue handling the horse's training before it entered the stable.
At first, everything had gone smoothly, from various desensitization exercises and gate training to trial runs on level ground and slopes.
Though it had not displayed anything especially dazzling, it remembered what it learned quickly and did not require repeated training like other young horses.
It was quite an intelligent little horse.
That was the impression Flax2023 gave people.
Ogawa Masaru believed that, aside from his father, no one understood Flax2023 better than he did.
Not even his foolish older sister, who also helped out at the farm, was qualified to say otherwise.
Though he was not yet twenty, he had studied under Ogawa Joe since childhood and was quite experienced with this sort of work.
So when Kitano requested to observe the training process, Masaru had volunteered to take on the task.
Mejiro Pegasus had not disappointed him, easily completing every exercise.
Then, to showcase the farm's training results to the fullest extent, Ogawa Masaru decided to add a simulated race after discussing it with his old man.
Though the farm track was only a short, one-hundred-meter straightaway, it was more than enough for a simulation.
Another two-year-old was assigned to run alongside Mejiro Pegasus, with Ogawa Kanna serving as its rider.
The first eighty meters went very smoothly.
Mejiro Pegasus adapted remarkably well to racing.
It could even be said that it adapted too well.
Just as it was about to cross the finish line, Mejiro Pegasus suddenly veered toward the horse running beside it without any warning.
Then—
It tilted its head and slammed the other horse with a heavy headbutt.
By the time everyone came to their senses, the other horse had already stumbled far behind.
Ogawa Kanna, riding on its back, lost her balance and fell from the saddle.
Meanwhile, Mejiro Pegasus, the horse responsible for it all, raced across the finish line under everyone's gaze as though nothing had happened.
Ogawa Masaru, the first to react, instinctively cracked his whip toward Mejiro Pegasus.
He swore that he had not used any force at all. The whip had not even touched Mejiro Pegasus's body; he had merely snapped it beside the horse's ear.
Yet after that crack, Mejiro Pegasus abruptly stopped as if it had been wronged, refusing to move no matter how he tugged at it.
Ogawa Masaru raised his whip several times, only to lower it again as though all strength had suddenly drained from him.
Though his old man handled most of the daily training and management, Masaru was the one responsible for heavy work such as cleaning the stalls, feeding the horses, and washing them.
When it came to their bond, he was the one closest to Flax2023.
And the gaze of Mr. Kitano, the owner standing behind him, kept him from acting rashly.
"Won't you bring it down?"
Kitano watched the man and horse locked in their struggle and spoke.
"Huh?"
"Only when it understands that this kind of behavior is wrong will it learn its lesson afterward."
Seeing Ogawa Masaru still sitting there foolishly, Kitano continued helplessly.
A dangerous action like that had to be corrected immediately.
Thanks to her helmet, Ogawa Kanna had suffered little more than a few scrapes.
But on an official track, where circumstances were far more complicated, there was no telling what might happen.
He wanted his Racehorse to win, but he was not willing to do so by any means necessary.
"Sorry for the trouble."
Once Ogawa Joe and the treated Ogawa Kanna approached, Kitano gave them a slightly apologetic bow.
"It's only a minor injury."
Ogawa Kanna answered calmly, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
But she seemed to have tugged at her wound, and her face twisted in pain.
"Sorry you had to see such an embarrassing display."
Ogawa Joe took the whip from his son's hand, lowered his head slightly, and spoke in a deep voice.
"But please rest assured—we'll have it properly trained before it enters the stable!"