After entering the straight, Koichi began urging Gold Ship to pick up the pace.
The two front-runners ahead had certainly put considerable pressure on him. After all, no matter how powerful a Final Kick was, it could not make up such a huge gap by brute force.
The front-runners' main strategy was to disrupt the rhythm of the horses behind them, find an opening, and lead all the way to the finish.
Let's accelerate straight up the inside.
A few seconds later, the two riders bringing up the rear exchanged a glance.
But their thoughts were completely different.
Given the track conditions, Yuichi Fukunaga had more faith in making his charge on the outside. He had never expected Koichi to gradually shift toward the inside instead.
What does he mean by that?
Seeing Gold Ship gradually pick up speed, Yuichi Fukunaga urged World Ace to accelerate as well.
It was not as though Sasaki had never raced at Nakayama before.
The outside meant covering a little more ground, but it did not require expending huge amounts of stamina. The inside, however, was the most treacherous part of the track, especially around the third turn.
He had originally planned to contest the third turn with Gold Ship, only for his opponent to abandon that route altogether.
After glancing at him, Koichi turned his gaze back to the track ahead.
He had naturally guessed what Yuichi Fukunaga was thinking. But when everyone knew the same thing, competition for that route would be fierce, especially with Gold Ship still at the very back.
The second and fourth favorites were both bringing up the rear.
He was certain the jockeys ahead would start watching the late closers before they even reached the third turn.
Koichi's approach was to do the exact opposite.
And he