The Trajectory of the Autumn Line

By mid-September, the sun was already setting as early as five-thirty.

Though some light still remained in the sky, darkness would soon fall. That was how it was in the countryside surrounded by mountains—just the right time to bring the horses in.

The Sankei Sho had concluded last week.

Solstice, the Victoria Mile winner, and Ryan Moore had narrowly claimed favoritism, followed closely by Soaring Steed, third in the Takarazuka Kinen, ridden by Yutaka Take.

Despite showing excellent momentum in the mixed races during the first half of the year, Atalanta had only been the third favorite against former rivals from the Classic line and older horses of Grade 1 caliber.

The race that followed, however, had completely become Oi Visitor's one-horse show.

Setting a fast pace from the front throughout, Soaring Steed began making a move at the final turn, yet could never close the gap on the runaway leader.

In the end, Solstice showed signs of tiring first, while Soaring Steed, charging from the very back of the field, could not catch up either. The two highly favored horses handed over victory without a fight.

Even in the final furlong, the front-runner had produced an astonishing final split of twelve-point-five seconds. For the chasing pack, there was no more troublesome opponent than a higher-class racehorse that could still sprint after leading at high speed.

Even Yutaka Take had worn a helpless-looking expression in his post-race interview.

"It really is difficult to deal with a horse like that at Nakayama."

For the winning camp, more noteworthy than the victory itself was the strong showing Atalanta had put on in this race.

The real target was the Grade 1 races in autumn.

I slung the lead rope over my shoulder and followed behind Rachel Ho at an unhurried pace toward