"We won! We finally won-!!"
As they crossed the finish line, izakayas all across Tokyo erupted.
The victory they had waited so many years for!
The giant screens in Shibuya, Tokyo, quickly flashed the breaking news.
The JRA reacted even faster, immediately releasing a news report to capitalize on the surge of attention.
A Japanese jockey had ridden Japan's strongest racehorse to victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
It was an enormous story.
Countless racing fans had waited decades for this victory.
Racing fans across the country cheered, and many who were already asleep were woken by calls from their friends.
Tonight would be a sleepless night!
Let the celebrations begin.
Something extraordinary had happened on this ordinary night.
The fans were the happiest of all, but some people could not bring themselves to celebrate. Plenty of racing fans in Japan had doubted Koichi Sasaki and Golden Masterpiece.
Otherwise, Imperial Castle would never have been the betting favorite.
They had not merely won-they had won in spectacular fashion.
This was an outcome those doubters had never imagined. Many quietly went online and deleted their posts.
It was time to lie low and play dead.
Back at the stable, Mirai flung herself into Megumi Mitsumori's arms.
They had won.
The young master had won after all!
Megumi Mitsumori also burst out laughing as she watched the breaking-news banner flash across the screen.
The other staff members began celebrating with one another too.
"That really was a beautiful race. Wasn't that the best teamwork we've ever seen from Sasaki and Golden Masterpiece?"
"If Sulin Meiya hadn't been there, those European horse owners would really be squirming."
The jockeys also chatted with smiles on their faces.
Golden Masterpiece had left their horses at least seven or eight lengths behind this time.