Yuichi Fukunaga was still waiting for his chance.
His current position was poor, but it was hardly a major problem. After all, Kyoto Racecourse's wide outer turn made it relatively easy to fight for position.
The main issue was Gold Ship behind him, constantly putting him under subtle pressure.
The pace of the race was almost exactly as he had predicted, but he had never expected Koichi Sasaki to abandon his original pressing position so decisively.
Everyone could see how strong Gold Ship was in his current form.
But his rival had shut down that possibility right from the start.
As a jockey, Fukunaga naturally hoped to put an end to Gold Ship's bid for an undefeated Triple Crown.
He could not let down the fans who trusted him, nor could he let down his team.
Yuga Kawada beside him felt the same.
However, his thoughts were focused more on how to handle the upcoming straight.
Yet Shasta Mountain, the second favorite, was not giving him a particularly good feeling.
Until the race was over, he felt he still had to give it a try.
With his fiercely competitive nature, Yuga Kawada certainly did not want to give up outright.
The Third Turn was coming up.
Meanwhile, Koshiro Take at the very front also felt that his time in the lead was nearing its end.
Although he had not started urging his mount forward yet, he could clearly feel the horse's stamina draining rapidly.
Trying to lead all the way over a long distance was simply too difficult. He had to break the wind while controlling the pace.
But he had no other choice in this race. If he wanted to win, he could only try leading from the front. Besides, the pace he had set was not particularly fast,