3:00 p.m.
The brief stretch of bright sky before the winter night fell.
The tens of thousands of racing fans packed into Sha Tin Racecourse's main grandstand looked out over the vibrant greenery still flourishing in Penfold Park despite the bitter cold.
Farther away lay the turf battlefield of the home straight.
The winter sun poured down, stretching the silhouettes of nine horse-and-rider pairs long, long before the gates.
"Second leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, the 1,400-meter Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Cup, ready!"
Liao Haoxian's commentary sounded no different from the first time they had set off.
And yet—
Like the sala trees blooming again after withering, even in Hong Kong, where capable horses were plentiful, this field had changed considerably from last year.
Before there was time for any reflection, that lively voice reached their ears once more.
"Ready to go!"
The gates sprang open, and Baozuo in stall two blasted out like a rocket, even pulling Yutaka Take slightly off balance in the saddle.
"All right! At the break, we can see Great Successor quickly away along the inside, but Great Yuan Speedster is hurrying up from the outside, while Joy Fills the World breaks from around second-last or third-last."
The pace was not particularly fast.
Though Baozuo had briefly shown plenty of initiative after breaking from the gates, under Yutaka Take's calming guidance, he settled back and entered the race from a position behind the leaders.
"They are now getting ready to enter the bend from the straight. Great Yuan Speedster still leads out front, with Great Successor following two lengths behind. Crab-Catching King in the black silks is moving up on the outside, and Joy Fills the World is also coming up from around third-last!"
As though hearing the echoes of the