"The field is entering the third turn, with no major changes overall."
"Horse number one is still in the lead."
Apart from the horses at the back catching up early on, most had maintained their starting positions.
But judging by how things stood, the leader's slow-paced front-running strategy had not been particularly successful.
It had done nothing to hinder the horses behind, either. This pace suited them perfectly.
Huff-
Huff-
Gentildonna maintained her speed. All she needed to do now was follow behind the field.
That kept her in a comfortable rhythm, too.
Naturally, she was also waiting for Koichi's instructions.
Racehorses had no idea how far they were supposed to run or when to unleash their remaining strength.
Koichi, meanwhile, kept estimating the distance left.
By his calculations, the best time for Gentildonna to accelerate would be after coming out of the turn.
Had he been riding Gold Ship, he would definitely have made his move in the latter half of the third turn. Over 2,400 meters, starting early would certainly have posed no major problem.
Accelerating prematurely would only waste more of a horse's stamina, leaving it unable to charge down the final straight.
His only concern, then, was how to move out wide as quickly as possible.
After all, several horses were still ahead of him. If their riders had the same idea, he could easily get blocked.
Yutaka Take was not someone who would give up his position easily.
Neither were the others.
As the horses entered the third turn, the spectators in the stands began to cheer.
Ooooooh-
Ooooooh-!
The most thrilling part, the fourth turn, was just ahead.
Yet the three horses they were most eager to watch had still made no moves.
"They're about to enter the fourth turn, and the horses