Like a chaotic prologue, in the brief ten seconds after the Starting Gate flew open, eighteen figures shot toward the track like a sky full of arrows loosed from their bows, crossing paths everywhere amid the blistering speed.
Sunlight shattered into flecks of light where horseshoes struck the turf. More than a hundred thousand pairs of eyes in the stands became more than a hundred thousand high-speed cameras, excitedly and nervously capturing every clash.
The line of runners visibly compressed tighter and tighter, dirt and grass clippings continuously spraying up from the inside.
Behind the fastest figures on the innermost side, shallow furrows plowed into the ground were clearly visible.
As she sped forward, Kitasan Black secretly felt fortunate.
Just as her seniors and Anjing Zhen had said, the Japanese Derby truly was different.
She could not see every detail on the track, nor could she take it all in, but through her peripheral vision and hearing, she could tell that the battle on the inside was extremely fierce.
If she had gotten caught up in it like before, setting aside whether she could win the race, she definitely would not have been able to break free easily in a short time.
Thankfully... thankfully, while everyone was focused on the Inner Lane, she had burst out in one go.
After that moment of relief, Kitasan Black swept her gaze from side to side again before finally fixing it on the first turn directly ahead.
But the Outside Lane was still at far too great a disadvantage, and besides...
They were about to enter the turn.
A turn with a slope...
"They are about to enter the incredibly difficult first turn!"
The commentator raised his voice several notches.
"Behind Kitasan Black, number 15, Susan Muse, has also seized her chance to