I had thought I was long since used to the occasional unpredictability Poetic Banquet showed in races, yet a wave of helplessness still welled up from deep within.
Then-
Just as I finally managed to settle my emotions a little and return to reality, another startling-or rather, nerve-racking-sight appeared.
"In the battle for position over the opening three hundred and fifty meters, Oka Sho winner Antelope Rhythm Starlight dropped back slightly after the start. Number three, Dance of Power, and number five, Cyclamen Song, also chose to begin in the middle of the pack. In a complete reversal of the Oka Sho, the favorites have all held back. And Forget-Me-Not Stakes winner Mejiro Poetry Banquet has moved up from the very rear of the field."
On the big screen, the footage of the start showed Jockey Devon Coe urging his mount forward rather forcefully despite having broken late.
Forcing a horse forward after a poor start-
In most cases, this was undoubtedly a "formula for defeat" in racing.
Especially with a three-year-old still unfamiliar with the rhythm of a race, once urged forward to a certain position, the horse might not promptly obey even if the jockey wanted to ease the pace there.
If Poetic Banquet really had been a difficult, unruly horse, the team's Yushun Fillies campaign would probably have ended right then.
Yet amid the gradually stretching field, Jockey Devon Coe, wearing white-and-green silks, seemed to have reached an understanding with his partner. At a slight movement of the reins beneath his fingertips, the bay promptly eased her stride about half a length behind Antelope Rhythm Starlight.
Thank goodness-
Though it was still too early for thoughts like that, my slightly tense shoulders relaxed with my breathing.
At the very front of the pack, Kazuo had noticed that