﻿ Dignity and happiness in the final stretch | The Japan Times
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button  Thursday, Nov. 9, 2000   Dignity and happiness in the
final stretch  Staff writer  Hokkaido, specifically the southern
coastal area -- Hidaka, Niikappu, Shizunai, Urakawa -- comprises
the breeding and training center of Japanese racing. Farms
filled with stallions and broodmares, foals and youngsters dot
the area.  Yoshimi Kikuchi, daughter Yayoi, and mare Ti Amo
This is where racing fans come year after year to catch glimpses
of their heroes from the racetracks, the stallions retired to
stud, or to see the young foals frolicking beside their mothers
in the spring, the 2-year-olds galloping up the runs in
preparation for their track debuts.  This is where the horses
that fuel Japan's booming racing industry get their start. It is
a place of beginnings, full of hope.  The percentage of horses
who meet their end in the same pastoral settings, however, is
miniscule.  Atsuma Kikuchi