**Chapter 37: A Victory Decided From Behind**
Ochiai's arm moved up and down, the whip falling like a blanket of snow.
When a whip was needed, he showed equal decisiveness.
Even if slow-witted, Mejiro Sakiya sensed the Jockey's intention.
It was time to make her move.
Though it took some time, she truly entered the state where she needed to be serious.
Ochiai breathed a sigh of relief.
She wasn't too difficult a type to handle.
He intended to let Mejiro Sakiya continue on the outside straight.
During the turn, he tried letting her run on a slightly more inside line for a stretch.
From the feel of it, there wasn't much difference compared to the outside.
Even on the looser sand of the outer track, she didn't seem to struggle much.
Therefore, there was no need to pull her back to the inside for faster ground.
The moment he reached this conclusion, he firmly gripped the reins.
Then, he pushed forward.
Sand splashed from under her hooves, and the dark bay easily overtook the opponent in front of her.
Passing Aachen Palace, the path ahead was clear.
One, two, three—
While still some distance from the one-hundred-meter furlong pole, Mejiro Sakiya had already surged to a very forward position on the outside track.
"Oh—Mejiro Sakiya! It's Mejiro Sakiya! Mejiro Sakiya is charging up from the middle! The leading Ichiban Kazama Yukari has been overtaken by Sanban Chisha Gyoho!"
"What do you think? Will this position bring a major change in the rankings?!"
Amidst the clamor, Kitano unconsciously clenched his fists.
No matter how many times he experienced it, the scene before him always made his heart pound.
At the moment of crossing, Ochiai clearly heard a gasp.
Monster—
Jockey Miyauchi, on Kazama Yukari, called the dark bay in front of him by that name.
A brutal final burst of speed, as if to trample all opponents underfoot.
On the other side, Ishikawa, on Chisha Gyoho, quickened the pace of his whipping.
Then, he watched helplessly as the dark bay figure on the edge of his vision continuously closed in.
Mejiro Sakiya moved into first place.
Behind her, large swathes of white sand splashed high, like a pallium draped for Basellina's coronation.
Compared to the emotionally stirred Horse Owners in the stands, Ochiai, on Mejiro Sakiya, remained calm.
"She's a little fast."
In his estimation, Mejiro Sakiya would at least have to wait until the latter part of the final hundred meters to have a chance to contend for the front position.
The timing of her burst was still a bit early.
Or rather, he underestimated Mejiro Sakiya's final burst.
However—
Since she had already reached this position, there was no reason to slow down until she lost momentum.
Without pushing hard, Ochiai merely lowered his center of gravity slightly, maintaining balance while minimizing interference with the racehorse as much as possible.
He trusted Mejiro Sakiya's final burst.
Based on his past riding experience, he made this choice.
After graduating from the short-term Jockey course, he was still only half-understanding the "horse-first principle" that his instructors spoke of.
But when it came to reducing the probability of making mistakes in a race, he was beginning to gain some insight.
"Mejiro Sakiya! Mejiro Sakiya, starting from stall nine, takes the lead!"
Jockey Ishikawa vigorously wielded his whip, not giving up just yet.
But even with the pre-race popularity of being the favorite, the Chisha Gyoho under him was not an existence beyond its class.
As a front-runner, it also lacked the strong stamina to continue to bite back after being overtaken in the latter stages of the race.
Although still a considerable distance ahead of the trailing pack, overtaking was no longer possible.
With a clear advantage, Mejiro Sakiya was the first to cross the finish line.
"Mejiro Sakiya takes first place! By two lengths! With Jockey Ochiai Genta in the saddle!"
At the moment of crossing the line, Ochiai didn't feel much reality.
His palm gently stroked the mane of his partner beneath him.
Then, he let out a sigh of relief.
Only after that came the joy of victory.
"Well done, Genta!"
Before the awards ceremony venue, Kobayashi smiled as he attached the lead rope to the dark bay.
"It was all Mejiro Sakiya's good performance; I just dozed off in the saddle."
Ochiai replied, holding the reins.
After entering the straight, his physical strength was already quite strained.
If he had needed to push her, he probably wouldn't have been able to exert much force.
Furthermore, continuing on the outside line was also a somewhat risky choice.
Mejiro Sakiya's own strength accounted for most of the reason she won the race.
At least, that was what Ochiai, as the Jockey, believed.
"Save the humble words for later!"
Patting the dark bay's body, which was radiating heat, Kobayashi said.
"That's amazing, to break out of the maiden race in her very first start!"
"As expected of Mejiro—"
"The Jockey's performance coming out of the bend was excellent too!"
As they passed the stands, various voices reached his ears.
Ochiai tugged at his helmet, feeling a little ashamed.
He didn't think he had done anything remarkable.
Turning her head, while Kobayashi wasn't paying attention, Mejiro Sakiya quickly lowered her head and took a bite of the greenery by the railing.
Then, she quietly spat it out.
After realizing that seemingly no one had noticed, she quickly flicked her tail a few times.
In the stands not far away, Tanaka withdrew his gaze.
"This horse might be able to win a graded race."
These were the first words he said to Kitano after the race.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, probably no one would have imagined such astonishing explosive power hidden within a racehorse suffering from lameness.
"It's too early to say that."
Kitano smiled and shook his head, then looked at Mejiro Sakiya's figure with some concern.
With each step, the dark bay's right hind leg would uncontrollably lift.
Just like the sound of a clock signaling the end of a spell, Cinderella shed her glamorous disguise from the racetrack.
However, she still looked quite spirited.
He breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Walking to the paddock show area, he first thanked Ochiai, the Jockey.
"You worked hard."
"You too, Mr. Kitano."
Raising his head, Kitano looked at the other main participant.
"You worked hard too."
He stroked Mejiro Sakiya's sweat-dampened neck.
The dark bay lowered her head slightly and playfully wiggled her tongue.
Indeed, she had the temperament of a pony.
After letting go, Mejiro Sakiya, still not quite satisfied, nudged Kitano's shoulder with her nose.
Under the camera flashes, everyone's faces were all smiles.
After the paddock show, Kitano, as usual, walked around the edge of the stands.
"Congratulations, Kitano!"
"At this rate, you'll soon be back in Central, won't you—"
"This child named Mejiro Sakiya is also amazing!"
"President Kitano is also an otaku!"
Although the weather was very hot, there were still many Horse Owners who came to show their support tonight.
Kitano smiled and responded to their support.
Perhaps because it was the last race, the racecourse staff were uncharacteristically not rushing them.
The time they left the racecourse was much later than expected.