With only three minutes left, Zhuang Rui hugged Zhui Feng's head and whispered a reminder in its ear: if this guy gets carried away, even Zhuang Rui sometimes can't hold it back.
"Luffy..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Zhui Feng nodded vigorously. Just imagining the nearly three-meter-tall King Kong pressing down on him sent chills down his spine.
"Alright, one last minute, horse owners and trainers, step back..."
As the one-minute countdown began, the staff moved the horse trainers and owners outside the cordon, while the jockeys who hadn't mounted yet to conserve their horses' energy also got on their horses.
"Fangfang, your dad's horse will be running out soon, cheer for your dad..."
In the VIP box at the racecourse, Qin Haoran held his grandson, but his eyes were fixed on the countdown numbers on the screen at the starting line, and a rare look of tension appeared on his face.
"Dad, it's one thing for you to gamble yourself, but you're also setting a bad example for the kids?"
Qin Xuanbing, standing to the side, looked displeased. She reached out and took her son, saying, "Give him to me. Once we start running, you'll probably throw Fangfang out..."
"No way, no way..."
Qin Haoran blushed deeply after his daughter's words. After handing his grandson to his daughter, he awkwardly picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip.
"Five, four, three, two, one, bang..."
Just as Qin Haoran hadn't put down his coffee cup, a crisp starting gun rang out, and all twelve horse gates opened simultaneously, sending more than ten horses rushing out.
Seeing this, Qin Haoran seemed to be injected with adrenaline. He threw whatever he was holding behind him, clenched his fists, and shouted loudly towards the sidelines, "Go! Go! Chasing Wind, go!"
"Hey? Where's Chasing Wind?"
After shouting encouragement twice, Qin Haoran realized that although the gate for the number 12 pens had been opened, it seemed that no horses were running out, and he was immediately dumbfounded.
"Twelve horses burst out of the pen, and one horse was already in the lead from the start—number three. Number three was the seeded horse for this race. Oh my god, what happened? Why didn't horse number twelve come out of the pen? What happened there?"
The commentator, who was giving a passionate explanation, noticed the situation and shouted loudly, drawing everyone's attention to the outermost track, number twelve.
Qin Haoran was dumbfounded, while Zhuang Rui, who was standing at the starting line, was anxious and shouted loudly at Zhui Feng, who was standing there motionless, "Zhui Feng, run!"
Having never participated in horse racing before, how would he know that the starting gun signaled the start of the race? He was still standing there calmly.
However, right after Zhuang Rui shouted, Zhui Feng, which had been stationary, shot out like a bolt of lightning.
Chapter 1224 Extreme Speed Storm (Part 5)
"Haha, interesting, there are still horses that haven't started running yet..."
"Yeah, that young man looks like the horse owner. This is terrible..."
"Yes, his horse looked really nice just now, but who knew... sigh, what a pity."
Zhuang Rui's shouts had startled the horse owners and trainers who were about to cheer for their horses. When they saw Zhui Feng gallop off, they all began to whisper among themselves.
These people may not be gloating, but they all agree that Zhuang Rui is unlucky. Making a mistake in such an international competition is tantamount to losing the chance to win the championship.
"So what if they've started? That jockey weighs over 200 pounds, there's no way he can come in first..."
The staff member's words drew everyone's attention. Before the match, everyone was quite nervous and no one had noticed Timur. Now, upon hearing this, they all started asking questions.
It's important to understand that in sprint horse racing, the jockey's role accounts for about 30%, which is crucial.
Without a good jockey, it's like using a horse at 60% or even lower condition to race against someone else's horse at 100% condition—that's a huge disadvantage.
So at this moment, almost every gaze directed at Zhuang Rui was one of mockery and pity. Some cynical people might even be thinking that with Zhuang Rui's physique and appearance, playing horse racing was definitely not as promising as working as a gigolo in a Macau hotel.
"Damn it, I forgot to tell Zhuifeng that he ran as soon as he heard the starting gun..."
Zhuang Rui was filled with remorse. Both Zhui Feng and Timur were participating in the competition for the first time and had absolutely no experience. Zhuang Rui should bear the responsibility for this mistake.
However, he completely ignored the gazes of others, focusing intently on Zhui Feng as he charged forward, muttering to himself, "Zhui Feng, keep it up! Make us proud!"...
In the VIP box at the racecourse, Qin Haoran watched the scene unfold with a pale face.
"It's over, it's over, there's no hope left..."
