"And with the last horse entering the stalls, the 155th Tenno Sho is about to begin."
"Can Black North defend his Tenno Sho title today?"
"And after years of defeats, whether Koichi Sasaki can win back-to-back titles today is also a crucial question."
The commentator drew out his words.
There was no denying that Black North had enjoyed excellent stall draws these past few races.
Snort-
Inside the starting stall, Koichi patted Black North's neck.
Their tactics remained the same as ever.
But the longer the distance, the greater Black North's advantage. Over 3,200 meters, he had plenty of time to catch his breath midway through.
Black North and Gold Ship were both large racehorses, but Black North broke from the gates far better than Gold Ship.
Clack, clack, clack, clack-
Amid the clattering and the crowd's cheers,
the 2017 spring Tenno Sho officially began.
"Black North breaks cleanly! It looks as though Koichi Sasaki still intends to seize the lead."
"Kohei Matsuyama and Ryuji Wada are pushing forward fast on the outside! Perhaps neither wants to let Black North take such a comfortable position without a fight. Last year's champion deserves their full respect, after all!"
The three horses at the front immediately began a fierce battle.
Koichi glanced toward the outside, then continued urging Black North forward.
Snort-
Snort-
Black North continued accelerating, setting the pace for the entire race.
He was five years old now.
After his defeats at three, he had shown his strength at four.
This year, he had already won the newly upgraded Osaka Cup.
"Black North refuses to give an inch and successfully takes the lead!"
Seeing Black North's pace, Ryuji Wada and Kohei Matsuyama both gave up.
It was far too difficult to box in a front-runner drawn on the inside. Besides,