Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

"Entering the third turn, the horses leading the pack are No. 1 Mu Baima. No. 11 Baro Shengling is half a length behind and in second place. Behind them are No. 2 Tule Chifeng and No. 3 Wuying Feisheng. The horses are quite far apart."

Looking down from the stands, the horses on the track formed a long and narrow line.

Large clouds of smoke rose from between the hooves, like a giant dragon crawling forward.

"It's about time to start speeding up."

When entering the fourth turn from the third turn, Hattori, who had been firmly at the end since the beginning of the race, finally raised his head.

But soon, he frowned in embarrassment again.

In front of my sight, several horses that had begun to attack were lined up in a row, forming a completely impenetrable wall.

If you want to get a forward position on a well-raced route, you'll probably have to go around to the outermost area.

Such an option was of course ruled out.

"Wouldn't it be the same as before?"

Thinking of this, Hattori noticed the innermost gap.

After the previous dozen or so races, a noticeable amount of thick sand had accumulated on the innermost track.

Whether it was Mudaiba in the front, or Barlow Shengling who was chasing closely, and other challengers further behind, they all subconsciously avoided such a route.

"Maybe you can try it."

Whether it was from the ranch or his old partner Tanaka, he had received the message "Mejiro Sakuya is a power type" more than once.

This can be felt to some extent during the running-in training.

However, there is actually not much certainty as to whether Mejiro Sakuya can cope with the challenge of Atsuga inside.

"Or do you want to go up with them?"

Speeding up behind the horses of Satomi Teruhime and Shining Goli in front seemed to be an option as well.

“还是先试试吧。”

It's not often that Hattori switches lanes suddenly during a match.

However, today he made a different choice from usual.

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Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 52: Surprise Attack from the Inside

Entering the fourth turn, the momentum of the horses in front of us expanding outwards suddenly became obvious.

In front of the sight, there is a narrow space on the inside that is wide enough for a horse to pass through.

Hattori slightly tilted the reins and plunged into the innermost track.

Hold the whip in your forehand, then swing it back and forth quickly with your hand level.

He used his right hand to whip the horse, and his free left hand was placed on the reins.

When turning into the straight at the fourth turn, it was aligned with the leading group, and then pulled to a slightly outside line in the straight line.

The moment this thought came to mind, my hands reacted accordingly.

The broad hooves kicked down fiercely.

The sand splashed by the hind hooves drew a conspicuous silver smoke screen behind it.

“It works!”

When moving forward on the inside, you won't feel too much effort.

Even the thick sand that others avoided was as smooth as flat ground under Mejiro Sakuya's hooves.

Hattori continued to whip the horse, and under his constant urging, the deer-haired horse began to speed up.

Two conspicuous streams of white air spewed out of his nostrils, like the fog lights of a Scania heavy truck in the night.

One horse after another was left behind.

At the front, the duel between the two leading horses continues.

Mu Baima bit the bit tightly, and white foam flew from his lips.

On the other side, Barlow Holy Spirit's black deer-hair body was tensed like red-forged steel, and the moment he stepped on the ground, ripples visible to the naked eye exploded.

This is a fight to the death between two horses, neither willing to give in.

At this pace, there is no chance to catch your breath.

Although it still maintains a certain advantage, this situation cannot last long.

For a leading horse, the initiative is like sand in one's hand, which will disappear little by little over time.

There is not much that can be done.

Ochiai has a clear understanding of this.

The biggest difference between grouping the horse first and leaving the horse behind is the timing of exerting force.

In the initial stage, the horses in the leading group will spend more energy to get to the front position, while the corresponding horses that have reserved their energy will fall to a further back position.

As the race progresses, the horses at the back need to exert force earlier than the horses in front to close the gap with the ones in front, and the energy accumulated in the early stages will be consumed at this time.

On the other hand, a horse that has exhausted its energy early in the race will have to delay its final start.

When the difference in the number of classes is not big, victory or defeat often depends on how each party grasps the timing.

The party that can effectively utilize as much strength as possible often has an advantage in this regard.

