Perhaps because of the Chinese people's hardworking nature, the training centers affiliated with racetracks were all in fairly good condition, though each had its own shortcomings.
Mindu Racecourse was, after all, located in the provincial capital of Min Province. It also hosted the Eight-Min Dirt Derby, the most important leg of the Min Province Triple Crown and one leg of the East China Triple Crown, so the racing atmosphere was exceptionally lively.
But when Zhang Jun inspected the training center affiliated with the racecourse, he found the stables extremely crowded. Although they were fairly clean, the equipment showed signs of rust, and the ventilation was inadequate.
Perhaps Mindu's racecourse had been the first to open as a pioneer and was simply too old. Moreover, none of the trainers Zhang Jun had contacted were willing to renovate it only to benefit those who came after them.
Xinghua Racetrack had the best environment of the three racetracks. Its stalls were clean, tidy, and well ventilated.
However, its stalls were also the smallest of the three. They only barely met the minimum space requirements for racehorses, making the horses there more irritable or numb than those at the other two racetracks, with much rougher coats.
Although Qingyuan Racetrack's training center had clean, tidy, spacious, and well-ventilated stalls,
Zhang Jun watched races at Qingyuan and found that, perhaps due to the locals' fiery temperament, collisions often occurred during races. This made him somewhat concerned for Shadow Hunter's safety on the track.
After returning to his hotel in Qingyuan, Zhang Jun went down the list and called the trainers at Jian'an Racetrack one by one.
After half an hour of calls, Zhang Jun crossed five names off the list, took out his phone to buy a ticket back to Jian'an, checked out, and headed home.
Of the six trainers at Jian'an Racetrack who partnered with Jianzhou Ranch, five already had full stables. Only the last trainer accepted Zhang Jun's request for a visit—Lin Zhi, who had long ranked between fifteenth and twentieth among Jian'an's seventy-one trainers.
"If Jian'an doesn't work out either..."
Zhang Jun looked out the window. "Then I'll stay in Mindu. The environment isn't the best, and the equipment is somewhat lacking, but at least there's enough space, and the races are safer."
As for Lin Zhi, after receiving Zhang Jun's call the previous night, he readily agreed to the visit, but contacted Luo Fei immediately after hanging up.
"Alright, alright..." As he spoke with Luo Fei, he jotted notes down in a notebook.
"He currently has a two-year-old colt, offspring of Jianzhou Swift Cavalier, the ranch's highly regarded flagship stallion. The ranch's assessment says it has the potential to win Graded Stakes races and even a Grade One Race..."
"And he wants to establish his own ranch later on, which means he'll definitely be buying more horses. If we serve him well this time, there's a strong chance of working together again..."
Among the stallions of Min Province, Shadow Hunter's damsire, Jianzhou Senior General, and sire, Jianzhou Swift Cavalier, were both outstanding dirt stallions.
Jianzhou Senior General had been a stallion for ten years. Six of his offspring had won Grade One Races, and three had gone on to become stallions themselves. Two of those were at Jianzhou Ranch and belonged to the ranch's main bloodlines.
Jianzhou Swift Cavalier had been specially bred to mares from another province by Jianzhou Ranch. He was at least four generations removed from the ranch's own horses and more than half the horses in Min Province, making him the ranch's future flagship stallion.
The current crop of two-year-olds, including Shadow Hunter, was Jianzhou Swift Cavalier's first crop, and the ranch placed great importance on their results.
This was especially true for a horse like Shadow Hunter, who had performed exceptionally during development. Its results could completely determine the prices Jianzhou Swift Cavalier's offspring would command at auction over the next few years.
Lin Zhi was fifty-four this year and had been a trainer for twenty-four years. He had won plenty of Graded Stakes races, but had never won a Grade One Race—not an internationally recognized G1, nor a CN1, a local Grade One Race rated internationally as a Listed Race.
He therefore took Luo Fei's words extremely seriously, especially the assessment that Shadow Hunter had the potential to win a Grade One Race and the fact that Zhang Jun intended to open a ranch.
That meant that if they established a partnership, he would not only gain a steady client but also have hope of winning the first Grade One Race of his career. It would also benefit his descendants if they pursued training careers in the future.
Thus, when Zhang Jun arrived at Jian'an Racetrack the next day, Lin Zhi was already waiting at the entrance.
His face was full and he looked somewhat plump, with bronzed skin. The moment he saw Zhang Jun, he greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Welcome, Mr. Zhang. I am Lin Zhi, the trainer you contacted earlier. I've been awaiting your arrival."
Zhang Jun exchanged pleasantries with Lin Zhi using the phrasing Luo Fei had taught him. Lin Zhi then turned and led Zhang Jun toward the training center affiliated with the racetrack.
"Please come this way and have a look at my stable. I wouldn't dare boast about other aspects, but when it comes to the stable environment, staff, and horse management, I definitely won't disappoint you."
Zhang Jun nodded and replied politely, "I'm looking forward to it."
When Zhang Jun and Lin Zhi reached Lin Zhi's stable area, Zhang Jun first took a sniff.
The air was fresh. Though it still carried a trace of horse scent, it was very faint, indicating excellent ventilation.
After entering one of the stalls, Zhang Jun examined the environment and equipment.
Every stall had been fitted with brand-new exhaust fans, and a large fan stood every few stalls.
The bedding in the stalls was thick, while the feed buckets contained hay, oats, beans, and corn.
"The ventilation system was just upgraded this year." Seeing Zhang Jun notice the new equipment and feed, Lin Zhi explained with pride.
"When temperatures exceed thirty degrees for most of July and August, we'll also add ice to make sure the stalls don't become stuffy."
He pointed at the stalls. "The bedding is changed every day, and we clean the stalls three times daily—morning, noon, and night—to ensure they remain clean and sanitary."
He then led Zhang Jun to the feed storage room and brought out some feed for him to inspect.
"I specially consulted several veteran trainers ranked near the top nationally and revised this feed formula many times. The current version has received very positive responses from the racehorses in our stable."
Zhang Jun nodded, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Along the way, Zhang Jun could see that Lin Zhi possessed outstanding management skills. The stable environment and equipment were spotless, while the staff worked skillfully, calmly, and in perfect order.
The horses' coats were smooth as well, showing that they were happy in this stable.
Zhang Jun had made his decision.
After the two completed their tour of the stable and returned to the entrance, Lin Zhi looked at him with anticipation, unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes.
Zhang Jun turned and extended his hand to Lin Zhi. "Trainer Lin Zhi, I am extremely satisfied with your stable. Please contact Jianzhou Ranch and the association as soon as possible regarding Shadow Hunter's stable entry and trainer registration."
Lin Zhi's eyes shone with excitement. He bent forward, clasped Zhang Jun's hand with both of his, and shook it vigorously, his voice booming.
"Rest assured, Owner Zhang! I will give it everything I've got!"
After leaving Lin Zhi's stable and finally deciding where Shadow Hunter would go, Zhang Jun felt a weight lift from his heart.
He rode his little electric scooter home, washed up, played games with Luo Heng for a while, and told him the good news that he had found a trainer.
Finally, lying in bed, he could not help imagining Shadow Hunter's future career of victory after victory, and the many outstanding offspring it would produce after retirement, helping him become an unparalleled genius horse breeder. Lost in those fantasies, he gradually fell asleep.