The field entered the second turn, and the jockeys began adjusting their positions in preparation for the straight ahead.
Shan Yao chose a wider route. Rather than squeezing Cloudstream Flying Shadow inward, she kept her on the outside. Though this meant covering a little extra ground, it avoided the risk of being boxed in by the other horses.
After the first and second turns, which stretched for 370 meters, the field entered the backstretch. This straight was roughly 330 meters long and was a crucial stage for adjusting the pace midway through the race.
The positions began to shift. No. 2 Jade Plume accelerated from the middle and moved up into third, while No. 5 Flame Rose also started advancing from the outside.
Cloudstream Flying Shadow's position, however, did not change much. Shan Yao still kept her around sixth or seventh, running with remarkable steadiness.
"The race has now reached the 800-meter mark. Eight hundred meters in forty-seven seconds flat—a very normal pace. They're about to enter the third turn." The commentator's voice never stopped over the broadcast.
"No. 1 Dawnlight Dancer remains in the lead, but her advantage has narrowed from two lengths to one. No. 8 Island Breeze is right on her heels, while No. 2 Jade Plume has risen to third."
"The top favorite, No. 3 Starlit Fantasy, is currently in fifth. No. 7 Cloudstream Flying Shadow is on the outside, while No. 5 Flame Rose is on the inside."
Zhang Jun watched Cloudstream Flying Shadow through his binoculars. Her movements remained smooth, her breathing steady, with no sign that she was struggling.
"Cloudstream Flying Shadow is in excellent form," Lin Zhi said quietly beside him. "Look at her ears. They've been turning back and forth, which means she still has the energy to pay attention to her surroundings. A truly exhausted horse lets her ears droop."
Only then did Zhang Jun notice that detail.
Sure enough, Cloudstream Flying Shadow's long ears flicked about nimbly, sometimes pointing forward and sometimes turning to either side, making her look exceptionally alert.
The field entered the third turn. Shan Yao had Cloudstream Flying Shadow cut slightly inward, moving from six-wide to four- or five-wide.
"No. 3 Starlit Fantasy is starting to accelerate!" The commentator raised his voice. "As expected of the race's top favorite, she's making her move at the 700-meter mark. Is she planning to seize the lead before entering the final turn?"
No. 3 Starlit Fantasy surged from fifth to third in one burst, following closely behind the leading No. 1 Dawnlight Dancer and No. 8 Island Breeze.
After being overtaken, No. 2 Jade Plume dropped to fourth. No. 5 Flame Rose held fifth, while Cloudstream Flying Shadow remained in sixth.
A commotion erupted from the stands. Many racing fans who had bought bets on Starlit Fantasy at the horse-racing lottery booths jointly established at the racetrack by the agriculture and sports departments cheered excitedly when they saw her begin to accelerate.
"The field enters the fourth turn! No. 3 Starlit Fantasy has passed No. 8 Island Breeze around the bend and moved into second, only half a length behind the leading No. 1 Dawnlight Dancer. No. 2 Jade Plume and No. 5 Flame Rose are running side by side in fourth and fifth, while Cloudstream Flying Shadow is gradually closing in!"
"The race enters the final 400 meters!" The commentator's voice grew increasingly excited. "The fourth turn is about to end. Can the leading No. 1, Dawnlight Dancer, hold her position? No. 3, Starlit Fantasy, is still pressing hard!"
In the chairman's box, Zhang Jun stared fixedly at the track. Sweat had already soaked his palms, but he was completely unaware of it.
The leading No. 1 Dawnlight Dancer was clearly beginning to struggle. Her strides had grown heavy, and the bobbing of her head had become more pronounced—an obvious sign that her stamina was fading.
No. 3 Starlit Fantasy seized the opportunity. Her jockey began driving her hard, and she suddenly accelerated, passing Dawnlight Dancer through the turn to take the lead!
"No. 3 Starlit Fantasy passes! She's now in first!" the commentator shouted. "The race enters the final straight! The first horse onto the final straight is the crowd favorite, Starlit Fantasy!"
Almost the instant they entered the final straight, No. 2 Jade Plume and No. 5 Flame Rose also launched their sprints. The two horses accelerated side by side, trying to battle for third.
"Now!"
Shan Yao sharply caught the moment—the horses ahead had begun accelerating, creating a gap in the field. Cloudstream Flying Shadow was directly behind that opening. It was the perfect time to make her move.
She drew a deep breath and leaned forward. Holding the whip in her right hand, she flicked it several times before Cloudstream Flying Shadow's eyes as a signal, then struck her once on the right hindquarter and began driving powerfully with both hands.
The command traveled through the whip and reins to Cloudstream Flying Shadow. The red-brown bay filly instantly understood her jockey's intent.