Although it was only a few seconds later, Qin Haoran saw Zhui Feng shoot out from the starting point, but his expression was still very ugly. He simply did not believe that Zhui Feng could overtake him.
It's worth noting that the world record for the fastest 1000-meter sprint is only 53 seconds, which is just like the 100-meter sprint for humans. A fraction of a second can often determine the outcome of a race.
Starting two or three seconds late is tantamount to handing victory over to someone else. Even if Qin Haoran had great confidence in his son-in-law, he couldn't help but slump down on the sofa, no longer having the energy to cheer him on.
Two rooms away from the Qin family's private room was a large, luxurious private room, where Guo Daheng, Dr. Shu Wen, and others were sitting. Fourth Wife and Mr. He, the gambling king, were also present.
"This little guy, he just won't listen to advice. I told him long ago that this jockey is no good, but he just wouldn't listen. Sigh, Dr. Shu, you've won again this time..."
Guo Daheng also noticed what had just happened. Although he hadn't placed a bet on this race, given the limited experience of the horse and the jockey, it would be quite rare for the horse to win.
"Hehe, Mr. Guo, young people always have a temper. Xiao Zhuang is a good guy, so don't provoke him later..."
Dr. Shu Wen laughed upon hearing this. He had initially harbored some doubts about Zhuang Rui's speed, but at this moment, all those doubts vanished. If even the starting line could be flawed, then this racehorse posed no threat to him whatsoever. ...
"I don't know what happened, horse number twelve didn't run. Wait, it's out, horse number twelve is out..."
Although Zhuang Rui's Chasing Wind was not a seeded horse in this race, it is rare for a horse to fail to break through the barrier, so the commentators at the scene gave Chasing Wind a lot of attention.
"As you can see, this is a thoroughbred with pale gold fur. What a majestic horse! It's a pity it won't be competing in this race..."
The commentator's words drew more attention to Chase Wind, who had just broken through the hurdle, and countless binoculars were now focused on the track where Chase Wind and Timur were.
"I just checked the information, and it turns out this horse will be participating in its final race today. Hopefully, they won't make any mistakes. Wait, what did I just see?"
It seemed that the changes on the field caused the commentator's previously calm tone to suddenly become impassioned.
"Oh my god, what did I just see? That horse has caught up! The last horse to start, the one that was in twelfth place, has caught up! It's already in fifth place! Yes, fifth place!" According to the rules of the Macau Jockey Club, in races with more than ten horses, the fifth-place finisher can also receive some prize money. As long as you don't bet on winning, you can probably make a small profit.
"What? Chasing Wind is coming up?"
The commentator's words made Qin Haoran, who was sitting on the sofa, sit up abruptly and look at the screen. He no longer had time to use his binoculars to pinpoint Zhui Feng's location.
"My God, horse number 12 is still accelerating! Yes, it's still accelerating! It's like a bullet, overtaking one horse after another. It's already in third place! I guarantee there will be a surprise today..."
The commentator's passionate words still echoed in the arena, and Chasing Wind was running faster and faster. His whole body was in the air, and his four hooves seemed to barely touch the ground. With a light touch, he darted more than ten meters away.
"There are still 150 meters left, can we really win?"
Qin Haoran had no time to cheer anymore. Instead, he held his breath, staring nervously at the electronic display screen in front of him, his clenched fists trembling slightly.
Even Grandpa Qin, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them now, but instead of looking at the live broadcast, he listened quietly to the commentators' voices.
"With 100 meters to go, horse number 12 has moved into second place, but it's still a horse length behind the leader. Can it catch up? Can it catch up? Let's wait and see!"
In sprint horse racing, a horse's length is already a significant difference, almost enough to lock in the champion's title. Even the commentators dare not make any rash judgments at this point.
Chasing Wind's remarkable feat of overtaking eleven racehorses in succession has drawn everyone's attention.
The once bustling arena had become eerily silent. This tense and dramatic scene had everyone holding their breath, waiting for Chasing Wind to overtake them once again.
The jockey who was temporarily in the lead seemed to feel threatened. He kept whipping his horse, his body almost lying on the horse's back to reduce wind resistance, and he was shouting to try to unleash the horse's last potential.
The horse was also giving it its all. As it galloped wildly, white foam appeared at its mouth. Although its limbs were still strong, its heavy breathing showed that it had exhausted all its strength.
