215 episodes. The game is over.
At Franz’s confident words, I and Madduck looked at him.
“What?”
“Actually, Carlson is cleverly raising the pace. He makes the flow of the race over-paced. According to the calculations, after rounding three corners, Shipid will overtake Dark Star and take the lead.”
Wow, that’s crazy.
The intention is to put the Dark Star in the demon army under Shipid.
It also consumes his stamina under Shipid.
‘If Dark Star raises the pace here to avoid losing the lead, the 2 minutes and 24 seconds will be broken. There will be no stamina left during the last spurt on the remaining straight line.’
However, if you stick to your current pace and enter the demon army, it is clear that if you are a hundred, you will be affected by the back ship.
Either way, it’s a bad situation for a Dark Star.
“Maduck, what do you think?”
He nodded, describing it as a very complex and daring strategy.
But the expression on his face didn’t look so disappointing.
“But that strategy will work if Shipid and his rider don’t notice.”
“It’s four furlongs from corner two to three. Carlson is pushing the pace up by 0.5 seconds per furlong. There are few jockeys in the world who can notice that during a race. I think the game is over.”
“Obviously, there are very few riders who can do that. But they play with pace, isn’t it? I think Shipid’s riders will notice.”
“I wonder if you’re right.”
“……?”
“Which one will Shipid’s rider choose?”
As Franz said.
What if you notice an overface led by Carlson and press it?
Perhaps the Dark Star will go solo with more distance and momentum.
However, even if you use your overface and run with the Dark Star behind you, there is a high possibility that you will be reversed by the Hellmaster in the end.
However, in that situation, a surprising result emerged.
‘It’s not normal…’
Bella’s choice forced everyone to stick their tongue out.
***
“The little boy is doing pretty cute things.”
Bella sensed that the demon army’s face was rising and smiled.
I could feel it without seeing it.
The fact that he was leading the current situation from the tail end that was not affected by his own shaking.
‘It shows that waving the pace isn’t all about Shipid.’
She started decelerating when exactly three furlongs had passed.
It was more like a sudden brake, not a movement to press the overface.
Shipid was placed side by side with the last tail, Hellmaster.
“Hwiyu, you are so bold. To make such a choice there.”
“I can’t play with you, can I?”
“Are you confident? It means that the preceding horse is Chu-Ip.”
“I do not care.”
“……?”
Bella said, raising the corners of her lips.
“I’m sure I’ll win today as much as you and the Hellmaster.”
“Huh, what kind of enemy did you lose?”
“I made a bet against you. And I raced and made sure that I could win if I beat you. So this is more about getting good deeds from you.
“It’s amazing to think that even after watching Dark Star in 2nd place just before, the mentality is amazing.”
“I think you’re great.”
She continued speaking while hiding her sharp eyes in goggles.
“You thought I might come down?
“My boss told me. Shipid was never a marathon runner.”
“Mr. Jin?”
“Yeah, so I thought, if that’s true, I might try to build up some stamina before the fourth corner.
“I don’t think I’ve ever touched Shipid at that time. He’s a great guy, that guy.”
Bella smiled and continued.
“So are you sure?”
“What about yourself?”
“What do you mean? You’re also planning to beat the Dark Star after accumulating stamina up to the 4th corner. Judging by the look, those crazy words seem to reproduce the 2 minutes and 24 invitations, but it won’t be easy to win.”
“It’s not easy. I was going to use that to cut down on that guy’s stamina.”
“I can lower it a little bit. Even without Shipid, I’ll run up to the 4th corner in a very excited demon group.”
Carlson shook his head.
“Darkstar and Mr. Norris were completely immersed in their pace. They won’t be shaken.”
“Hmm, then there will be only one left.”
“Yeah, that’s all.”
Both riders uttered the following words at the same time.
“skill.”
***
On the Arc de Triomphe, an unprecedented sight in history unfolded.
The average furlong time was over 12 seconds.
In particular, the section from the 3rd to the 4th corner was Abiguous.
It’s almost as if the 4th corner is the goal point.
The galloping of the horses, which had lost their pace, raised doubts as to whether they were first-class.
“It looks like its tail is on fire.”
To my words, Franz responded as if it was a natural result.
“It’s said that even a single sheepdog causes a lot of stress on the opponent. But it’s nothing strange that it happened back and forth like a sandwich. In a situation where she was locked up in a cage and tormented, she opened the door wide and it didn’t come out. I wouldn’t have learned it.”
Eight runaways.
And in contrast to that, the three animals are calmly holding on to their pace.
Anyone could see that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places were theirs.
“At the 4th corner, as expected, the Dark Star comes out first.”
The exhausted demon troops dispersed like mist, and a black-colored class horse appeared on the straight course.
It was as if he was the hero of today, and it was a brilliant solo.
“It’s amazing, to put 2 minutes and 24 invitations in the line of sight at Longchamp as originally planned. I can’t even guess how far that horse’s stamina is.”
Franz looked at the Dark Star with pure admiration.
Chris looked at him like that and explained proudly.
“The Dark Star has a much larger heart than other horses. It has been handed down from its maternal lineage.”
