Three Colts: Entering the Stable: Racing Plans

The remaining four colts, excluding Flying Cloud Colt, were River Moon, Mountain Patrol Leopard, and Forest Hero. While they rested at Jianzhou Ranch to ease the strain of transport, Zhou Fang and the other three took care of them together.

River Moon was the only three-year-old colt. He was red chestnut, with a white crescent-shaped star on his forehead and matching white socks on his left foreleg and right hind leg.

[Horse Name: River Moon

Sex/Age: Colt, 3

Coat Color: Red Chestnut

Racing Attributes:

Speed: E+

Burst: D

Grit: A+

Health: A

Surface Aptitude: Turf ○, Dirt ◎

Running Style: Front-runner

Distance: 1600–2200

Growth Type: Standard Late.

Breeding Attributes:

Offspring: 3]

Of the two two-year-old colts, Mountain Patrol Leopard was a turf mile horse. He had raced over short distances, but his acceleration had proved too slow. He was currently winless in seven starts, with one white sock on his left hind leg.

[Horse Name: Mountain Patrol Leopard

Sex/Age: Colt, 2

Coat Color: Yellow Chestnut

Racing Attributes:

Speed: E

Power: B

Grit: B

Mentality: C+

Intelligence: B

Health: B+

Surface Aptitude: Turf ◎, Dirt △

Distance: 1500–2000

Growth Type: Standard Late.

Breeding Attributes:

Offspring: 4.]

Forest Hero was a dirt sprinter. His trainer had sent him to run middle-distance and middle-to-long-distance races over two thousand meters and beyond, but he lost speed every time he reached the final stretch. He was winless in six starts and had a round white star on his forehead.

[Horse Name: Forest Hero

Sex/Age: Colt, 2

Coat Color: Bay

Racing Attributes:

Speed: E

Power: A

Burst: B+

Grit: D

Mentality: B

Health: C+

Surface Aptitude: Turf X, Dirt ◎

Distance: 1000–1600

Growth Type: Standard Late.

Breeding Attributes:

Offspring: 2.]

On the fourteenth, after the horses had spent several days at the ranch, the four mares entered their conditioning phase, adjusting their physiques from racehorses to broodmares.

The colts had also recovered from the long-distance transport and were bursting with energy, ready to be moved to the training center.

Zhang Jun borrowed two horse trailers from the ranch and led the four colts aboard in pairs. Du Chun and Zhou Fang stayed behind at the ranch to watch over the four mares, while Qi Fei and Huang Tu rode in the back of the trailers, each looking after a horse.

After speaking with them on the ninth, Zheng Xing had begun preparing stalls for the four horses. He found four adjoining stalls in his stable, laid down bedding thicker than that in any of the other stalls, and bought new, high-quality feed buckets, water buckets, and everything else.

After Zhang Jun left, Zheng Xing had specifically consulted Lin Zhi about the management measures for Zhang Jun's horses. He learned that everything for Zhang Jun's horses had to be the very best, so he purchased supplies according to the list Lin Zhi gave him.

Though their quality could not compare to the bedding and supplies Zhang Jun had personally bought for Shadow Hunter, they were still on the same level as Cloudstream Flying Shadow's.

As Zheng Xing's stablehands, together with Qi Fei and Huang Tu, led the young horses into their stalls, Zhang Jun gave Zheng Xing a few instructions.

"Of these four horses, Flying Cloud Colt is the one I value most. He originally ran dirt sprints, but now try him over middle and middle-to-long distances above two thousand meters."

"River Moon originally ran dirt mile and middle-distance races poorly, but his acceleration is too weak. Strengthen his gate training and see if he can run as a front-runner."

Zheng Xing took out a notebook and wrote everything down point by point—Lin Zhi had told him that Zhang Jun had extremely sharp instincts.

"Let Mountain Patrol Leopard try turf mile and middle-distance races. Let Forest Hero try dirt sprints."

"Understood. They'll rest today. Tomorrow, I'll start assessing them. Within seven days at the latest, I'll be able to give you their racing plans and training programs."

Zheng Xing wrote the final character, tucked the notebook under his arm, and nodded in reply.

Zhang Jun stroked the necks of the four horses, fed them some carrots and sugar cubes, then took a taxi back to his home in Jian'an. Huang Tu and Qi Fei followed the horse trailers back to the ranch to care for the mares.

Zheng Xing did exactly as he promised. Only five days later, he called Zhang Jun and said that he had already assessed the four horses and drawn up their racing plans.

Zhang Jun arrived at the agreed restaurant, the same one where he had previously discussed plans with Lin Zhi. Zheng Xing had already reserved seats and ordered Zhang Jun's favorite minced chicken, ribs, vegetables, and soup in advance. He had not ordered any alcohol.

Although Zheng Xing's newly opened stable had performed poorly, he still had funds saved from his time as an assistant, enough to keep going for another two or three years.

On top of that, Zhang Jun had sent him four racehorses with Graded Stakes potential. His career now had hope, and he looked invigorated, completely different from the worried, gloomy figure he had been at the stable before.

When he saw Zhang Jun arrive, he stood to greet him and signaled for the waiter to bring out the dishes.

