In the blink of an eye, it was July 19. Zhang Jun and Luo Yong arrived together in the outskirts of Mindu, where the third Eight Min yearling auction of July would be held, along with Min Province's broodmare and foal auction.
They had received the auction catalog as early as July 15. A total of 253 horses were listed for this sale, around eighty of which had been consigned by ranches from provinces neighboring Min Province.
Since Min Province had relatively few plains, it also had fewer ranches and broodmares. Nearly half of Min Province's racehorses came from other provinces, and nearly half of its retired racehorses were purchased by ranches in other provinces for breeding.
Luo Yong led Zhang Jun into the stables where the auction horses were housed, imparting his experience as they walked.
"A long time ago, when Huaxia horse racing was just beginning to develop, owners and breeders had very close ties. Trainers and jockeys served as bridges between them, introducing customers to breeders and fine horses to owners. As a result, many outstanding horses were taken by owners who had good relationships with the breeders, while ordinary new owners had no chance to pick up bargains at all."
"But after the auction system was introduced, high auction prices shattered that tacit understanding. Breeders and owners no longer needed to deal with each other directly, and even new owners could buy racehorses with excellent pedigrees and conformation at auctions."
"Still, different owners could view the same horse differently. Some might think a horse was excellent and worth paying a high price for, while others might feel it was not worth spending too much on."
"But those opinions could change depending on the attitudes of the people around them. So if you have your eye on a horse, it's best not to reveal your target before the auction begins. It could easily cause unnecessary trouble."
Zhang Jun silently nodded. As he followed Luo Yong, he used the system's attribute panel to inspect the 253 horses appearing at this auction.
Zhang Jun focused on the fillies. Shadow Hunter's breeding attributes were outstanding enough to make it the flagship stallion of a ranch, so Zhang Jun needed to prepare brides for Shadow Hunter—or rather, brides with excellent breeding attributes—in preparation for opening the ranch and breeding foals later on.
Seeing Zhang Jun silently examining the horses in the stalls, Luo Yong could not help but smile. "Most of the time, you can only see horses standing still in their stalls at an auction. You can't see their gait or how they move."
"So most buyers first select a number of targets based on their finances and the horses' pedigrees, then revise those choices based on the horses' movement during the auction."
"At the same time, most buyers at an auction would directly eliminate the first horse and the last horse in the catalog. Do you know why?"
Zhang Jun shook his head. Luo Yong continued, "The first horse to appear in every auction and the final horse that closes the sale usually have the best pedigrees and conformation in the entire auction. Even if they do not become the auction topper, their prices would not be far off. So many owners would simply give up competing for those two horses and use their funds to compete for other foals instead."
Luo Yong patted Zhang Jun on the shoulder and walked toward a man about his age at the entrance, who was waving at Luo Heng. "An acquaintance is looking for me. Take a look around on your own first. All the horses in this auction are in these stables. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me—especially about pedigrees."
"Still, don't expect too much. This is only an ordinary auction. It would already be considered good if they could run in local open races."
Zhang Jun thanked him and examined the horses one by one, focusing on the fillies' foaling attributes and genetic traits, followed by speed. Whether colt or filly, even a horse with poor breeding attributes could still earn prize money in races if it had high speed, helping accumulate funds to open the ranch.
Unfortunately, after examining more than a dozen horses in a row, he had not found any that stood out, whether in breeding or racing attributes. After all, this was merely an ordinary auction in Min Province, not a carefully selected elite horse sale.
[Horse Name: Margaret 2021 Sex/Age: Filly, 1 Coat Color: Chestnut Racing Attributes: Speed: F Burst: D Breeding Attributes: Foaling: 3] [Horse Name: Longxi Princess 2021 Sex/Age: Colt, 1 Coat Color: Black Racing Attributes: Speed: G+ Strength: C+ Health: B Growth Type: Early-maturing. Breeding Attributes: Foaling: 4] [Horse Name: Qingyuan Narcissus 2021 Sex/Age: Filly, 1 Coat Color: Bay Racing Attributes: Stamina: E Burst: C+ Health: D Breeding Attributes: Genetic Trait: Will to Win (Iron Pony).]
After looking through more than two hundred foals, Zhang Jun had not seen a single one that satisfied him, and he could not help frowning.
Among the horses he had seen so far, the highest racing attribute was B+, but it was in Health, which could only ensure that a horse would not injure itself during a demanding campaign.
The highest Speed attribute was only E. Most of the foals had Speed ratings of G or G+, and even on local circuits with little competitive pressure, they could only struggle in class races.
As for breeding attributes, there was no need to mention them. They were basically only three or four points. There were even several fillies with zero points, while not a single filly had reached six points.
With no other choice, Zhang Jun marked several fillies with a Foaling attribute of five on the auction list. Although five points in Foaling was not enough to make them flagship broodmares, it was sufficient for them to serve as core broodmares. Many of Jianzhou Ranch's broodmares only had four points in Foaling.
"Nothing I'm satisfied with..." Zhang Jun sighed and marked a colt he had just observed with an E-grade Speed rating. Although its attributes were not particularly high, it was already an exceptionally good foal by the standards of this auction. Winning several local open races should not be a problem.
Zhang Jun looked at the twenty-odd foals remaining ahead of him. "Only twenty or so left. Might as well finish looking."
Zhang Jun turned his attention to a chestnut filly beside him, and the system's attribute panel appeared before his eyes:
[Horse Name: Breezy Red Hound 2021 Sex/Age: Filly, 1 Coat Color: Chestnut Racing Attributes: Will to Win: B Distance: 1200–1800 meters Breeding Attributes: Foaling: 6.]
Zhang Jun's spirits lifted. This was the first horse among the more than two hundred at the auction that he had seen with a Foaling attribute of six. Its Will to Win was also high enough that, as long as its Speed was not too low, winning several local races would not be a problem.
He forcefully suppressed the upward curl of his lips and quickly marked it on the list with a five-pointed star.
"The ranch's first core broodmare is secured. Let's look at the other horses. Even if none of them are outstanding, as long as I can get this filly at this auction, it'll have been worth it."
Zhang Jun steadied his emotions and checked the attributes of the remaining horses. Only one colt with Speed reaching E+ caught his eye; if its growth period was long enough, it might reach D grade like Shadow Hunter. Unfortunately, that colt's Foaling attribute was only 2, and it was also the final horse in the catalog. Its price would most likely exceed Zhang Jun's psychological limit.