Pat, pat.
Once he was mounted, Koichi patted Gentildonna's mane.
After such a long wait, the race was finally about to begin. The starting stalls had been set up ten meters before the starting point.
Two thousand four hundred and ten meters.
That was exactly one lap plus ten meters, so this placement was just right.
The race cameras had all turned their attention this way. After the thrilling races earlier, the spectators were naturally waiting for the final two major events.
Led by the staff, the eleven racehorses entered the starting stalls one after another.
Unlike most places, where each horse's own staff handled this, the racecourse here provided dedicated handlers.
Leading horses at the racecourse was a fairly decent source of income, too.
The horses ahead entered their stalls fairly smoothly. Those that resisted were pushed inside through the staff's efforts.
It was getting later and later, so they needed to hurry.
Gentildonna behaved quite well after entering her stall, standing quietly inside as she waited for Koichi Sasaki's commands.
Koichi glanced to either side, then waited for the gates to open.
Yutaka Take was ready as well.
He would immediately fight for a good position near the pace.
Sanctuary, next to him, would most likely want to lead the pace in this race as well.
He would mark Sanctuary and apply some pressure.
This tactic had naturally been decided with the trainer beforehand. They all agreed that the pressure in this race was simply too great, and the horse had yet to recover from the earlier warm-up race.
Dubai Classic.
Turf, left-handed, 2410 m Weather: Clear Turf: Good
"The long-awaited Dubai Classic is finally about to begin."
"Keep your eyes on stalls seven and eight. These two horses are our hopes of winning the Dubai