Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

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.

Chapter 62: Fighting before the End

After entering the bend, there was no obvious change in the positions of the horses.

Almost everyone remained silent.

Wait for the decisive moment to come.

"Yusuke is still too impatient."

After drinking the oolong tea in the can, the old man stood in front of the glass window and shook his head.

On the track, the yellow, black and white winning suits gradually caught up with the leading group.

Even from Kitano's superficial perspective, now is not an ideal time to accelerate.

Of course, at this time, whether you agree or refute, the probability is that you will end up in trouble.

He remained silent wisely.

"But as for the riders, it's better to be more tolerant towards them."

After saying that, the old man walked towards the refrigerator.

Took out a new can of oolong tea.

Then, he slowly returned to his seat next to Kitano.

At this time, the game entered a "boring" moment.

Whether in the preparation room or in the stands below, it seems difficult to see the track conditions clearly.

Even with a screen for broadcasting, the experience is completely incomparable to what you see with your naked eyes.

Kitano was slightly distracted, but the old man was watching the movements in the stands below with great interest.

Even in this situation, the cheers from the stands showed no sign of stopping.

Penetrating the relentless onslaught of raindrops, the emotions contained in the sound are transmitted to the venue.

Perhaps, at some moment——

With the power of the cheers, the invisible wall was broken in an instant.

"Come on, Pegasus—"

"We must defeat the guy in the center, Sakuya!"

"Just run away!"

Those who came from the capital without hesitation;

Those who shouted amidst the rain and the crowd;

Those who are watching this game at this moment——

It seems that the gambling filter has been temporarily removed, returning to the carnival of pure speed.

"Pooh--"

After spitting out the sand in his mouth, Hattori did not take any further action.

At this stage of the race, he had to carefully consider the impact that every move might have on the horse.

but

The feeling of sand hitting my face was still very painful.

His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.

Most of the riders around had similar expressions on their faces.

The only ones who can truly be considered to have it easy are probably the two guys in the front.

Of course, the actual situation is probably not the case.

Just as other people’s rice looks whiter, even the two riders leading the pack have their own difficulties.

From the curve into the straight, Ochiai began to try to push the bike.

But in such an environment, every effort made to exert strength was more strenuous than normal.

Whether it was the horse's body, arms or reins, everything was slippery.

The first time he tried to exert force, he almost dropped the whip in his hand.

After much difficulty, I tried a second time, but it seemed like I had no strength at all.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?"

It seemed as if he could sense the resentment coming from Medaihira Madoka beneath him.

However, the speed was still increased little by little under such an awkward push that made people cover their eyes.

Shonan Attack on the side followed suit, not to be outdone.

The color on rider Chi Tian's face had turned into a color that was in sharp contrast with the white hat on his head.

On one side is the compromise between horse and man, and on the other side is the compromise between man and horse. The competition continues to slowly advance towards the next stage in their respective compromises.

Compared to the initial release, there still doesn't seem to be much ups and downs.

If the rain factor is excluded, such a game will probably be included in the discussion of "the most boring game of the year" after the game.

Even with two escaped horses leading the way, the herd as a whole maintained an alarmingly slow pace.

The horses were almost pressed against each other, advancing in such a tight formation that one couldn't help but worry about accidents.

With the exception of Shonan Impact, most of the horses that were gaining popularity or were aiming for victory chose to run from behind.

Even the horses in the leading group carefully maintain a distance from the leading horses in the front.

The game entered the second half of the straight line in such a suffocating silence.

At some point, the flow changed direction.

At first, the scattered cracks of whips were easily washed away by the sound of rain.

Until the sound of whips began to become denser, interweaving and growing stronger in the rain.

Goosebumps instantly appeared on Ochiai's back.

Grip the whip tightly and use a different grip than usual to hit the opponent on the head.

The white horse bit its bit and kicked towards the ground.

Sweat and rain mixed together and fell from the body of the reed-haired horse.

The sign for the third turn was right in front of him, and Ochiai let out a sigh that was hard to tell whether it was relief or disappointment.

Both he and Mu Tianma have reached the limit of their strength.

He put down the whip and gently pulled the reins.

The tense body relaxed.

As if he had not received any instructions, the white horse's bulging eyes were fixed on the track ahead.

Then, the reed-haired horse shook its head vigorously and made a loud snorting sound.

It plunged into the curve as if to plow the ground.

Ochiai began to bounce uncontrollably on the horse's back.

"Do you want to win the game?"

The arm that had already gone numb was raised tremblingly.

He pushed forward with all his might.

This may be the most standard push-up in the rider's career, and it would not be an exaggeration to even call it perfect.

"Then let's go together."

One after another, rivals began to overtake him.

As if the brakes had been applied suddenly, Mu Baima's excited body instantly lost power.

"You guy."

Ochiai looked at his partner helplessly.

The reed-haired horse's eyes were slightly unfocused, and he lowered his head as if feeling guilty.

On the other side, Hattori raised his whip again.

It hit Mejiro Sakuya like a blanket of snow.

It's exactly like whipping someone to avenge their parents.

Fines, suspensions, and other things that used to be a concern are no longer important.

In the last game of his career, he showed off his whipping skills to the fullest.

At the same time, he pushed the horse steadily in rhythm with the whip.

Mejiro Sakuya's head lowered little by little in sync with the rider on the saddle, and her limbs even entered a brief "flying" state where they left the ground at the same time.

At a position like three or four stacks, the pursuit began.