Off to the Oaks

By May, Fujian Province had grown hot. Everywhere on the streets, people wore short sleeves and shorts.

Wearing a light shirt, Zhang Jun rode his motorcycle along a country road. The trees on either side gleamed green in the sun, and cicadas called from the bamboo groves as if urging him on.

He parked outside the training center at Shanghai Racecourse, took off his helmet, and drew a deep breath.

On the third Saturday in May, Wind-Chasing Hound would race in the East China Dirt Oaks. It would be her first time on the starting line of a central G1 race.

Zhang Jun hadn't quite expected her to make it this far. Speed, after all, was her greatest limitation.

After the system update, Zhang Jun had spent points to unlock the attribute caps of several racehorses that had yet to reach their peak. This girl's speed cap hovered between D+ and C, though it was mostly D+, with the letter C faintly visible behind it.

That meant Wind-Chasing Hound's speed cap was most likely D+. Before she officially reached her peak, though, proper training and feeding could still raise it to C. The premium feed Zhang Jun had redeemed from the system played a major part in that. It was also why Shadow Hunter's speed could reach C+.

"Brother Jun!"

Lin Zhi came out of the meeting room with a document in his hand. Shan Yao followed him, dressed casually.

Ever since Shadow Hunter and Cloudstream Flying Shadow had flown to Japan in March, their main jockeys, Shan Yao and Zheng Shan, had stayed there. Zheng Shan handled the two horses' training plans, while Shan Yao kept entering Japanese races to familiarize herself with the country's fast tracks. Zhang Jun hadn't seen her in two months, since she had last