Her hind legs exploded with force, her stride frequency instantly quickening as she pushed her speed to its limit in a single moment.
"Cloudstream Flying Shadow accelerates!" the commentator cried. "What incredible speed! In an instant, she's drawn level with the two horses that were half a length ahead! No stalemate—Cloudstream Flying Shadow is gradually passing them and moves into third!"
The stands exploded into uproar. Many people had not even noticed this ninth-favorite horse until she suddenly emerged from the pack.
Zhang Jun rose from his seat, gripping his binoculars as his eyes locked onto that red-brown figure ahead to the right.
"Outside! Cloudstream Flying Shadow is coming up on the outside!" The commentator's voice was filled with shock. "She's so fast! She's already passed No. 1 Dawnlight Dancer and is rapidly closing on the leader, Starlit Fantasy!"
Like a streak of red-brown lightning, she carved an arc five-wide. Within two strides, she had drawn level with Dawnlight Dancer on the inside two path; two more strides, and she was half a length ahead.
Gasps erupted from the stands. Racing fans rose to their feet, craning their necks toward the track.
"There are only 200 meters remaining! No. 3 Starlit Fantasy and No. 7 Cloudstream Flying Shadow are side by side in the lead!" The commentator's voice reached its peak. "Dawnlight Dancer is two lengths behind, Jade Plume is in fourth and has lost any chance of victory! In these final 200 meters, who will win the Jian'an Fillies' Championship?"
Shan Yao lowered herself until she was nearly pressed against Cloudstream Flying Shadow's neck, putting all her strength into every drive.
Cloudstream Flying Shadow's ears flattened back, her stride frequency rising once more as every stride reached its maximum length.
Beside her, Starlit Fantasy was also accelerating desperately. Her rider was Jian'an Racetrack's top jockey, the thirty-four-year-old Du Wei. For the past seven years, he had held the top spot among Jian'an jockeys, taking turns with two capable local jockeys from other prefecture-level cities in Min Province, each with ample resources, to dominate the pinnacle of Min Province's local jockey circuit.
At that moment, Du Wei stared in shock at Cloudstream Flying Shadow and Shan Yao in the outside lane. He had never expected this three-year-old filly, who had won only a single Central race, and this young girl who routinely rode the mounts he had discarded, to unleash such astonishing speed.
He could not help gritting his teeth. His windmill whip lashed Starlit Fantasy's rump again and again as his body rose and fell with her stride, his right hand driving against Starlit Fantasy's neck with all his strength.
The two horses ran side by side for fifty meters, then a hundred. Cloudstream Flying Shadow gradually pulled away, from a nose to a head, then to a neck.
With only a hundred meters left, Starlit Fantasy's stamina gave out. The gap between them began to widen—from a neck, to half a length, to a full length.
"Cloudstream Flying Shadow takes the lead!" the commentator roared. "No. 3 Starlit Fantasy is trying desperately to catch up, but the gap is steadily widening! Starlit Fantasy has no chance left!"
Shan Yao could feel victory within reach. Her breathing grew heavier, and her strength was nearly spent, but she drove even harder—until they crossed the line, a jockey could never relax.
In the final twenty meters, the result was decided.
Shan Yao finally straightened slightly, and tears suddenly slipped from the corners of her eyes.
Four years had passed since she became a jockey at eighteen and made her official debut at nineteen. Because she lacked the strength of other jockeys, even though Lin Zhi had helped connect her with horse owners and she had maintained a win rate above ten percent for years, the horses she received in Graded Stakes races were usually the least favored.
In four full years since her debut, Shan Yao had never won a single Graded Stakes title. No matter how hard she fought, she could only bring her mounts onto the board, and most of the time she could only finish near the back.
Now that she had finally claimed her first Graded Stakes victory, Shan Yao was suddenly overwhelmed by a flood of emotions.
Across the line!
"The champion is—Cloudstream Flying Shadow!" The commentator's declaration rang across the entire venue alongside the finish-line whistle. "She wins the Jian'an Fillies' Championship by two and a half lengths! The fallen Cinderella who came from the Central circuit to the local circuit has claimed her first Graded Stakes victory in her very first local race!"
"And congratulations as well to jockey Shan Yao, who has taken her first Graded Stakes victory!"
Some in the stands cheered while others despaired. Many tossed their betting slips into the air, but the applause only grew louder and louder.
Everyone loved a story of Cinderella and a hard worker rising together. Whether it was Cloudstream Flying Shadow, with two wins in ten Central races, or Shan Yao, whose four years of hard work had finally paid off, both deserved this applause.
On the track, Shan Yao was easing Cloudstream Flying Shadow down. She gently patted Cloudstream Flying Shadow's neck, tears streaming down her face, yet a radiant smile still hung on her lips.