"Gold Ship! Gold Ship was closing in on the outside!"
"I never expected Gold Ship to be such a powerful closer, either!"
As they rounded the final turn, the commentator's voice grew louder.
That closing charge looked almost effortless.
But the jockeys out on the track had no such luxury.
They all began using their whips to pick up speed.
If they did not accelerate and give chase now, they would have no chance later.
A few seconds later, Gold Ship overtook numbers two and seven ahead and charged toward the finish line.
Throughout that stretch, Koichi merely pushed forward with his hands without using his whip.
He felt this speed was enough to secure first place.
"Victory Tucks was accelerating in pursuit, and number eight, Cosmic Wild, had unleashed its final kick from the back!"
A dark bay racehorse on the outside was rapidly chasing down Gold Ship ahead.
At the start, that horse had been beside Gold Ship, closer to the middle.
But no one had expected Gold Ship to charge forward so quickly.
Without using the whip to accelerate now, first place would slip away.
"Three lengths, two lengths! Cosmic Wild was still closing the gap on Gold Ship!"
"Jockey Sasaki still seemed to have no intention of using his whip to pick up speed."
Just as everyone thought Gold Ship would be caught, it crossed the finish line without a hitch.
That truly was the composure of the strong.
Although the commentator was not out on the track, Jockey Sasaki should have been able to hear the hoofbeats drawing ever closer behind him.
In this race, Gold Ship had charged from near last to first.
Without a single stroke of the whip.
Yet its final kick had still been fast.
Across the line!
"Gold Ship crossed