Auction Begins

Zhang Jun inspected all the horses, marked the catalog, and left the stables to look for Luo Yong.

Luo Yong had just finished talking with an acquaintance at the café beside the stables. Seeing Zhang Jun emerge, he waved him over.

"Come, A-Jun, let me introduce you." He called Zhang Jun over, draped an arm around his shoulders, and said to the man across from them, "This is my younger brother, Zhang Jun. His family and mine have been close for generations. He just became a horse owner this year, so please look after him in the future."

"This guy is Hong Yun." Luo Yong gestured as he introduced him. "He's the heir to a stud farm in Min Capital, and his family's farm has a good relationship with ours. Just call him Brother Hong Yun."

Zhang Jun took the initiative to extend his hand. "Brother Hong Yun."

Hong Yun shook his hand as well. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hong Yun left behind a business card and took his leave.

Luo Yong called over a waiter, paid the bill, and brought Zhang Jun back to Jianzhou Stud.

Back at the stud, the two sat down in the living room. Luo Yong poured himself a cup of coffee and gestured for Zhang Jun to help himself to a drink.

"So, did you see any you liked? I'll help you analyze them."

Zhang Jun poured himself a glass of juice, took out the marked catalog from his bag, and handed it over.

"I took a look around. I don't know any methods for judging horses, so I went by feeling. I marked all the horses that felt pretty good."

Luo Yong took the catalog and flipped through it. When he saw the horses Zhang Jun had marked, he could not help being surprised.

He clicked his tongue and sighed. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... I'd heard that some horse owners don't know a thing about racing, yet have incredibly sharp instincts. They buy horses entirely based on first impressions and somehow always get excellent ones. I'd never seen it before, but now I have."

Luo Yong took out his own auction catalog and placed it beside Zhang Jun's on the table, flipping through them page by page.

"Although you marked very few horses, and some of them aren't in my catalog, most of the ones you marked are the same as mine. They're all yearlings with comparatively outstanding pedigrees and conformation at this auction."

"Your instincts really are... enviable beyond belief."

Luo Yong picked up his freshly served coffee. "Come on, tell your big brother what you're thinking for this auction. How many horses are you planning to bring home? What's your budget? Is there any horse you feel you absolutely have to get?"

Zhang Jun thought it over. Aside from the house in Jian'an, his father's inheritance had all been converted into shares by Liu Yong at his father's request. This year's dividends had been handed over to him along with the inheritance. Including the funds his father had left behind, he had roughly 1.8 million.

But he could not spend all of that money. For one thing, share dividends were only paid once a year, and he would have to live on this money for the rest of the year.

For another, Zhang Jun needed to set aside money for future horse purchases, as well as boarding and registration fees.

Zhang Jun asked Luo Yong, "At an ordinary auction like this, how much do horses usually sell for?"

Luo Yong replied, "Usually between 100,000 and 300,000. The highest has reached 350,000, but normally it's around 150,000 to 200,000."

"Selected horse auctions are much more expensive. The lowest prices are above 300,000, and the average is heading toward a million. But those are mostly the first batch of selected horses. At the third batch auction in July, prices are usually around 500,000."

Zhang Jun hesitated for a moment before making up his mind. "Let's set the budget at 400,000. That should be enough to buy two horses at an ordinary auction."

Zhang Jun flipped to the page for Breeze Red Dog 2021 and pointed at the chestnut filly. "Brother Fei, I'm planning to get this horse. Let's set the budget at 250,000."

"Also, I want to buy another horse, preferably a filly. Around 150,000. If that isn't enough, then forget it."

Listening to Zhang Jun's plans, Luo Yong moved to sit beside him and began writing and drawing on his catalog. "Preferably a filly? Are you already preparing a bride for Hunter Shadow Foal, kid? Let me see..."

"Breeze Red Dog 2021? Her dam, Breeze Red Dog, had two wins from nine starts in central racing and earned more than 1.2 million. She entered breeding after retirement. Of her four foals so far, one has not been registered for racing, and only one has raced. That one currently has three wins from five starts, including a local open race..."

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day. Yesterday, Luo Yong had helped Zhang Jun make plans based on his budget and the horses' pedigrees. More than half of the few horses Zhang Jun had marked were crossed off, leaving only five, including Breeze Red Dog 2021.

According to Luo Yong, Breeze Red Dog 2021's maternal line was fairly good, but her sire had not performed well as a stallion. Affected by her father, her price should not exceed 200,000 and would most likely be around 170,000.

However, the other fillies were more uncertain. The fillies Zhang Jun liked all had very good pedigrees by auction standards, so their prices would most likely exceed his 150,000 budget. Still, there was a chance that no one else would want them, allowing Zhang Jun to pick them up after they failed to sell.

Zhang Jun followed Luo Yong into the auction venue, found seats near the middle, and took out his phone to pass the time.

After a while, the broadcast began. "Thank you all for attending this year's Eighth Min Third Batch Yearling Auction. To avoid mistakes, we will now announce the catalog numbers of the horses absent from this auction in their order of appearance."

Zhang Jun put down his phone, picked up the catalog, and crossed out the absent horses according to the numbers announced. Most were horses he had not liked before, but some of the yearlings he had marked had also withdrawn. One of them was a filly Luo Yong had selected for him, one that might have been obtainable for 150,000.

Zhang Jun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Breeze Red Dog 2021 had not withdrawn. As for the others, it did not matter.

After the absent horses had been crossed off, the auction organizers took the stage. They first recounted the achievements of outstanding horses sold at past auctions, then honored their excellent owners and trainers. Only after the red-faced horse owners accepted their trophies and stepped down did the auctioneer seated in the center of the stage announce the start of the auction.

The first horse, a brown bay, entered the ring unwillingly under the lead of a stablehand. After briefly introducing its pedigree, the auctioneer began his chant.

"Lot number one, Long River Flying Swallow 2021. Colt, brown bay, foaled March 21. Sire: Min Capital Miracle. Dam: Long River Flying Swallow, winner of a local Grade Three race during her career, half-blood..."

"How about starting at 150,000... 150,000..."

As the auctioneer continued his chant, the horses on offer quickly passed lot number two hundred. The other three horses Zhang Jun had liked also appeared, but unfortunately, their prices were too high, all exceeding his earlier budget of 150,000.

However, none of them were bought by anyone else either. Luo Yong believed Zhang Jun had excellent instincts for judging a horse's ability. At the stud, Zhang Jun had spotted Hunter Shadow Foal at a glance, a horse the farm had valued greatly and had then called Jianzhou Flying Shadow. At the auction, he had also liked quite a few yearlings chosen by Jianzhou Stud's veteran staff. So when their prices exceeded Zhang Jun's budget, Luo Yong bought them himself.

The same went for several horses Zhang Jun had marked that had not made it onto Jianzhou Stud's list.

"Next up is lot number 216, Breeze Red Dog 2021. Filly, chestnut, foaled May 20. Her sire is..."

Zhang Jun perked up and sat straighter, but he did not join the bidding immediately. This was what Luo Yong had taught him: let others bid first, then join in when only a few bidders remained.

"So, how about 50,000... 50,000... good, 50,000. How about 55,000 now..."

As the other buyers made their bids, Breeze Red Dog 2021's price gradually rose to 100,000. Only three bidders remained, and Zhang Jun raised his paddle, pushing the price up to 110,000.

Seeing another bidder join in, two of them hesitated for a moment before deciding not to continue. Only a middle-aged man in a suit continued raising his paddle.

But after Zhang Jun raised the price without hesitation twice more, he too chose to withdraw. In the end, Zhang Jun secured Breeze Red Dog 2021 for 150,000.