"What a beautiful physique!"
Having just met with the owner Mr. Kitano and the farm representative, Tanaka could hardly wait to offer his praise.
It was a lie.
In truth, at two years and two months old, Mejiro Tenma was in the stage of not yet fully turning gray, her body covered in gray spots that made her look dirty.
Even Kitano, who had personally given her the name "Pegasus," did not see any connection between the drab gray creature before him and the legendary winged horse.
And Mejiro Tenma's build was thoroughly ordinary. At 467 kilograms, she was not particularly small for her age, but none of her muscles stood out in definition either.
As for things like her gait, suppleness, or temperament, there was even less to speak of.
Ogawa Masaru curled his lip imperceptibly, somewhat disdainful of the hollow flattery exchanged between adults.
Then he felt reluctant at the thought of the coming farewell.
Ogawa Joe, as the farm representative, was giving Trainer and the accompanying Jockey his final instructions.
It was commonly known as the handover of the instruction manual.
"This girl is very intelligent, but she can be stubborn at times, so please do not hold back if you need to be strict with her or use the whip."
"Smart, but stubborn... Understood."
Tanaka took a palm-sized notebook from his pocket and quickly wrote something on a blank page.
"Got it."
Jockey Ochiai merely nodded somewhat coolly.
"I have a general understanding of her condition already."
Closing his notebook, Tanaka nodded.
"Mr. Kitano, could we speak over there for a moment?"
He pointed toward a spot some distance away.
The Ogawa siblings, who had been teasing each other with their eyes, stopped at the same time and looked worriedly toward their father.
"No problem."
Kitano followed behind Tanaka with an unchanged expression.
"It's like this. I would like to ask what Mr. Kitano, as the owner, thinks of the breeding farm."
"Especially regarding training."
Tanaka chose his words carefully as he spoke slowly.
He was faintly disappointed in Mejiro Tenma, who was about to join his Stables.
At first, he had thought that the horse selected by this "Mr. Kitano," who was said to have once been a veterinarian, would be something extraordinary.
Yet she was simply ordinary.
She was not the kind of horse worth him specifically setting aside energy for among more than a hundred Racehorses.
However, although he had abandoned the idea of personally training her, he did not wish to neglect or offend the "Mr. Kitano" before him because of that.
To that end, he needed to come up with a solution both sides could accept.
"Nishiken Farm?"
Though he still did not understand Tanaka's intentions, Kitano gave a fair assessment after a brief moment of thought. "Although it is a very new farm in every sense, Mr. Ogawa's capabilities are beyond question, and his attitude is highly responsible as well."
After receiving Kitano's answer, Tanaka faintly relaxed.
"Then what do you think of leaving Mejiro Tenma's continued training to them?"
Worried that Kitano, as a new owner, might not understand the complexities involved, Tanaka immediately explained, "You see, I manage more than a hundred Racehorses under my name. Even with my abilities, I can only pay attention to a limited few. As for most of the rest, even with assistants and stable hands helping, it is very difficult."
If he lacked the ability, then why had he taken on the work in the first place?
As though he had anticipated Kitano asking something similar, Tanaka continued, "In regional racing... even in the central circuit, it is much the same. The Racehorses that receive meticulous care are often only those at the very top."
In other words, Mejiro Tenma was not among them—at least, not by Tanaka's judgment.
Kitano calmly accepted that fact.
There was nothing surprising about it.
As a veterinarian, he could even somewhat empathize with Tanaka's explanation.
He understood perfectly how difficult it was to care for large livestock.
Seeing that Kitano's reaction was not as intense as he had expected, Tanaka let out a long breath and patted his chest. "Of course, if Mr. Kitano is dissatisfied with the conditions offered by the breeding farm, or if you would rather trust the Stables, that is also fine. We will absolutely do our best to care for her."
Kitano remained skeptical of Tanaka's "do our best."
"And there is absolutely no need to worry about races either. Whether it is selecting her campaign or choosing her Jockey, the Stables will make every effort to fight for the best possible arrangements."
Kitano was equally skeptical about how much "every effort" truly meant.
Of course, that statement was slightly more credible than the previous one.
"Then I'll try speaking with Mr. Ogawa first."
In the end, Kitano chose to accept Tanaka's proposal.
He was likewise uneasy about entrusting the only Racehorse under his ownership to a Trainer already responsible for more than a hundred horses.
At the very least, Nishiken Farm had fewer horses.
Having finally reached an agreement, Tanaka relaxed completely.
"At present, the Stables have Genta in mind as Mejiro Tenma's main Jockey—the kid who came with me. Of course, if you have another Jockey you prefer or know well, we can discuss it at any time."
Tanaka pointed in Ochiai Genta's direction.
The rather unsmiling Jockey was holding a carrot stick he had snagged from the Horse Stall, trying to close the distance with Mejiro Tenma.
"Don't let Genta's youth fool you. His combined number of starts over the past two years has already exceeded fifteen hundred. At least here in Monbetsu, he can be considered quite a capable Jockey."
Afraid Kitano might doubt Ochiai because of his age, Tanaka did not forget to introduce his apprentice.
In fact, long before today, Kitano had secretly looked up information on Trainer Tanaka and Jockey Ochiai through apps such as "n○tkeiba."
Even as a new owner, he was not foolish enough to sit around without proactively learning anything.
Tanaka had indeed not lied.
Ochiai, who was only one year older than Kitano this year, had considerable riding experience and fully deserved to be called a capable regional Jockey.
At Monbetsu Racecourse, Jockey Ochiai Genta's yellow-and-black checkered racing silks, with three-scale sleeves and a single ring, were also quite well known.
"I have no objections to the Jockey for now."
Kitano nodded, accepting Ochiai Genta as Mejiro Tenma's main Jockey.
"Then that's wonderful!"
The two briefly shook hands, thus reaching a preliminary agreement.
After that, what remained was simple.
"We'll continue to be responsible for her?"
Even as he tried to restrain himself, the delight on Ogawa Joe's face was difficult to conceal.
Having the breeding farm handle a Racehorse's training and condition adjustments, only handing the horse over to Trainer and Jockey before races—
Even today, such an operational model was no longer anything new.
But he had not expected Kitano to place such trust in a farm like theirs, one that had only opened not long ago.
On the other side, Ogawa Masaru likewise waved his fist excitedly.
For him, this was also the best possible outcome.
"Don't like it?"
Looking down at the carrot stick in his hand, which had not been touched even once, Ochiai scratched his head.
Mejiro Tenma gave a disdainful snort.