Ohhh-!
The spectators cheered as they saw that the race was about to begin.
The race they had waited so long for was finally starting. They could hardly wait to watch this showdown between archrivals.
"What a roar from the crowd."
"The spectators' cheers have reached the horses and jockeys too. I'm sure this race will give everyone a fierce showdown."
"Our staff have sprung into action as well, and the horses are entering their stalls one after another. So far, everything is going quite smoothly."
"The record holder for this Spring Tenno Sho is our undefeated Triple Crown winner, Deep Impact. Can Golden Masterpiece, another Triple Crown winner, break that record?"
"I'm certainly looking forward to Golden Masterpiece's performance. After all, both horses are known for their powerful final kicks."
"Finally, Golden Masterpiece strolled leisurely into the starting stall."
"All eighteen horses are ready. The 145th Tenno Sho is about to begin!"
145th Tenno Sho Turf, right-handed outer course, 3,200 m Weather: sunny Turf: firm Post time: 15:40
Clack-!
As the gates clattered open in succession, Golden Masterpiece broke away smoothly, but the neighboring horse still caused a considerable drift to the left.
After the start, Koichi looked over at the pack to his right.
Everyone had broken at roughly the same speed. Naturally, starting on the far outside meant he had to look for an opening and secure a decent position.
This horse from the Tokai Family really had no intention of letting him in.
The other horse maintained a steady forward rhythm, showing no intention of accelerating.
Koichi also knew that reaching the next turn from this far out would cost a great deal of stamina. He certainly could not stay on the outside of the pack forever.
That would drain Golden Masterpiece's stamina before