Super Zoo-Chapter 743 - 725 Disappointment in love, Success in gambling
The gates opened, the horses entered, and the race officially began. As the electronic gates simultaneously swung open, the twelve competing horses, like wild dogs released from a trap, charged forward wildly under the jockeys' control.
The eight-hundred-meter race passed its halfway mark in the blink of an eye.
On the big screen at the racetrack, a clear view of the leading pair was shown, as the commentator's exaggerated and passionate voice rose above the clamor of thousands of spectators.
"Wow, Queen's Star truly deserves to be the favorite, leading the way right from the start and now firmly maintaining its position at the front, exuding an Overlord's Aura!"
"The one behind shouldn't be underestimated either. Raphael's form has picked up this year, already having claimed two championships, only half a length behind. It's very likely to catch up at the final turn…"
Just then, a white blur suddenly shot up from behind on the big screen. The head of the horse had reached Raphael's belly and was still moving forward at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The crowd erupted with a unified gasp of surprise.
"Huh?!"
Even the commentator was caught off guard, exclaiming in wonder, "White Rose? Wow, this one's a huge upset! According to racing parlance, this is a dark horse with no known pedigree..."
The other commentator quipped, "Wild shots are more professional than the hostesses in the big tycoons' clubs in Chinatown. Who says a wild horse can't do well?"
In Xiangjiang, people traditionally don't shy away from cold jokes, with even the TV often airing risqué humor. Among the four great talents of the past, Huang Zhan even spent a long time working on adult programs related to buying... springtime thrills. It's somewhat characteristic for Horse Club commentators to crack dirty jokes.
The previous commentator teased with a laugh, "Cheeky, A Cheng, are you a regular at the Lijing Grand Hotel? But wow, this White Rose really has some kick! It's now neck and neck with Raphael in second place..."
In the race, White Rose, which had been surging from behind while they spoke, had now surpassed Raphael in second place and was almost aligned with Queen's Star in the lead.
In the sprinting phase, the first group was now led by Queen's Star and White Rose, with Raphael falling short and falling behind by nearly two lengths, having no chance of winning the crown.
The popularity of horse racing in Xiangjiang, apart from the gambling aspect, also represented the unyielding and unrelenting spirit of its people.
The underdog White Rose burst forth from nowhere like a shot of adrenaline to the entire audience, especially for those ordinary grassroots spectators, who seemed to see themselves reflected in White Rose.
With twelve horses in the field and Queen's Star as the overwhelming favorite, horse racing was prone to upsets. Many even placed their bets on long shots; a win against the odds meant much bigger returns. So, in truth, those who bet on Queen's Star were still in the minority.
The crowd began to rally, cheering for White Rose.
White Rose barreled ahead!
The previously leading Queen's Star seemed noticeably rattled, looking over several times at White Rose during the race.
Even those who knew nothing about horses could tell that Queen's Star was distracted.
The final sprint was just a short stretch of less than a hundred meters, leaving no room for distraction. And in the last twenty meters, White Rose gradually moved ahead of Queen's Star, crossing the finish line first by a narrow half-horse-length lead to take the victory.
The pre-race favorite, Queen's Star, finished second.
"Wow, how did this happen?" Cui Bijia's mouth fell open in dismay.
Losing two thousand British Pounds wasn't a big deal, but it was embarrassing for her in front of Suming. Queen's Star was the horse she had highly recommended to Suming, and moreover, she had just thought Suming didn't know about horses.
In a flash, Queen's Star had been outpaced.
It was a humiliating reversal, indeed. If Queen's Star had kept to its own pace in the final stage without being affected by White Rose, the victory would have been certain.
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Suming had an indifferent look and chuckled, "Betting on horses, of course, involves winning and losing. If you could win every time, why would I do any business? I'd be at the racetrack every day like Li Jiacheng."
Speaking of 'winning,' Cui Bijia suddenly pointed at the race ticket in Hou Longtao's hand and excitedly said, "Mr. Hou, you bet on White Rose, to win! Wow, it's a big upset!"
Hou Longtao had been somewhat absent-minded from start to finish, not even clear which horse was White Rose and which was Queen's Star; he was purely there for the spectacle, and now he vaguely held up his race ticket: "I won? How much money?"
"With the odds and probability, White Rose was a huge underdog. You bet five hundred bucks; you could win about ten thousand!" said Cui Bijia.
"What?!" Hou Longtao jumped up as if electrified, his previous dazed expression completely gone, and he excitedly exclaimed, "Ten thousand?"
Just like that, he'd made what he usually earned in a hard month's work; it would be strange if he weren't excited.
After collecting his winnings, Hou Longtao held a small roll of Hong Kong dollars and became a bit absent-minded again, Suming casually handed him a brown paper bag, "Put the money in here. Don't you know it's unwise to show off your wealth? Walking around with a wad of cash, are you waiting to be robbed?"
Only then did Hou Longtao come to his senses and put the money in the bag: "Are we still betting or not?"
"Bet? Of course, we bet. That's what we're here for," Suming said matter-of-factly, and then he smiled and asked, "Don't you want Song Lulu anymore?"
"Damn it, they say unlucky in love, lucky at gambling. I've already had a breakup, what the hell do I care about women for now!" Hou Longtao said fiercely.
On the side, Cui Bijia looked at Suming with surprise. It was evident to her that Hou Longtao knew nothing about horses and that he had bet on such a long shot purely because of Suming's suggestion.
This Mr. Su, could he be a dark horse, a real expert hidden in plain sight?
Cui Bijia suddenly remembered that Suming himself owned two horses and had entered them in the Longines Cup.
How could someone like that really know nothing about horses?
But why would he bet on Queen's Star himself?
Seeing Cui Bijia sizing him up, Suming smiled and said, "Pretty lady, don't look at me, let's keep watching the horses."
...
In the VIP box, Eugene and Princess Anne high-fived to celebrate.
"This is just a beginning!" Eugene clenched her little fist, full of confidence. They earned close to twenty thousand British Pounds, not even enough to cover the cost of car repairs.
The big screen showed a list of the winning tickets. Due to space limitations, it could only display the ten people with the highest winnings.
The Horse Club's betting operations have always upheld the principles of openness and fairness. For guests like Eugene with VIP status who wished to check, they could even access the complete list of winners.
The big screen showed the faces of a few winners present, and in a brief flash, it revealed two men and a woman.
"Huh?!" Eugene's eyes widened instantly. Those two men in the picture were the same guys who had vandalized her car in the surveillance footage, especially the young man leading them, whose smirking smile was unforgettably annoying to her.
"It's them," Princess Anne also recognized them, her brows slightly furrowed as she carefully glanced at Eugene, fearing she might do something impulsive.
Eugene crossed her arms, her big eyes squinting as if concocting something, murmuring, "It seems they also know how to bet on horses. I wonder how good their skills are?"
Seeing Eugene like this, Annie knew she was up to something mischievous and thought to herself that betting on horses was sixty percent luck; there wasn't really any skill to speak of.
