Chapter 76. Head-on Duel
After entering the starting gate, Shuta An glanced at Steve Cauthen, finding that the other man was also looking at him.
"It's just as I thought." The young man mused inwardly. "He wants to contend for the leading position with Hokuto Vega."
Shuta An tightened his reins and muttered.
"You can have the leading position, but I'll take it back when we turn into the third bend."
With that thought, Schway Baby Sway, from starting gate 5, entered the starting gate. Her jockey, Luzin, soothed Schway Baby Sway's emotions.
"Looks like a horse with a poor temperament too. I need to keep Hokuto Vega far away, so she doesn't get disturbed."
Shuta An tightened his legs around the horse's belly, preparing for the start.
"CLICK!"
The sound of the starting gate opening was incredibly clear.
Shuta An immediately began to urge Hokuto Vega forward. Although she hadn't raced for several months, Hokuto Vega's running sense hadn't disappeared. On the contrary, because she hadn't been in a real race for some time, the fighting spirit that had been suppressed for so long was easily ignited by the sound of the starting gate opening.
The young man didn't need to exert himself at all; Hokuto Vega accelerated, easily overtaking Link River, who started from gate 2, and immediately drew alongside Sky Beauty.
The two champion Fillies, both with multiple G1 victories, refused to yield, immediately beginning to contend for the lead position.
This was the horses' instinct; running in front is information embedded in the thoroughbred genome.
Shuta An and Steve Cauthen didn't need to give any guidance at all.
Steve Cauthen was naturally overjoyed by this situation. For Sky Beauty's fighting spirit to be activated, and for Hokuto Vega to directly catch up, it could be said that his pre-race tactical plan was a great success.
Shuta An hesitated for a moment, choosing not to forcefully restrain Hokuto Vega, allowing her to continue her fierce struggle for position with SkyBeauty.
"Hokuto Vega can run 2400 meters on turf. In terms of stamina, how could Sky Beauty be Hokuto Vega's opponent?"
The young man comforted himself with this thought while urging her on with wider movements, almost as if he were doing push-ups on Hokuto Vega's back.
"That being said, I also need to let Hokuto Vega conserve some energy."
—
As SkyBeauty and Hokuto Vega, full of fighting spirit, entered the first turn, Sky Beauty was slightly ahead of Hokuto Vega by a head due to the difference in their starting gate positions.
But Shuta An calmly maintained his exaggerated urging, and Hokuto Vega also displayed her excellent cornering ability. Even though she would run a little more distance than Sky Beauty, who was closer to the inner rail, she easily made up that head-start.
Immediately after, as they were about to exit the turn, the big screen displayed the passing time for the first 400 meters—23.12 seconds.
"WHAT A FAST TIME!"
The spectators on the sidelines exclaimed.
"Can Hokuto Vega handle this speed?"
Hokuto Vega's Groom frowned, while Trainer Nakano Takayoshi next to him had an indifferent expression. Compared to the Groom, who had been in America for quite some time, he wasn't clear what this pace meant.
After turning into the straight opposite the stands, usually in races at Saratoga Race Course, the front-runners would slow down slightly here to recover energy. However, because Hokuto Vega and Sky Beauty were fiercely contending for the lead, and Shuta An and Steve Cauthen refused to yield, neither Racehorse showed any intention of slowing down.
After running most of the long straight opposite the stands, the big screen displayed the passing time for 400 ~ 800 meters—22.91.
"DAMN IT!"
The live commentator shrieked.
"SKY BEAUTY AND HOKUTO VEGA'S BATTLE FOR THE LEAD HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR HALF A MILE, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE NEITHER OF THEM INTENDS TO GIVE AN INCH! THEY ARE DETERMINED TO FIRMLY CONTROL THE LEAD, EVEN IF IT MEANS SACRIFICING THE SECTION WHERE THEY SHOULD BE CONSERVING STAMINA!"
"STEVE CAUTHEN AND SHUTA AN'S WILLS ARE AS COLD AS IRON, BUT THEIR PASSION IS CONVEYED TO THEIR PARTNERS LIKE FIRE! SKYBEAUTY AND HOKUTO VEGA HAVE NOW PULLED TEN FULL LENGTHS AHEAD OF THE THIRD-PLACE MISSPOCKETCOURT. INDEED, THE OTHER RACEHORSES IN THIS RACE ARE NO MATCH FOR THESE TWO!"
—
After turning into the third bend, although Steve Cauthen dared not slacken, his constantly taut nerves relaxed slightly.
"Even if Shuta An is an iron man, he wouldn't continue to push like that here, would he? If he did, could he even last until the final straight?"
This thought flashed through Steve Cauthen's mind.
But just as he slightly relaxed his guard, Shuta An decisively pulled out his whip and delivered his first whip in this Personal Ensign Stakes.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound rang out. Hokuto Vega, given the signal, decisively increased her stride, forcefully overtaking Sky Beauty like a swift gale and lightning, and quickly opened up a half-length lead despite the disadvantage of running on the outside.
"!"
Steve Cauthen was shocked; he almost dropped the whip in his hand.
Shuta An, with an expression as usual, twirled the whip, gripped it in a backhand, and then resumed his wholehearted urging. However, because of the right-hand whip he had just delivered, Hokuto Vega veered slightly, narrowing the distance between her and Sky Beauty a little more.
"If Hokuto Vega accelerates like this, Sky Beauty will have her path blocked when she exits the turn!"
Steve Cauthen immediately realized the killing intent behind Shuta An's recent whip and dared not let Sky Beauty relax.
But compared to Hokuto Vega, who had rested for several months, Sky Beauty, who had fought a life-and-death battle at Belmont Park Racecourse a month ago, had fewer cards to pull out when it came to giving her all.
At the same time, the big screen displayed the passing time from 800 meters to 1200 meters—24.65 seconds.
This was very counter-intuitive data, but also quite normal.
Compared to the preceding 1000 meters of contention, even with Shuta An using the whip here, Hokuto Vega's absolute speed was still bound to slow down a bit. But it didn't matter, as long as it was faster than her other opponents, it was enough.
With such determination, Shuta An delivered another whip as Hokuto Vega entered the final straight, guiding her to the inside rail position and killing all suspense in the Personal Ensign Stakes.
"1 MINUTE 48 SECONDS 23! HOKUTO VEGA COMPLETES A SHUTOUT AGAINST SKY BEAUTY FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS!"
The live commentator clutched his head.
"STILL A TEN-LENGTH LEAD! THE AMERICA TRIPLE TIARA MARE, JUST REVIVED, HAS BEEN SHOT DOWN AGAIN BY THE TWIN QUEEN FROM JAPAN!"