A week had passed since the account was created, and Forest Hero had won a Class C1 race during that time.
The account's follower count had grown rapidly. In just one week, the various accounts had amassed over a hundred thousand followers combined, with every video receiving tens of thousands of comments.
Some praised the little racehorses for being adorable, some wanted to cuddle them, and some even wanted to steal them. Zhang Jun liked every comment one by one—except for those about stealing the horses.
That's my horse, mine! o(￣ヘ￣o＃)
Mindu Racecourse, conference room
Today was the gate draw for the Eight Min Two-Year-Old Championship · Dirt Race. Zhang Jun arrived early, while Lin Zhi had already claimed seats at a table, with Shan Yao sitting beside him.
"How is Shadow Hunter doing? There aren't any physical issues, right?"
The first thing Zhang Jun asked after sitting down was about Shadow Hunter.
"He couldn't be any better."
Lin Zhi lowered his voice, smiling.
"He weighs three kilograms more than he did for the last race, and every bit of it is muscle.
"During yesterday's final workout, he was a full 0.3 seconds faster than last time. You could say he has no rivals at all in this Two-Year-Old Stakes.
"We also had a veterinarian examine him. He's in excellent health, and his horseshoes were replaced three days ago. Everything is ready.
"For the next few days, I only plan to arrange maintenance training to preserve Shadow Hunter's racing condition while letting him conserve his strength."
Zhang Jun let out a breath. "As long as there's no problem."
The draw began soon after. Mu Fei stepped onto the stage and briefly went over the history and prestige of the Eight Min Two-Year-Old Championship before quickly moving on to the guest segment.
This time, the guest was Li Muzhi, the president of the Min Province Branch of the Central Racing Association. His hair and beard were already completely white.
He slowly walked onto the stage, reached into the draw box on the left, and gradually pulled out a ball. "First entry—Longxi Mad Shark."
One horse after another was called. The owner, trainer, or jockey from the corresponding camp went onstage to draw a gate number from the box on the right.
Some were delighted, while others were disappointed.
Zhang Jun sat in his chair, nervously rubbing the rim of the wineglass in his hand.
"Ninth entry—Shadow Hunter."
After the old man announced the name, the cameraman at the side of the conference room turned the camera toward Zhang Jun and the others. The other camps also looked their way.
Zhang Jun took a deep breath, rose to his feet, and slowly walked toward the draw stage.
Though he was still nervous, his hands were much steadier this time after the experience of Cloudstream Flying Shadow's Eight Min Mile Race.
He reached into the draw box, grabbed a cold little ball, and took it out.
Li Muzhi looked at him kindly, with the satisfaction of seeing an outstanding junior in Huaxia's racing world. He accepted the ball, twisted it open, and took a look.
Zhang Jun held his breath. Lin Zhi's eyes widened, while Shan Yao clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
"Shadow Hunter—Gate twelve!"
Whew—
Zhang Jun relaxed, Lin Zhi smiled, and Shan Yao patted her chest.
For Shadow Hunter, who could handle all kinds of racing styles, any draw was a good one as long as he did not get one of the outermost gates from fourteen onward.
December 23, 2022, 4:15 p.m.
The sky was gray, dark clouds hanging over the racecourse as tiny drops of rain fell from above.
Instead of watching from a private box today, Zhang Jun chose to watch from the owners' seats beside the finish line.
The dirt Two-Year-Old Stakes covered 1,600 meters. Starting from Mindu's finish line, the horses would first run thirty meters down a straight.
They would then enter the wide first and second turns, measuring 342 meters, before moving onto the 458-meter backstretch.
After that came the similarly 342-meter, gentler third and fourth turns, followed by the final straight of 428 meters.
Holding an umbrella, Zhang Jun watched Zheng Shan lead Shadow Hunter into the parade ring.
Shadow Hunter's ears flicked constantly back and forth, his tail raised high as it traced arcs behind him. His hooves kept stamping the ground, and he breathed heavily.
Lin Zhi frowned as he stood before Shadow Hunter. "Shadow Hunter is a little too excited."
Zheng Shan looked miserable. "He was perfectly fine at lunch. But since three o'clock, he's gotten more and more excited. I tried every method I could think of, but I couldn't settle him down."
Zhang Jun made a call. "I'm over in the stands. Shadow Hunter's condition seems a little off. Should we withdraw?"
Lin Zhi spoke bitterly. "Shadow Hunter is a bit too excited right now. He has always been a smart boy. He probably knows that today's race is important, so his fighting spirit is running high.
"But I don't know whether this state will affect the race. Sometimes high fighting spirit can make a racehorse perform beyond his limits, but sometimes it has the opposite effect."
"Then should we withdraw?" Zhang Jun asked.
Shadow Hunter suddenly stepped forward and raised his forehooves high toward the track. "Neigh~! (p≧w≦q)"
"All right ╮(╯＿╰)╭, it seems Shadow Hunter doesn't want to withdraw." Zhang Jun sighed. "Then we'll continue. Please tell Shan Yao for me: safety comes first."
Lin Zhi nodded solemnly. "Understood."
Shan Yao and the other jockeys emerged from the jockeys' room, bowed, and ran toward the racehorses.
Lin Zhi stopped Shan Yao. "Shadow Hunter is a little too excited today. Try to calm him down during the warm-up. Also, Mr. Zhang said safety comes first. Don't force it."
Shan Yao nodded gravely. With Lin Zhi's help, she mounted Shadow Hunter and guided him slowly along the track, stroking his neck with both hands.
"You're excited too, aren't you? But don't get too excited. We need to save our strength and unleash it during the final sprint. Hold it in... hold it in..."
Shadow Hunter snorted, and his breathing gradually steadied.
"The pre-race favorite, Shadow Hunter, looks a little excited. I wonder whether it will affect his performance?"
The commentator's voice came through the broadcast system as discussion spread through the packed stands.
"All right, the racehorses are now entering the gates one after another. The first is number one, Southern Township, followed by number three..."
When it was Shadow Hunter's turn to enter, he walked toward gate twelve on his own without needing the staff to lead him.
"All racehorses are now in the gates. Race nine at Mindu Racecourse, the forty-ninth Eight Min Two-Year-Old Championship · Dirt Race, CN1, 1,600 meters on dirt, right-handed... and they're off!"
With a bang, the gates flew open, and all fifteen racehorses charged out one after another.
Zhang Jun closed his eyes, while Lin Zhi seemed to put on an expression of agony, unable to bear watching.
"It wasn't a clean break! Number seven, Jiahe Scenery, and the favorite, number twelve Shadow Hunter, both broke slowly! Can Shadow Hunter adjust quickly and live up to the fans' expectations?"
A collective sigh rose from the stands, and someone tossed a cheering ticket into the air.
Beneath her helmet, Shan Yao's delicate face showed a hint of bitterness. She had not expected Shadow Hunter to remain so restless even after calming down.
There's no choice. Shadow Hunter can use any racing style anyway. I might as well switch to a closing run and catch up in the turns.
She looked at the pack one length ahead, guided Shadow Hunter toward the inside, and followed behind Jiahe Scenery, who had also broken slowly but was already accelerating after the field.