Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

"Slow down."

After completing the countdown for the curved section, Ochiai noticed a change in the rhythm on the field.

Back into the straight line, the already cramped vision becomes even narrower.

In this case, reading the rhythm of the game becomes even more important.

Looking up and forward, all I could see was a mass of indistinguishable butts of people and horses.

I vaguely caught a glimpse of the inconspicuous color of shrimp.

Holding the reins firmly, Ochiai felt more and more calm.

There is no reason to seek immediate change, as this position is sufficient at the current pace.

As a "latecomer" behind Mr. Caesar, he does not intend to rashly change the positions between the two parties.

Steadily passing through the front part of the straight line, the rhythm remains unchanged.

Mejiro Sakuya was ranked seventh or eighth in the herd, while Mr. Caesar was ranked fourth or fifth, closer to the front.

Although the distance does not seem too far based on the data on paper, Mr. Caesar actually maintains the leading group of the herd, while Mejiro Sakuya is in the back of the middle group.

The gap between the two sides was about eight horse lengths.

Ochiai pursed his lips tightly.

Having come this far, from now on you must devote all your energy to capturing the unfolding of time.

"Here" does not refer to a specific landmark or mileage, but is simply based on his intuition.

The nerves, which were already stretched into a straight line, began to be stretched to the point of breaking.

Every second becomes longer.

Beads of sweat mixed with grit slowly slid down his face.

His somewhat awkward eyes were still fixed on the front.

Then, the shrimp-colored winning suit moved.

"It's now."

Without any hesitation, after an almost imperceptible delay, Ochiai also raised the whip in his hand.

The decisive moment has arrived.

One in front and one behind, the two horses started almost at the same time.

Before entering the curve, Mr. Caesar successfully got a position with a view of the sky.

Then, he entered the third turn in the lead.

One, two, three horses passed by.

In front of my sight is a scene of three horses standing side by side.

Further forward was the figure that Mr. Caesar was beginning to shake off.

Can't let him escape—

The Kawasaki's final straight is a fairly short section of road.

If you delay in the curve, it will be more difficult to catch up after entering the straight.

With this thought in mind, Ochiai pulled the reins to the side without waiting for the gap created by the three parallel horses slowing down.

From the outermost track, he bypassed the horses in parallel in front.

There is only one opponent left in sight.

My breathing became heavy unconsciously.

In the stands, boxes, and owners' rooms, countless eyes were focused on the two horses.

First up is Ochiai.

While still at the bend, he started pushing hard.

Then it was Sakai who turned around.

He turned his head back to the front and urged forward with a more violent attitude.

The distance between the two horses began to close, and then suddenly maintained a certain distance.

The moment they rushed out of the straight line, they were greeted by a huge roaring noise.

The red and green figures began to approach the stands.

Thanks to the moon in the sea for the 200 starting coins reward,

Thank you for your support

Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 74 After the Defeat

It broke through the center of the straight line with a speed that seemed to come from another world.

Gravel splashed under the hooves as the deer-colored figure strode in pursuit.

All that was left in sight was the black and shrimp color in front of me.

He raised and lowered the whip in his hand, completely forgetting the restrictions on whipping.

Only victory——

This is a game that cannot be lost.

"Fly!"

Ochiai clenched his teeth tightly, and some indescribable emotions exploded in his chest.

"Let's fly to a broader stage with everyone's dreams!"

A push with all his might.

Three horse bodies

Two horse bodies

A horse body

A terrifying force came from the armature, almost tearing off his arms.

"Chasing from behind is the eighth class, Mejiro Sakuya! Leading the way is Mr. Caesar! Mejiro Sakuya is coming! Can Mejiro Sakuya catch up?!"

The glass in front of me vibrated slightly.

Even in the owner's room, you can feel the enthusiastic atmosphere inside the venue.

Kitano and Dr. Kobayashi pulled each other's arms and let out inexplicable roars.

In front of the railing, Tanaka and Kobayashi, who were listening to the game progress on the radio, also raised their heads.

There is absolutely no energy left.

Sure enough, this level of pushing and riding is still too difficult.

The movements of his hands were severely deformed, and his thighs could no longer support him.

Thrilling forward—

Then, he fell onto the horse's back.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The night sky and the sand formed blurred parallel bands of color on the retina.

A black shadow cut through the curtain of interwoven light spots like a razor.

"Mr. Caesar's move!"

"Mr. Caesar of the Sixth Division! His undefeated streak continues! On the saddle is the rider Sakai Rusei!"

"The two of you, Shiro Sakuya and Eighth Division, are on the line."

The moment the result was confirmed, my fingertips unconsciously pierced into my palm.

The afterimages of summer’s echoes finally vanished like bubbles.

His upper body mechanically maintained the riding posture, and Ochiai slowly lowered his head.

Summer is over.

In the horse owner's room, Kitano and Dr. Kobayashi sighed at the same time.

Rather than being depressed, I feel more regretful.

It’s clearly right in front of me.

I couldn't help but hold my head tightly and let out a long sigh.

Even without saying it, the expression on his face right now must be filled with regret.

I drank the rest of the coffee in the cup in one gulp. It seemed to become even more bitter at room temperature.

After saying goodbye to Dr. Kobayashi, I headed towards the measurement room.

Walking out of the owner's room, I met many supporters along the way, and there were also many horse fans wearing supportive T-shirts.

"Feel sorry."

"Thanks for the support."

Kitano kept repeating these words.

Although I was feeling a little depressed, I still tried to use a gentle tone to avoid conveying my bad mood to others.

"Don't cause trouble to others" is the most common ethics in the operation of this society.

When he met Tanaka at the door of the inspection room, he also had a distressed expression on his face.

"What a pity, it's just the last bit."

I have high expectations for the strength of this horse.

It’s not so much that they don’t want to fail, but rather that they don’t want others to see them fail.

Even if the opponent is of this level, I still maintain the thought that "maybe I can succeed" until the very end.

It is precisely because of this that when the results are laid out before their eyes, they feel a sense of frustration that is too luxurious for local horses.

Ignoring the reporters around him, he bent his waist into a 90-degree right angle.

"I'm very sorry that it didn't lead to a good outcome until the end."

"No, it's nothing."

In fact, I don’t have a very clear feeling about Mr. Caesar’s strength.

Even their understanding of their own racehorses is based on the system's unclear criteria.

To this day, Kitano still doesn't quite understand what horse racing is.

At the moment of losing the game, I just felt, "Ah, this is what horse racing is like."

As for blaming the riders and trainers who have been working hard, I don't have such an idea.

"Thanks for your care all this time."

This time, it was Kitano's turn to be the one bowing.

After that, Kobayashi, the stable attendant, led Mejiro Sakuya into the inspection room.

Unlike the warm applause for Mr. Caesar before, the crowd now heard a voice of regret.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kitano."

After getting off the horse, Ochiai had a somewhat depressed look on his face.

This was the first time I saw this serious rider express his emotions so obviously.

"No, it's a very exciting match this time."

Kitano said, putting his arm around the rider's shoulders.