Shadow Hunter's Maiden Race

Since it was a weekday, Jian'an Racecourse was practically empty. Scattered spectators and reporters from various racing papers sat sparsely throughout the grandstand.

The weather was perfect today: crisp autumn air, thin white clouds decorating the azure sky, and sunlight warming their bodies.

Today was Shadow Hunter's maiden race. Zhang Jun had left home early and arrived at Jian'an Racecourse to quietly await the start.

At local racecourses, twelve races were held every weekday: five in the morning, from nine to eleven-thirty, one every half hour; five in the afternoon, from three to five-thirty; and the final two races at night, beginning at eight and ending at nine.

Shadow Hunter's race was the third on the card. It would enter the parade ring to warm up around nine-fifty, with the race starting at ten-fifteen.

Nervous, Zhang Jun had arrived at Jian'an Racecourse shortly after nine. He watched the first two races: one was also a maiden race over 1,200 meters on dirt, while the other was a Class C lower division race, its runners consisting of horses that had failed to place in maiden races and older horses that had struggled in the Class C lower division for a long time.

Yet after watching those two races, Zhang Jun suddenly no longer felt nervous.

While watching, Zhang Jun had paid particular attention to the horses' attributes. Although the attributes he saw were not always speed, he happened to see the speed attributes of both winners in the first two races.

The Debutant Race winner had a Speed F+ rating and won the 1,200-meter race by half a length.

The horses in the Class C Lower Division were basically rated G in speed. In the end, a two-year-old G+ runner won by a head.

Thinking of Shadow Hunter's D-rated speed, Zhang Jun let out a long breath. No matter what, a local maiden race couldn't possibly have two horses with D-rated speed, could it?

Just then, a nearby conversation caught Zhang Jun's attention.

"Which horse do you think can win the next race?"

"Probably Number Five, Shadow Hunter. Judging from the workout videos on the racecourse's official website, it feels like it's on an entirely different level from the other horses in this race."

Mm-hmm (^o^)/, exactly right. Shadow Hunter was on a completely different level from the other horses, so of course Shadow Hunter would win.

Listening to them, Zhang Jun nodded in satisfaction.

"I think Number Three, Flying Eagle, is pretty good too. Its final furlong in its workout was only 12.2 seconds. As long as it can keep up early, it can win with its late kick."

What kind of horse was Flying Eagle? How could it possibly be compared to Shadow Hunter? Zhang Jun retorted inwardly.

That was what he thought, but when he looked down at Shadow Hunter entering with the announcer, he began worrying again. How was Shadow Hunter's condition? Would it break slowly from the gate? What if it got injured during the race?

"Next out is Number Five in stall three, Shadow Hunter! It is the undisputed favorite in this race. Shadow Hunter looks to be in fine condition. Can it reward everyone's expectations today?"

Zheng Shan, the groom assigned to Shadow Hunter by Lin Zhi, held its reins and led it around the parade ring a few times.

"Alright, the jockeys are coming out now. Time to mount up."

Shan Yao emerged from the female jockeys' room, lined up with the male jockeys at the entrance, bowed, and walked toward Shadow Hunter.

Lin Zhi held Shan Yao's leg and helped her into the saddle.

"Do you remember the race plan I told you before?"

Lin Zhi asked uneasily. Shan Yao patted her face and took a breath.

"I remember. Don't fight for the lead after the start. Keep our position around fourth or fifth, conserve stamina by following the other horses, make our move at the fourth turn, and if victory is assured, ease off to reduce stamina consumption."

Horses—especially maiden horses—could become restless and start pulling if they ran in front early, then fell back into the pack later. That was why Lin Zhi had arranged for Shan Yao to keep Shadow Hunter behind the other horses in its first race, letting it get used to tracking the field early on.

Lin Zhi nodded and stepped back. Zheng Shan handed the reins to Shan Yao, who led Shadow Hunter onto the track to circle and warm up.

Zhang Jun watched Shadow Hunter warm up from the owners' box when Lin Zhi came over and greeted him. "Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Jun was a little nervous. "How is Shadow Hunter's condition? Nothing unexpected physically, right?"

"No, no, it's in excellent condition. Please rest assured. Shadow Hunter is a very clever child. If anything were uncomfortable, it would show it on its own. And before the race, I specifically had a veterinarian examine it. It's perfectly healthy."

Lin Zhi replied with a smile.

Zhang Jun relaxed and began discussing Shadow Hunter's training with Lin Zhi.

Ten minutes later, the announcer shouted, "Alright, they're loading into the gates now!"

Zhang Jun shifted his attention to the track.

Jian'an Racecourse had an oval layout, with a dirt outer track and a turf inner track. Since it had been built around the natural terrain of the hills, there was an elevation difference between the home stretch and the backstretch opposite the stands. The third and fourth turns, which led from the backstretch into the home stretch, were entirely uphill and demanded considerable stamina.

Many horses ran out of stamina after charging up those turns and entering the home stretch, immediately dropping to the rear on the racecourse's short final straight. As a result, Jian'an Racetrack was also known as the racecourse in Min Province that tested willpower the most.

The dirt track at Jian'an Racecourse was 1,600 meters around. The 1,400-meter maiden race Shadow Hunter was entering started from an auxiliary stretch extending off a turn, bypassing the first turn and going directly into the second, then onto the backstretch, through the third and fourth turns, and finally into the home stretch.

