Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 106 120 second

The sound of the gate opening rang in my ears like a starting gun.

Hetian held the reins calmly and adjusted his posture almost the next moment after leaving the gate.

Sure enough, I am still a long way behind.

But I've gotten used to this kind of exit.

A few steps after exiting the gate, I headed towards the inner lane as planned.

Without much interference, we arrived at Mejiro Sakuya's "mypace".

That is, the position next to the inner fence, at the back of the herd.

"Ah, it's Ranbo!"

Kimura slapped his forehead and cried out with tears in his eyes.

After the start, the horses did not disperse to their respective positions.

Led by the Taoyuan Tea House, many of the horses that had escaped had problems biting each other.

The other people in the camp showed completely opposite excited expressions.

As long as you finish within two moves, you will earn enough points to advance to the Kentucky Derby.

If the goal only stops here.

"If we don't defeat Mr. Kaiser here and now, even if we manage to get to Churchill Gardens, we'll just be a supporting role that has nothing to do with victory or defeat!"

Almost everyone in the camp has this awareness.

Kitano's heartbeat became faster, but the expression on his face became more calm.

He did not become complacent because of the changes on the field.

"At least for now, it's too early to talk about victory."

Thinking of this, he looked up at the huge screen that was the symbol of the Meidan Stadium.

The leading herd of horses has already entered the bend.

“It should be fast-paced.”

Wada made this judgment while silently reading the pace.

Although it was impossible to see clearly, at least the herd of horses within sight remained spread out in a bloated manner.

Mejiro Sakuya landed steadily at the end of the herd.

However, due to the fast pace and the overall compactness of the team, Hotan was not anxious about this position.

"Just stay here and build up your strength."

After making up his mind, Hetian continued to observe the situation on the field.

After entering the bend, the bloated herd of horses finally stretched out a little, and some of the horses running on the outside squeezed into the gaps created by the change in speed.

However, the rapid development did not end there.

When we arrived at the junction of the curve and the straight line, Lian Dawen, who was sitting on the saddle of Taoyuan Tea House, started to urge the horse early.

Taoyuan Tea House, which only has a popularity of 9th place, naturally does not have the strength to escape to the end of the 1900-meter race.

But after the bite at the start, there was basically no room for tactical options.

Regarding the urging - even on the same track conditions, the timing of urging is different for different horses.

Some racehorses are the type that will relax their vigilance after successfully taking a clear position, while others are the type that will lose their fighting spirit after being overtaken by other horses.

Of course, there are also horses that are attracted by other things or horses on the track and run along, and there are also types that are simply lazy and don't want to move.

If you fail to consider the timing of the spur according to the horse's temperament, it is possible that the horse will go sideways or stop suddenly.

Taoyuan Tea House is like a racehorse that loses its fighting spirit after being overtaken.

“Once you start accelerating you have to keep going as long as you can.”

With such considerations in mind, Taoyuan Tea House and Lian Dawen achieved a sixth place result slightly higher than their popularity in the last race.

However, this game may not be the same.

With the intention of jumping off the Shimizu stage, the Australian rider worked hard to push the horse on the road.

"Come on, Mr. Liandawen!"

Kitano crossed his arms and looked at the screen, silently cheering on his opponent. On the track, Meguro Sakuya, who was lagging behind the pack, also entered the straight directly facing the stands.

Wada caught a glimpse of the color of shrimp that flashed across his sight.

It's not too far away.

"Mr. Caesar usually stays in the first group or the lead position, accumulates his last few steps in the middle stage when the pace slows down, and maintains his lead in the final sprint with the remaining energy he has."

This is the information we got from our camp's horse trainer, Huangshan.

But judging from the situation on the field, Mr. Caesar obviously did not continue his running style in the previous games.

It seemed that after noticing the rapid pace of the game, Sakai decisively chose to take a position to the back.

"In this way, the outcome will be decided by the last kick."

There was no panic or anything like that regarding this development.

Although luck has to be taken into consideration, the game ultimately depends on strength.

"Even in a fair duel, I will never be easily defeated by anyone."

The gears of man and horse gradually meshed, and with such a sense of fulfillment, Hetian held the reins firmly with both hands.

In this way, I walked calmly towards the curve after the straight line.

In the sight ahead, positions are swapping.

"not the right time yet."

Hetian warned himself as he gently pinched his palms with his fingernails.

"Never let your opponent's rhythm lead you."

This was his feeling after many years of riding, which could barely be called an experience.

Regardless of whether the situation on the field is right or wrong, you must make judgments based on your own consciousness.

After entering the curve, the mud flying from the front became more obvious.

Getting hit in the face with a baseball that looked like it was thrown by a fourth-grade student wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling.

While keeping his lips tightly closed to prevent the mud from entering his body, Hetian maintained his vision ahead.

At the junction of the third and fourth turns, Wada's palms holding the reins began to clench.

The black and white furlong pole flashed before his eyes, and the rider began to lead the reins sideways.

Before the herd of horses in the straight line fully expands, it begins to accelerate from the third to the fourth tier.

He held the whip in his backhand and hit Mejiro Sakuya's ears twice in succession.

As if she was a beat late, Mejiro Sakuya, who was chasing from behind, overtook her opponents in front one after another.

Although it is a good field under clear skies, Meidan is always a field that relies heavily on strength.

It is very difficult to win as a chaser in Meidan——

Such concerns seemed to be completely non-existent to Mejiro Sakuya.

The horse's hooves rose and fell as if to shake off the soil.

Before entering the straight line, the gap to the leading position had been shortened to five lengths.

In the corner of my sight, the figure of Ebi Se also took action.

From a slightly further inward position.

Before pushing the horse on the road, Hetian subconsciously pulled the reins slightly inward.

"That's enough."

Thus, the situation from the rear was completely forgotten.

He waved his arms and pushed the horse in coordination with its movements.

A terrifying force came from the armature.

Mejiro Sakuya's head shrank back, then stretched forward in sync with Wada's hand.

Amidst the cheers, Lumao's figure arrived.

(End of this chapter)