A pitch-black flash (congratulations, fy!!!)

The instant the gates sprang open, the pull through the reins felt stronger than ever before.

Rather than rashly curb his partner's urge to surge forward, Devon Coe merely tapped the horse's belly with his heels, offering a gentle reminder along the lines of, "Perhaps we should be a little more careful?"

One marked difference between colts and fillies was their temperament.

With the former, a rider could be a little stern and exert influence through clear movements of his hands. The latter, by contrast, were more sensitive, and excessive instructions would only have the opposite effect.

Once their confidence took a hit, fillies could very well lose all heart right there in the race.

The most basic rule of riding fillies, then, was to treat them like pampered young ladies, taking care not to offend them inadvertently and spoil their mood for racing.

The experience he had accumulated thus far proved equally useful with Mejiro Hōso, despite his being a colt.

"He's very well-behaved most of the time, so he isn't difficult to ride, but occasionally he has an immature side, like a child."

When he accepted the ride, he had also received fairly detailed advice from the trainer, Yoshida.

A curiosity that was a little excessive, even for a two-year-old debutant—

Once he actually rode the colt, he soon came to the same conclusion.

It was easy to lose on a heavily favored horse, but delivering a ride suited to that horse's personality was difficult.

Especially when his employer had also instructed him "not to ask too much of the horse."

Despite his advantage at the start, the New Zealand jockey surprised both racing fans and pundits by staying out of the fight for the lead.

After another light tap against the belly, gently advising Baozuo to "relax,"