Clack!
With a crisp sound, all sixteen Racehorses burst out of the starting gates at once.
Take the rail!
Koichi was perfectly clear about his objective.
That was the advantage of gate one: it offered the easiest route to the inside rail!
After all their training, Golden Masterpiece understood what his jockey wanted, too.
He would not lose this race!
"A beautiful break from the Starting Gate."
"Danon Blue and Red Davis are quickly breaking away from the pack. Front-runners through and through!"
Ohhh!!
Cheers rose from the stands once again.
Seeing Danon Blue steadily pull away from the horses behind her, the spectators felt certain she had this one in the bag.
The favorite was living up to her billing.
She was every bit Deep Impact's daughter.
"Meanwhile, Golden Masterpiece, who took the rail at the start, has been boxed in by the Racehorses coming up from behind."
Watching the race unfold, the commentator hesitated.
Was this rookie jockey really not going to pick up the pace a little?
Once a Racehorse was surrounded by the pack, breaking through became exceptionally difficult. Even a closer needed a good position from which to accelerate.
What a waste of that prime spot on the rail.
The commentator continued analyzing the race.
"Dream Baron is in third, while Danon Blue and Red Davis up front are still accelerating."
Soon, the three powerful front-runners had opened a gap of three or four lengths over the Racehorses behind them.
Up on the seventh floor, Keigo Kudo broke into a broad grin.
He had thought that after taking the rail, Golden Masterpiece would pick up the pace a little to avoid getting swallowed by the pack.
Instead, the jockey had given no instructions at all, and Golden Masterpiece had been boxed in by Macherina and Appreciating Wisdom.
Looks like the young lady really doesn't have much of an eye for talent~
He began humming a little tune to himself.
Meanwhile, Ayano Aoe sat in the VIP seats, utterly unruffled.
Until the race was over, no one could know which Racehorse would finish first.
Boxed in, just as expected.
Koichi kept his eyes fixed ahead.
After repeated trials, he had discovered that Golden Masterpiece's explosive Final Kick was enough to put this race to bed.
Of course.
Before that, he needed to let Golden Masterpiece cover most of the distance comfortably.
The race will be decided after that big turn!
The front-runners ahead were now clearly beginning to slow.
The gap between the two groups kept shrinking.
Clop-clop-clop-
The hoofbeats grew increasingly dense, and the Racehorses behind them were beginning to give chase as well.
They were racing, after all. Naturally, they were here to win.
Snort-!
Snort-!
Golden Masterpiece could feel his anger steadily mounting.
But today, he had decided to listen to Koichi.
They were no longer the inexperienced pair they had been when they first teamed up. He had started to find his jockey just a little more tolerable.
These two-legged creatures were all pretty useless, but Koichi could automatically replenish his carrots!
Hahaha-
Out in front, Matsutomo Kazuma laughed to himself.
In this race, only Red Davis can give Danon Blue a run for her money.
Those Racehorses we've left behind aren't a threat at all!
According to the information he had received, Red Davis would run short of strength in the final sprint. As long as he could get Danon Blue to produce one more burst then, victory would surely be his!
He had dismissed Golden Masterpiece entirely.
Snort-
After her accelerating charge out front, Danon Blue's stamina was draining fast.
There were simply too few outstanding mares in this era.
Not to mention that she was suited only to short-distance races.
In terms of stamina, she still fell far short of Golden Masterpiece, who came from the same farm.
Time flew by.
Seeing the horses about to enter the final stretch, the commentator's voice rose with excitement again.
"The Racehorses are about to enter the next turn! Six hundred meters to go—this is where it all gets decided!"
"Danon Blue is still in first, of course, while Red Davis in second is rapidly closing in."
"Macherina has started accelerating! But is there still time?!"
To most racing fans, the finishing order was all but settled.
The gap was at least seven or eight lengths!
The three front-runners had performed brilliantly this time.
The only uncertainty was Macherina, who had begun to give chase.
Now!
Five hundred meters of straight track!!
Seeing the Racehorses ahead begin to accelerate, Koichi seized his chance.
Crack!
He swung the crop in his hand.
Golden Masterpiece snapped out of his steady rhythm.
Let me show you how terrifying the tyrant can be!
Snort-!
With the open track ahead of him, Golden Masterpiece unleashed every ounce of his power.
"No, there's still another possibility!"
The sight of Koichi suddenly using his crop jolted the commentator to attention.
Has he only just woken up?!
"Golden Masterpiece. Golden Masterpiece is moving rapidly to the outside!!"
His words came faster despite himself.
The racing fans who had thought the result was settled were stunned by the sight.
You're only accelerating now, on the final straight?!
Is this really a rookie?!
Any other rookie would have lost his nerve long ago at the sight of such a huge gap between the Racehorses.
Until you moved outside, you were still trapped against the rail by the other Racehorses!
Ohhh-!
Golden Masterpiece-!
Seeing Golden Masterpiece unleash his might, Asho's fans in the stands roared with excitement.
Until then, they had thought Golden Masterpiece really would remain hopelessly trapped in the pack.
They had even drafted long posts demanding that their beloved Asho be given a better jockey.
This Koichi Sasaki had not used his crop once from the start. He had not even urged his horse on.
To veteran racing fans, he looked like a complete slacker who only wanted to collect his appearance money.
They had never expected him to turn everything around just before the finish!
The race wasn't over yet!
Golden Masterpiece's furious acceleration out on the track sent their adrenaline surging.
Heart pills!
Quick-acting heart pills! Someone save us!
"Golden Masterpiece is still accelerating! Dream Baron and Macherina have already been left behind!"
"Appreciating Wisdom, who has stayed in the middle of the pack, has also begun the final sprint!"
Damn it!
At the sight of that terrifying chestnut lightning bolt, the jockeys riding Dream Baron and Macherina could only sigh helplessly.
Golden Masterpiece's explosive Final Kick was simply too powerful.
Clearly, he had been conserving his strength until now.
This rookie had planned from the very beginning to settle the race in these final four hundred meters.
Now, all they could do was fight for fourth place.
Go!
Show them just how far Golden Masterpiece can push himself.
Whoosh-
In the brief moment while the two jockeys were thinking, Appreciating Wisdom, who had been following behind, also surged forward in pursuit of Golden Masterpiece.
Appreciating Wisdom's jockey realized helplessly that although his horse was accelerating too.
Even so.
The gap between them and Golden Masterpiece kept widening!
Golden Masterpiece showed no sign of slowing down.
What a monster!
(End of chapter)
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