The race was over, and Zhang Jun's heart surged with excitement.
Riding Shadow Hunter, Shan Yao headed toward the weighing area in last place. Zhang Jun, Lin Zhi, and Zheng Shan had been waiting at the passageway, and the moment Shan Yao arrived, they gathered around her.
"That was an excellent ride. You handled the bend very well, moving out early to secure position on the outside and avoiding getting boxed in by the late-closing horses."
Lin Zhi came to Shadow Hunter's side and helped Shan Yao dismount, praising her race decisions. Zheng Shan took Shadow Hunter's reins.
Zhang Jun immediately went to Shadow Hunter, patting his neck before rubbing his long ears and pink nose. He hugged the horse's head and kissed him several times.
"You ran wonderfully! You worked hard out there. Once we're done taking photos, you can have a bath. When we get back to the stable, I'll give you some carrots."
Shadow Hunter snorted and nodded repeatedly, pushing his head into Zhang Jun's arms while his lips searched Zhang Jun's pockets.
As he stroked Shadow Hunter, Zhang Jun praised Shan Yao as well.
"You rode that race very well, especially when you chose not to urge Shadow Hunter to accelerate at the end and instead conserved his stamina."
Shan Yao hugged Lin Zhi, then excitedly thanked Zhang Jun. "Shadow Hunter is very strong. It is my honor to ride him in a race."
"Trainer Lin told me before the race that if victory was assured, I was to stop accelerating and conserve his stamina. I only followed my trainer's instructions."
"Either way, you definitely deserve credit for winning."
Zhang Jun replied with a smile. Shan Yao untied the weights fastened to Shadow Hunter and took them to the weighing room.
Zheng Shan led Shadow Hunter as the three of them followed the staff's instructions to the winner's enclosure. After every race, the winning horse and related personnel had to take photos there with racetrack staff. For Graded Stakes races, there would also be dedicated post-race interviews.
After waiting in the winner's enclosure for a while, Shan Yao came running over after finishing the weigh-in. Under the photographer's direction, everyone took their places.
Holding the number cloth, Shan Yao stood at Shadow Hunter's front left. Zheng Shan, Zhang Jun, and Lin Zhi stood in order on Shadow Hunter's left, each holding the reins, while several Jian'an Racetrack executives stood on the right.
As the photographer counted down, "Three, two, one," the shutter clicked. Thus came the commemorative photograph of Shadow Hunter, future progenitor of a legendary Huaxia bloodline, and Zhang Jun, legendary breeder and owner, at the first race and first victory of their legendary careers.
Shan Yao and Lin Zhi still had races to prepare for, so they said their goodbyes first. Zheng Shan led Shadow Hunter to a washing stall outside the racetrack to bathe him.
Zhang Jun called out to them, "I've booked a restaurant nearby. Let's celebrate together at lunch."
Shan Yao and Lin Zhi both agreed. Zhang Jun took the carrots and sugar cubes he had prepared in his bag and followed them outside the wash stall.
After racing, a racehorse's blood remained concentrated in its muscles, while its digestive system was suppressed. It was best not to feed one immediately and to wait half an hour to an hour. The horse could drink a small amount of water and take in a little sugar, but not too much food or drink, just like a human.
Zheng Shan had Shadow Hunter stand still, secured his reins to the hook in the stall, then took out the hose and adjusted it to warm water before rinsing the sweat from his body.
While Zheng Shan was still adjusting the water temperature, Zhang Jun picked up a pre-cut small sugar cube and some water he had prepared, holding them before Shadow Hunter. He first let the horse take a few sips of water, then placed the sugar cube in his palm. Shadow Hunter took it into his mouth with his lips, smacking them as he nodded up and down.
Zhang Jun smiled and stroked Shadow Hunter's neck before stepping out of the stall to watch Zheng Shan bathe him. He did not understand these things, so he did not want to get in Zheng Shan's way.
