Two-Year-Old Championship ②

"Currently leading the field is No. 1, Nangozi, followed half a length behind by No. 4, Longxi Mad Shark, then No. 6...

No. 7, Jiahe Splendor, has now caught up with the stalking pack and is following at the very back of it.

The top favorite, No. 12, Shadow Hunter, broke late and smoothly switched to a closer's style, bringing up the rear half a length behind Jiahe Splendor.

From front to back, the entire field is spread over roughly seven to eight lengths."

"Good decision!" Lin Zhi pumped his fist excitedly.

Zhang Jun looked at him questioningly, and Lin Zhi explained, "If you break late and want to catch up to the field, you have to spend extra stamina accelerating early, then slow back down into a cruising pace once you catch them.

That acceleration and deceleration consume an enormous amount of stamina. Many horses that break late have nothing left for a final sprint by the end of the race.

But Shadow Hunter can handle any running style, so Shan Yao switched directly to a closer's style after the late break. That lets Shadow Hunter conserve stamina early, use that stamina to catch the field around the turns, and still save up a finishing kick.

You could say she minimized the impact of the late break."

Zhang Jun suddenly understood.

The field passed through the first turn. Because the bend was so broad, quite a few horses were flung out toward the outside lanes, making the entire field look like a wide loaf of bread.

"The first two hundred meters took twelve point five seconds—a very fast time for a heavy track. At this rate, will the horses still have enough stamina for the final straight?

No. 1, Nangozi, remains at the front of the field, followed by... and at the rear is No. 12, Shadow Hunter."

Zhang Jun paid no attention to the commentator. Through his binoculars, his gaze remained fixed on Shadow Hunter.

Although Shadow Hunter was currently at the back of the field, he did not look anxious at all. His ears stood high, twitching gently, and he appeared completely at ease.

Because the dirt on the track had been softened by the rain, the horses' hooves sank into the mud as they ran, and pulling them free required more strength than on a good track.

[Japan uses sand tracks, where heavy going is actually faster. It is not the same kind of track as in this novel.]

Thus, heavy-track racing was a burden for most horses. Their times were much slower than normal, and they struggled visibly as they ran, often beginning to breathe heavily before even reaching halfway.

Yet Shadow Hunter's running form on the heavy track looked exceptionally relaxed. His limbs stretched freely as he landed lightly and sprang back up at once, as though dancing in the rain.

"He likes racing on heavy tracks." Lin Zhi's voice carried a trace of disbelief.

"I tested Shadow Hunter's adaptation to heavy going by watering the track before, but I never expected his heavy-track aptitude to be this good."

(￣ˇ￣)

The corner of his mouth suddenly curled to one side. "In that case, Shadow Hunter's victory is practically guaranteed."

The field reached the second straight. After coming through the broad turn, Nangozi's jockey, Chen Wei, lowered himself close to Nangozi's back and began urging him forward with both hands, gradually opening a gap on the stalking pack behind.

Before the race, the trainer's words flashed through Chen Wei's mind.

"I specifically tested Nangozi's heavy-track aptitude on rainy days. He can absolutely be called the god of heavy tracks in regional racing—a horse specialized for heavy going.

Judging by today's conditions, it will definitely rain during the dirt championship. When the time comes, start making your breakaway as soon as you enter the second straight. Open as much distance as possible from the field behind you.

They don't know Nangozi's heavy-track aptitude. They'll surely think he'll burn out early and choose not to chase. Once they do that, victory will be in our pocket.

And if they choose to chase, even better. On a heavy track, they'll consume far more stamina than Nangozi. Increase the pace again and drain their stamina early."

After running half the straight, Chen Wei glanced back. Longxi Mad Shark, the horse closest to him, was still three or four lengths away.

"Good! They aren't chasing. As long as I open enough of a gap over the remaining two hundred meters of straight and the third and fourth turns, I can secure the win!"

Chen Wei could not stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.

(￣ˇ￣)

"Eight hundred meters down in exactly fifty-one seconds! What an incredibly fast time for a heavy track!"

The commentator cried out, "Nangozi has opened up four lengths! Is he going to make a break for it once he enters the straight? Can Nangozi's stamina hold up?"

Shan Yao straightened and looked ahead. The front-running and stalking packs were crowded together, and she could not see the leader.

Shadow Hunter was currently thirteenth in the field, one length behind the stalking group.

Jiahe Splendor and No. 15, Moon Appreciation, were adapting to the heavy track far worse than their trainers and jockeys had expected. They had gradually failed to keep up around the turn and were now one length behind Shadow Hunter.

Shan Yao calculated Shadow Hunter's remaining stamina. *Shadow Hunter's heavy-track aptitude is better than expected. Running on heavy going consumes about as much stamina as on a good track.

With Shadow Hunter's stamina, he has enough to complete eighteen hundred meters. In this sixteen-hundred-meter two-year-old championship, he still has some stamina left for extra expenditure.

And he's using a closer's style this time, so he has saved even more stamina than before. Then let's start accelerating from here!*

With that thought, Shan Yao tugged the reins and guided Shadow Hunter into the outside lane. Leaning forward, she gathered the reins in both hands and pushed against Shadow Hunter's neck.

Sensing the command, Shadow Hunter lowered his ears slightly and gradually increased his stride frequency.

"Shadow Hunter is beginning to move up!" The commentator's voice instantly rose, carrying a note of disbelief.

"Is he going to decide the race here? The field has only just completed eight hundred meters! The leading Nangozi has only just entered the third turn!"

A buzz of discussion erupted from the grandstands.

"Thirteenth! Twelfth! Eleventh! The horses in the stalking and front-running packs are all beginning to accelerate as well!"

The commentator's excitement steadily mounted.

In the grandstands, the racing fans who had thrown their Shadow Hunter cheering tickets into the air hurriedly picked them up and began shouting.

Zhang Jun gripped his binoculars with both hands, his knuckles turning white.

"Nangozi has entered the final straight! There are four hundred and twenty-eight meters remaining until victory! But the field behind is gradually closing in! They are only eight lengths behind Nangozi!"

"Can Nangozi hold on? Shadow Hunter has already moved up to seventh! Can he answer everyone's expectations?"

The commentator shouted himself hoarse. "Three hundred and fifty meters remaining! Shadow Hunter breaks free from the field! He is still six lengths behind Nangozi! Can Shadow Hunter catch him? The distance is closing rapidly!"

The raindrops overhead gradually vanished. The dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight slowly emerged through the gaps in the clouds, shining upon the earth.

"The final two hundred meters! Shadow Hunter! He's caught him! He's caught him! He tears through the curtain of rain over the racetrack! He tears through the shadows shrouding the track! Shadow Hunter, charging into the sunlight, has passed Nangozi!"

Hearing the rapidly approaching hoofbeats, Chen Wei was stunned. Damn it! A full nine lengths, and he caught up that fast!

When he saw the blue-and-white silks in the corner of his eye, along with the black-and-yellow wave pattern on the rider's sleeves, Chen Wei understood.

"So it's Shadow Hunter? Then the three great jockeys of Min Province regional racing really have all been unhorsed by one little girl."

"No stalemate at all! Shadow Hunter passes him outright! This is the warrior who hunts shadows! Catching up to the gloom of that late break! Tearing through the gloomy rain curtain! Chasing down the brilliant sunlight! Shadow Hunter! Crosses the line!"