Once all the dishes were served, the two discussed the plans for the four colts while enjoying their meal.

Zheng Xing took out two folders, handed one to Zhang Jun, and opened the other himself as he spoke without pause.

"Mr. Zhang, let's first discuss the arrangements for Flying Cloud Colt, the horse you value most."

Zhang Jun accepted the folder and opened it. The first page was Flying Cloud Colt's racing plan. He set the folder aside, looked it over, and gestured for Zheng Xing to continue as he picked up a bowl of minced chicken—he had overslept and skipped breakfast, and he was starving now.

A cat carrying a table.

Zheng Xing also set down his folder and picked up a bowl of rib soup. "Flying Cloud Colt's situation is exactly as you described before. He's a racehorse suited for middle-to-long distances."

"Over the past few days, I tested him at three distances: two thousand meters, twenty-two hundred meters, and twenty-four hundred meters. Flying Cloud Colt posted excellent times in all of them. He has the ability to win local Grade 2 races, and both his power and explosiveness are very strong."

"Since Flying Cloud Colt is strong enough, I arranged this plan on the assumption that he would win. I plan to have him run his first race in the second week of November, a Class C Middle Division dirt race over two thousand meters."

Zheng Xing took a sip of soup and set it down. Zhang Jun had already finished the minced chicken and was digging into the rest of the meal.

"Then, following the safety-first principle my master taught me, we'll lengthen the intervals between races so Flying Cloud Colt can rest fully. Eight weeks later, he'll run a Class B3 dirt race over two thousand meters in the third week of January."

"After that, Flying Cloud Colt will return to the ranch to rest. He'll come back to the stable for training in March, then run a twenty-two-hundred-meter Class B1 race in Mindu in April. If he wins, he'll earn the minimum prize money required to enter Graded Stakes races."

"Then in June, he'll run the Grade 3 Mindu Middle-Distance Championship over twenty-one hundred meters on dirt. After that, he'll go to the ranch for summer turnout and return to the stable in August. The races after September will be arranged according to his performance in the Middle-Distance Championship. What do you think?"

Zhang Jun put down his rice bowl, picked up a small bowl, and ladled himself some soup. "That works. We'll follow Trainer Zheng's plan."

Zheng Xing smiled. Just as his master had said, as long as he spaced out the races, gave the horse a full physical examination before and after each race, and paid more attention to the colt's safety, Zhang Jun would not interfere with the race schedule.

Seeing how eagerly Zhang Jun was eating, Zheng Xing's stomach rumbled twice. He picked up his small bowl and drained the soup in one gulp, then stuffed food into his mouth while flipping to the next page of the folder and continuing his explanation.

(￣~￣) Chew!

"River Moon's condition is clear as well. It's not that he has no closing kick, but compared to other horses that run poorly from behind, he falls far short. Still, his grit is excellent. I found a middle-to-long-distance racehorse and had it run alongside him several times."

"As long as he notices a horse behind him showing signs of catching up, or the rider starts using the whip to urge the horse on, River Moon can accelerate again even when his stamina is exhausted. He's a rare front-runner capable of a second acceleration."

"Because front-runners consume enormous stamina and there is a chance of leg damage, I arranged intervals of around seven weeks between his races..."

As Zheng Xing explained, Zhang Jun kept nodding. The racing plans for River Moon, Mountain Patrol Leopard, and Forest Hero were finalized as well.

River Moon would run a Class C Middle Division sixteen-hundred-meter race at Jian'an Racetrack in the first week of November. Then, in the second week of January, he would run a Class B3 two-thousand-meter race in Mindu, followed by turnout until after the New Year before returning to the stable for training.

In the fourth week of March, he would run a Class B1 eighteen-hundred-meter race in Mindu. Then, in the second week of May, he would run a Class A3 seventeen-hundred-meter race in Jian'an. Finally, in the fourth week of June, he would run a sixteen-hundred-meter Jian'an open race at LOP Class.

Mountain Patrol Leopard, meanwhile, would use a stalking style. In the first week of November, he would run a fifteen-hundred-meter Class C Lower Division turf race at Jian'an Racetrack, then a seventeen-hundred-meter Class C1 race in the fourth week of December. In the second week of February, he would run a Jian'an sixteen-hundred-meter three-year-old LOP race before going out to pasture.

Then, in the third week of April, he would run an LOP race as a warm-up. If he could win both races or finish in the top two, he would run the nineteen-hundred-meter CN3 Banyan Cup in Mindu in June, then go out to pasture.

Forest Hero would run a two-year-old Class C Lower Division dirt race over one thousand meters in the second week of November. With five weeks between races, he would run a one-thousand-meter Class C1 race in the third week of December, then a mile LOP race in the first week of February to build experience.

After that, he would go out to pasture and return to the stable in March. In the fifth week of March, he would run a three-year-old sprint LOP race as a warm-up. In the second week of May, he would run the CN3 Jian'an Sprint Cup, then in the third week of June, a mile CN3 Jian'an Mile Championship, before heading out for summer turnout again.

The discussion and meal left both host and guest thoroughly satisfied.

Since Zheng Xing had paid the bill in advance, Zhang Jun thanked him, repeated his request that Zheng Xing take good care of the young horses, then said goodbye and left.