After the bath, Zheng Shan led Shadow Hunter back to the stable. Once the other horses from Lin Zhi's stable had finished racing that day, Shadow Hunter would ride back with the other racehorses that evening in a horse transport truck to Lin Zhi's stable at the training center.
Jian'an Racetrack's training center was separate from the racetrack itself, over ten kilometers away. The training center was dedicated to training and had its own slopes, tracks, and stables. The racetrack stables were mainly for racehorses competing that week to stay temporarily. Horses entered to race had to arrive a day in advance to prepare. Since Shadow Hunter was racing on Wednesday, he had arrived at the racetrack on Monday night.
By the time the photos and bath were done, more than half an hour had passed. Zhang Jun took out the sugar cubes, several carrots, and horse treats he had specially learned to make, feeding them to Shadow Hunter bit by bit. He also gave some horse treats to the stable hands outside the other stalls.
As he fed Shadow Hunter, Zhang Jun chatted idly with Zheng Shan to pass the time.
By noon, Shadow Hunter had finished the lunch Zheng Shan prepared and was lying in his stall resting. Zheng Shan asked another stable hand from Lin Zhi's stable to watch over him, then joined Zhang Jun and the others at a restaurant near the racetrack for a celebratory meal.
Zhang Jun ordered twice-cooked pork and Jianzhou-style minced chicken, then handed the menu to Lin Zhi.
After they ordered, Lin Zhi made a request of Zhang Jun while the restaurant prepared their food.
"Mr. Zhang, Shadow Hunter's performance today was exceptional. He did not look like a two-year-old making his racing debut at all. I believe the race schedule I set for him before no longer matches his ability."
"Then what does Trainer Lin have in mind?"
Zhang Jun leaned forward, listening attentively.
Lin Zhi moved to sit beside Zhang Jun, took out his phone, and opened a page.
"In the first week of November, Mindu will host a Graded Stakes race restricted to two-year-olds: the CN3 Banyan Tree Stakes, a 1,600-meter left-handed dirt race. It is benchmarked against a central open race; in the records of racehorses, central trainers, and jockeys, it counts as a local Graded Stakes result or a central open race, not as a Grade 3 race."
"Unlike Jian'an Racetrack, Mindu's racetrack lies on one of Min Province's four great plains, so the terrain is flat with no rises or dips. Although its track is also 1,600 meters, it has a teardrop-like shape, narrow at the top and broad at the bottom. Its straight is longer, and its final stretch is 128 meters longer than Jian'an Racetrack's, reaching 428 meters."
"For a horse like Shadow Hunter, whose finishing kick is outstanding, the longer the straight, the better. Mindu's long stretch would be an enormous advantage for him. Even if he failed to find an opening out of the bend, he could simply wait until entering the straight to accelerate."
"Coupled with Shadow Hunter's versatile running styles, even a poor start would not affect his chances of winning. I believe we can absolutely enter this race."
"If he wins this race, Shadow Hunter's prize money will be enough to enter Min Province's highest-level local race for two-year-olds. Given his adaptability on both surfaces, either the Eight Min Two-Year-Old Championship Dirt Race in Sanyuan or the Eight Min Two-Year-Old Championship Turf Race in Longxi would be viable options."
"If he wins either of those races, Shadow Hunter will secure the honor of Eight Min Local Racing's Best Two-Year-Old Horse at the end of this year. After that, we can let him rest until after the Spring Festival, without racing again during that period."
"Then he can go straight into the first leg of the Eight Min Local Triple Crown and follow the dirt Triple Crown schedule, or run a warm-up race before going directly to the Eight Min Local Derby: Turf Race. Seventy percent of local races are on dirt and thirty percent on turf, while the local turf classic season has only two Grade 1 Graded Stakes races: the Derby and the Oaks."
Zhang Jun understood that professionals should handle professional matters, and he readily agreed with Lin Zhi. "Let's do as Trainer Lin says."
After chatting a little longer, their two vegetarian dishes, three meat dishes, and soup arrived—a total of six dishes. They immediately dug in with gusto.