Chris had an expression that seemed to remind him of his grandmother, Grace.
“I heard that the famous American horse Secret Territ also has a large heart. No matter who you are, you have chosen a drastic method.”
At Franz’s praise, Chris made a proud face.
At that time, Shipid came out of the corner before the Hellmaster and started chasing the Dark Star terrifyingly.
Seeing this, Franz explained that the nickname of the Second Coming of the Eclipse was not worth it.
“They say that Eclipse also had a big heart. There may have been horses with a small heart among the famous horses left behind, but among the horses with a large heart, there must have been no other horses. .”
Madduk nodded and agreed with him.
“Yeah, definitely, Shipid is not a horse without stamina. It’s about pulling the demons in the 2nd round and recovering for a while, then making a last spurt like that.”
“That’s why horse racing is called a pedigree sport. Genes that have been passed down through generations are revealed at the end of the race.”
In the meantime, Hellmaster entered the straight course.
Chuu-in, which burned the last energy, was starting in earnest.
“Edward.”
Franz suddenly called me.
“yes?”
“When it comes to bloodlines, do you know why Tranus Bacon, who was Hellmaster’s former partner, went to America to get a Stormbreaker’s cub?”
“Isn’t that because Stormbreaker had a history of winning the Kentucky Derby and was also the leading sire that year?”
“Yes, but that’s not all.”
“Is there anything special other than that?”
At my question, he looked back at the Hellmaster.
“Have you ever heard of Chefs-de-race?”
“No. What is it?”
“A term used to refer to a sire with a strong genetic influence on the next generation. Each of their foals showed excellent sprinting abilities, and thanks to that, they were considered for not only the Leading Saire at the time, but also the Chefdrass.”
“Are you selected?”
Franz nodded.
“The Stormbreaker’s bloodline has proven to be far superior to other horses in lung function.”
“That’s why Hellmaster’s last spurt is so fast.”
apnea.
The body is supposed to stop breathing when it generates an instantaneous explosive force.
If the lung function is excellent, the condition can be maintained stronger and longer.
“There is a saying in horse racing. Race horses endure with their heart and run with their lungs.”
It emphasizes the importance of cardiorespiratory capacity.
Obviously, as a racehorse, I can’t discuss my skills without that.
“Darkstar is definitely a great word. As a marathoner, he has stamina as well as a speed comparable to that of a sprinter. But in apnea sprinting, I can assure you that the Hellmaster is superior.”
At that time, the race had only one furlong left and the three were still running on their tails.
#1 Dark Star.
#2 Shipid.
3rd place Hellmaster.
“As Connelly said, racehorses endure with their hearts, run with their lungs. And then there’s a saying that they win with their character.”
Madduk continued talking while watching the race.
“Darkstar is stronger than any other horse. You can tell just by being conscious of Hellmaster so far. He is an ideal racehorse both physically and mentally.”
At that, Franz smiled and opened his mouth.
“Hahaha, if it’s fighting spirit, even the Hellmaster won’t lose. Isn’t that right, Edward?”
“That’s right. He limped to the goal line even after his legs were broken. Which one is more desperate, the one who won an unpleasant victory or the one who spent two years thinking about defeat?”
“The latter, of course. And Mr. Hunt, you know what?”
“……?”
“To be precise, to win with your personality means that you need to have a strong will to overcome your limits.”
Now the remaining distance is 100 meters.
The difference between the three dogs was narrowed down to not even half a drink.
“2,400 meters, 2 minutes and 24 seconds, it’s definitely a great record. It’s not proof that it’s a horse loved by the god of horse racing.”
“……”
“But the Dark Star won’t go beyond that limit.”
“Why are you making that statement?”
“Darkstar has never run to the limit before. Looking at all my past records and race videos, he found that he still had room for even the Triple Crown. Am I wrong?”
“……”
Madduk was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“That’s right. I’ve never worked so hard that I didn’t have to take more than a full week of rest after a race.”
“How are you today?”
“It’s all about power. Considering the terrain of Longchamp and seeing him so immersed, I think he’s doing his best 100%.”
Franz shook his head as if in agreement.
“That’s right, Dark Star probably thinks that he has crossed his limits right now. Because he’s so good, his experience is holding him back.
Even if you lose, there is something you can learn.
“Then you mean that the Hellmaster can go beyond the limit?”
“Of course. That guy… Huh?”
Franz’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Heh heh, it looks like Shipid will surpass his best record as well. At the current pace, he’s planning to recreate the legend of the 33rd invitation for 3 furlongs… If he keeps his speed until the end, he’s going to be superior to the Dark Star. It can be difficult.”
“Well, I don’t know if Shipid, who is inexperienced in chasing, will be able to keep his concentration until the very end. What was he talking about earlier? Hellmaster.”
“Oh, that’s it? It’s no big deal, Mr. Hunt knows that, but Hellmaster didn’t go beyond his limits in his debut match. He fought 4 furlong battles with cracks in his sesamoid bone and lost with a fracture, after that. You can cross that line whenever you want.”
He tapped his watch and continued.
“Twenty meters left, the game is over.”