Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 61: Fighting in the Heavy Rain
Ten racehorses rushed out of the gate one after another.

In the heavy rain, the gray-white figure stood out like lightning.

Mudaiba's exit from the gate was quite smooth, and he even opened up a gap of about a horse length from his opponent in the second gate at the start.

Ochiai pulled the reins slightly and was not in a hurry to take the lead at the beginning.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the white helmet on the right.

As expected, Shonan's attack was as strong as expected, and they tried to fight for a front position after leaving the gate.

Given a gate position like this, most riders would probably make the same choice as long as their start wasn't too bad.

Pulling the reins sideways, Ochiai controlled Mudaishima to move closer to the inside.

After completing the gate draw, he had a long discussion with Tanaka and worked out two plans.

The first plan was to let Baima take the lead after the start and set a faster pace as expected from the beginning.

The second plan was designed specifically for the popular Shonan impact.

When Shonan Impact showed its intention to fight for the leading position after leaving the gate, Ochiai, who was one horse away, would stick close to it to interfere with it.

The current situation is the unfolding of "Plan B".

Medaima easily reached a position parallel to Shonan's attack.

He neither continued to exert wrist strength to catch up, nor did he go around to the back to take a more advantageous route.

The two horses were engaged in a head-on battle before the initial race was fully unfolded.

Mu Tianma pressed down his ears, and transparent beads were dripping intermittently from the tips of the earmuffs.

Shonan Impact also shook their heads as if irritated.

“It worked.”

Ochiai withdrew his gaze.

However, the subsequent developments were not as smooth as he had imagined.

Ikezoe controlled the reins steadily. Although his pace was temporarily disordered, Shonan's attack did not deviate from the route or make any obvious mistakes.

"In that case, the plan will have to change slightly."

Ochiai tapped the horse's belly twice with his heels.

With this action, he gave the order to Mudaiheima to speed up slowly.

It is not about taking the lead at a fast pace in one breath, but adjusting the pace range according to the rhythm of the field, and then using the last foot after the warmth in the middle stage to win in the second half.

This is the ideal running method that is most suitable for Mu Baima under the leading strategy.

In many ways, it's not a typical escape strategy.

Of course, this is also inseparable from Medou Hakuma's lack of explosive power.

However, today, there was another consideration for not rushing to bring out a fast pace in the early stages.

Through such close combat, the attack of Shonan can be consumed.

Streaks of rain slid across the goggles, leaving obvious marks.

It's already enough to become an obstacle.

But compared to the guy eating sand behind, this view is much better.

The two horses ran side by side, creating a gap between them and the herd behind them.

"After the gate, the situation was slightly calmer. This was probably due to the field conditions. The formation of the ten horses was relatively compact."

"At the front of the team are the parallel teams of Shonan Impact No. 1 and Medaima No. 3. Will the match start off in a one-on-one fashion?"

Lumao and Limao were competing at the front of the team, refusing to give in to each other.

The heavy clatter of hooves was accompanied by the increasingly heavy breathing of the racehorses, and the cheers rushing over the railings were intertwined with the heartbeats close to the ears.

Kitano pursed his lips and applied a little pressure on his fingertips on the sofa.

My breathing became rapid without me noticing.

At this moment, the crisp sound of a can opening came from beside me.

Then, a slight sigh came from the old man's mouth.

"As expected, it has to be different here—" "Hey buddy, want a can too?"

As he spoke, the old man pointed to the refrigerator.

"Is that delicious?"

Looking away from the glass window, Kitano asked in confusion.

"The taste is just average, and the sweetness is a bit too much for my age."

The old man shook his head in surprise.

"But it's free after all."

It was an answer that was too reasonable to question.

So, Kitano took out a can of oolong tea from the refrigerator.

It is indeed as the old man said, it tastes quite ordinary.

He's the type who isn't very good with overly sweet things.

He took a sip and placed it on the table.

The focus returned to the field.

Under the rain, the herd of horses began to move towards the bend.

Medaima and Shonan Impact are still in the leading position.

However, the gap was not too big.

In heavy field conditions, the horses behind did not dare to slow down their pace as usual.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the two horses in the leading position are intentionally controlling the pace.

Through the close-up of the broadcast screen, you can clearly see the ferocious expression on rider Chi Tian's face.

It seems like they put a lot of effort into the tug-of-war with Shonan.

On the other side, Mejiro Sakuya, who was in the rear position, took steady steps, her muscles drawing arcs in the rain.

"What terrible weather."

When entering the turn, Hattori took advantage of the situation to deepen his push.

Under the impact of the rain, it became more difficult to apply force to the stirrups than usual.

This adjustment was made considering that we will be pushing hard on the straight line in the near future.

In addition, the wind resistance is much greater than expected.

Even with the herd of horses blocking the way ahead, one could still feel the strong wind that was almost blowing the skin off one's face.

In the straight line just now, I decisively lowered the center of gravity of my body to reduce the resistance I encountered.

However, as a price, the physical exertion is much greater than usual.

Therefore, hanging the entire foot on the pedal can also help reduce some consumption.

Although it sounds complicated, it actually only takes a few tenths of a second to complete the operation.

When I raised my head, the view ahead was extremely bad.

The area where the goggles were located was covered with a lot of sand and dirt, and with the rain and the horses blocking the view, it was basically difficult to get any useful information through observation.

In situations with so many distractions, even the most basic task of reading your pace becomes difficult.

"If that's the case, then we'll just have to rely on experience to judge the timing of our attack."

Thinking of this, I felt a little relieved.

For an old guy like him who has neither talent nor the physical strength to keep up with the young people, it would be great if the situation could turn into a competition of experience.

The yellow, black and white winning uniform flashed before his eyes.

"Are you starting to speed up now?"

Hattori was slightly surprised.

However, this does not mean to change the pace.

(End of this chapter)