Malon

The child meeting is in Hyrule Castle Town, not at the ranch. Talon has fallen asleep where he should not have, and Malon asks for help. The Weird Egg hatches into a cucco that wakes him, which is a different cucco errand from the one in Kakariko. Back at Lon Lon Ranch she introduces the foal and teaches Epona's Song. That song is the only way the horse remembers you.

Adult Malon is still on the ranch, now working under Ingo. The race you run is with her horse and against his rules. Winning is what puts Epona in the field. She does not become a sage, and she does not move to Kakariko. If a cosplay guide and a quest guide disagree about her dress, trust the quest: egg, cucco, song, race. The remake's art pass is visible and, so far, not a plot pass.

If Malon is no longer at the first market meeting, look on the castle approach near the vines. Her Weird Egg hatches after time passes; use the resulting Cucco beside the sleeping Talon near the castle moat. Moving him makes the crate route to the courtyard usable. Visit Lon Lon Ranch as a child after that errand and speak with Malon near Epona. Show the ocarina to learn the horse's melody. The song has another practical use beyond the ranch: playing it beside a cow fills an empty bottle with milk. The later adult races are against Ingo, while Malon remains part of the ranch story.