Inside the gate, Shan Yao held her breath and counted silently. Three, two, one—now!

Shan Yao pushed forward with both hands, and Shadow Hunter sprang ahead, bursting out of the gate.

"The race has begun! A clean break! Shadow Hunter has taken the early lead! Will it press on and contend for the front-running position? Jockey Shan Yao isn't urging it forward. It seems Shadow Hunter does not intend to lead the field."

After the break, Shan Yao glanced left and right. Shadow Hunter had broken quickly and was temporarily in front by a head. Remembering Lin Zhi's instructions before the race, she did not fight for the lead. Instead, she let Shadow Hunter maintain its pace and allowed Number Two on the inside to move up and take the front.

"Alright, let's sort out the field. Number Two, Swift as Me, is in front. Half a length behind is Number One, Black Battle Flag. On the outside is Number Four, I Am Here, and farther out is the third favorite, Number Seven, Elite Professional. Two lengths behind them is the favorite, Number Five, Shadow Hunter, currently running fifth."

"Half a length behind is the second favorite, Number Three, Flying Eagle. Number Six, How Are You, is on the outside, followed by Number Nine, Battle Refreshing, with Number Ten, Didi Dudu, farther outside. Bringing up the rear is Number Eight, Class Schedule. The entire field is spread over roughly four lengths. They are packed together very tightly."

"Alright, they are entering the turn now, and still in front is..."

As they entered the turn, Shan Yao turned her head to assess the situation. The four horses ahead were tightly bunched, with no opening to squeeze through. Flying Eagle and How Are You were gradually moving up from behind.

There was no room ahead to take position, so she could only go wide. If the horses behind closed in too, she would be boxed in. Since she would have to make one wide run anyway, she might as well move out early and find clear space.

Shan Yao pulled the reins outward. Shadow Hunter shifted toward the outside and gradually found daylight. Now!

The instant the turn changed from drifting outward to tightening inward, Shan Yao gathered the reins, settled into the saddle, and drove hard with both hands, following Shadow Hunter's head movements as she pushed and pulled.

"The field has entered the fourth turn! Number Two, Swift as Me, is still leading. Shadow Hunter is moving wide—Shadow Hunter has made its move! Shadow Hunter is accelerating! Is it sprinting as soon as it enters the fourth turn? Isn't that too rash? They're still climbing uphill!"

The announcer cried out in surprise, and Lin Zhi explained from beside Zhang Jun, "Shadow Hunter's acceleration is actually very good. It takes just over two seconds to reach top speed."

"But Jian'an Racecourse's home stretch is very short. There are only 300 meters from the entrance of the straight to the finish, and most horses take nineteen to twenty-one seconds to cover it. Two seconds is enough for a horse with strong instant acceleration to open a gap."

"Since we don't know whether there are any opponents in this Debutant Race with powerful instant acceleration, I specifically instructed Shan Yao to accelerate at the fourth turn, just in case."

"I tested it during the first week of September. Accelerating on Jian'an Racecourse's uphill turn is feasible. By extending the acceleration phase appropriately, Shadow Hunter can reach maximum speed right as it enters the home stretch, and the stamina expenditure remains within its limits."

Zhang Jun nodded, his gaze never leaving Shadow Hunter on the outside of the field, though his hands involuntarily clenched.

Although he had seen in the parade ring that none of the horses in this race surpassed Shadow Hunter in speed, there were no absolutes in horse racing. What if one of the horses displaying another attribute had speed equal to, or even greater than, Shadow Hunter's?

"The race enters the home stretch! The first horse onto the straight is Swift as Me! Shadow Hunter has caught up and now takes the lead!"

"Are the other horses not going to follow? Jian'an Racecourse's 300-meter straight is very short! Shadow Hunter in front! Shadow Hunter in front!"

"Elite Professional is on the inside, and Flying Eagle is breaking free from the pack! Can they catch Shadow Hunter? It's too late! There are only 100 meters left! Shadow Hunter has opened up a three-length lead! Running alone, completely alone—Shadow Hunter is running alone!"

Shan Yao glanced out of the corner of her eye. There was nothing beside her but dirt. When she turned to look behind, all nine horses were desperately chasing, but even Elite Professional, the closest, was more than three lengths away.

Shan Yao let out a breath, loosened the reins to signal that Shadow Hunter no longer needed to accelerate, straightened her body, and stopped urging it on.

Feeling that the weight on its back was no longer driving it, Shadow Hunter's flattened ears sprang back up, and its movements gradually became more natural.

"Shadow Hunter is running alone! Shadow Hunter is running alone! Jockey Shan Yao has even stopped urging it! Elite Professional is second, Flying Eagle is third. The gap is closing, but they cannot catch it!"

"Shadow Hunter crosses the line! First place goes to Shadow Hunter! A winning margin of one length! Flying Eagle overtakes Elite Professional just before the finish line for second, with Elite Professional third!"

The announcer shouted wildly. Zhang Jun kept his fists clenched until Shadow Hunter crossed the line, then finally relaxed and excitedly hugged Lin Zhi. "It won! It won!"

Lin Zhi echoed him excitedly. It was the first time his stable had ever had a horse of this caliber.