Back on the field, Barlow Holy Spirit, who was being chased by the outsiders, was already showing signs of exhaustion.

But Ochiai did not let his guard down.

Under pressure from behind throughout the race, Mu Baima, who went from actively leading the race to being forced to lead the race, was also unable to run at his own pace.

There is more than one opponent, Barlow Holy Spirit.

Moreover, this is no longer a battle between Singapore and Malaysia where one can easily fool the enemy by relying on the number of squads.

However, if we look back and regret our decision to release the leader, it would be a bit too much of a show of hindsight.

Even if we put aside the strategy that was already drawn up before the race, there is no reason not to fight for the dominance of pace when the brakes are good.

At this point, all we can do is try our best.

From a certain point on, the course of the game changed.

Whether it was the Barlow Holy Spirit, which was already showing signs of decline, or the herd of horses catching up from behind, the riders on the saddles began to wave their whips.

Even Ochiai, who seemed to be sitting on the horse like an ornament, was actually conserving his energy for the push on the road.

The straight line part is coming.

The end of the bend is right in front of your sight.

In my ears, the rumbling sound of horse hooves is getting closer.

Ochiai gripped the reins tightly.

Can't go wrong.

The experience of passing through this place tens of thousands of times is enough to make the muscles become instinct.

At least before entering the straight line, they still have the advantage.

It's not time to admit defeat yet.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure in the impossible right rear corner.

It is the same color as the colorful clothes on your body.

The fingertips paused slightly.

Then, release.

The reins tightened and loosened, moving in different directions.

At the moment of exiting the bend, two figures crossed each other.

In front of me is the back of Bailvyilun.

"She's passed! Mejiro Sakuya is ahead! Ninth-rank Mejiro Sakuya is ahead! She's in the lead with 200 meters to go! Behind her is First-rank Mejiro Hakuba!"

In the stands, Kitano stood up subconsciously.

Most of the horsemen around also made the same move.

His eyes were focused on the deer-haired figure in front of him, and all other sounds were blocked out by his hearing.

The only sound that could reach my ears was the sound of horse hooves hitting my heart.

One horse length, two horse lengths, Mejiro Sakuya shook off all her opponents and pulled them to the outside.

Mu Baima and Barlow Shengling were almost simultaneously overwhelmed by the advancing herd of horses.

Kitano felt it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe, and couldn't help but raise his hand to loosen his tie.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Excitement, enthusiasm, unwillingness, regret, all emotions reached their peak at the moment when Mejiro Sakuya crossed the finish line with a two-length advantage.

"This is the first time in twenty years since the Niigata Jumping Championship in 2005 that this title has been awarded!"

"Mejiro Sakuya's move! It's Mejiro Sakuya from the ninth division!"

As if something exploded in his chest, Kitano pursed his lips tightly and tried to raise his chin.

Xu Hesheng opened and closed his mouth, as if he was saying something.

The boy hugged him with red eyes.

Then there is Ogawa Jō.

After hesitating for a moment, Ogawa Kana also joined them.

"let's go."

After a while, Kitano spoke in a hoarse voice.

The game is over.

The moment he crossed the finish line, Ochiai let out a barely audible sigh.

He patted the horse's wet head.

"Thank you for your hard work, Pegasus."

"But I'm sorry."

He clenched and unclenched the reins in his hands.

In front of her sight, Hattori, sitting on Mejiro Sakuya's saddle, waved his fists.

Then, pull in the reins and look back.

They both raised their arms at the same time.

The palms touched in mid-air.

Amid the noise, the order was quickly announced on the bulletin board.

With one move, Mejiro Sakuya widened the gap between the two to a full one and three-quarters horse lengths.

Barlow Holy Spirit made five moves, and the railings were covered with horse tickets.

As for Medahira, he probably ranked sixth or seventh.

As for the specific answer, we will have to wait until it officially ends to find out.

Walking on the way to the inspection room, people repeatedly asked Kitano the same questions.

"Both riders tried their best, and I'm proud of Pegasus and Sakuya's performance."

He repeated the same sentence over and over again.