"Half a horse's length, fifty meters to go! Horse number twelve is really catching up! Just half a horse's length away! My God, let's see how graceful that horse's movements are! It's like a dance master, interpreting power and beauty on the track!" This commentator really has some skill in commenting. His words made everyone in the audience feel that Zhui Feng really was dancing, his strong and graceful figure drawing a beautiful landscape on the track.
"Surpass it! Surpass it!"
Qin Haoran had already stood up from the sofa, holding binoculars and locking onto Zhui Feng.
"How could this be? How...how could it run so fast?"
In another private box, Dr. Shu Wen was also dumbfounded. What he thought was a foregone conclusion suddenly became unpredictable.
Moreover, with Zhui Feng's current momentum, he is simply unstoppable. The horse in front of him is already showing signs of fatigue. If Zhui Feng can just hold on for a few more seconds, the first place will be his for the taking.
"It's overtaken! It's overtaken! My God, what are we seeing? A racehorse that charged through the barrier late has made a miraculous comeback!" When Chasing Wind overtook the racehorse that was in first place, the entire stadium suddenly erupted in cheers. This was not only an upset, but a huge upset.
Everyone who had the opportunity was checking Chasing Wind's information on the electronic screen in front of them; the championship... seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
"No, horse number twelve has slowed down, and horse number three is running alongside it. What happened? Is it running out of energy?"
The commentator's voice drew everyone's attention back to the racetrack, but just as they looked over, the two horses had already crossed the finish line.
"What exactly happened in the end? Well, like everyone else, I'm curious to know who won the championship?"
At the last moment, no one could see clearly who crossed the finish line first. To everyone, it seemed as if the two horses had crossed together. Who was first and who was last would have to be determined by the electronic camera.
"Horse number twelve seems to have run into stamina issues in the final stages, otherwise, given its condition, it could have easily won... Oh, it really is just exhausted. We all saw it; it has already collapsed to its knees, and its rider has dismounted. Good heavens... How can this rider be so strong?"
While waiting for the results to be announced, the commentator still focused his attention on Chasing Wind, because regardless of whether Chasing Wind won or lost today, it had already become famous.
The commentator's words drew everyone's attention to Timur for the first time. Sure enough, the jockey was so burly that he was almost as big as a wrestler.
Chapter 1225 Reactions from All Sides
More than 50,000 spectators crowded into the racecourse for this year's Macau horse race. While many of them were tourists, the majority were horse racing enthusiasts who were quite knowledgeable about horse racing.
Minimizing the horse's load is one of the key factors for achieving good results in a race, but Timur in front of us subverts this notion. His burly appearance makes him look nothing like a "standard" jockey.
"The results are in! Horse number twelve... Chasing Wind, with a time of 55.25 seconds, has won the second race. Let's congratulate it! Although Chasing Wind had a rough start, encountering a problem while charging over the fence, it ultimately secured first place with its lightning speed. Second place went to horse number three, with a final time of 55.56 seconds—a very close result. Congratulations to the owner of that horse; you will receive a substantial prize. Third place went to…"
The commentator's voice rang out again in the racecourse. In fact, the fans had already determined the winner from the footage taken from various angles, but the commentator's words still elicited a cheer.
"That horse is really fast! It started more than two seconds late, yet it still managed to come in first..."
"Yes, it was only a second or two away from the world record, that's amazing..."
"Sigh, the horse racing club's work is getting worse and worse. How come they don't even have detailed information about this horse?"
"Exactly! They don't even have information on the champion horse, and it's listed on track number twelve. Isn't this deliberately misleading us?"
At this moment, all the talk in the racecourse revolved around Chase the Wind, but the Jockey Club had very little information about him.
Generally, detailed information about a horse can be found on touchscreens installed by the horse racing club in various locations, including its pedigree, racing record, teeth, and even the names of its parents.
However, after the name "Chasing Wind," there were only the words "from the Great Grassland," which greatly dissatisfied horse racing fans. They basically make their judgments based on this information when betting on horses, and the horse racing association's approach is simply too unfair.
Of course, you can't blame the organizers for this. It was a horse that was added at the last minute. Where were they supposed to find information about it? Don't ask Zhuang Rui, he didn't have any either. He didn't even know exactly how big Zhui Feng was.
"Alright, if there's no information, then there's no information. I'll just keep an eye on this horse from now on..."
"It's a pity I didn't bet on it to win this time; the odds were 1 to 20, what a shame..."
"It's okay, it'll be in the twelfth game too. You can just buy more then, right?"