Chapter 71

Horse Number Two led strongly, maintaining its pace well past the halfway point and showing no signs of fatigue. Andrew's Number Four trailed closely behind, but remained a meter or so back.

"There's no point watching any longer—the winner is clear!" Harvey smiled at Mark.

"Mr. Thatcher has led us to victory, truly showing the spirit of a leader!" Bernard exclaimed.

Mark felt a surge of satisfaction as his fortunes seemed to turn. He smiled smugly at Andrew. "Well, what do you say now?"

Andrew shifted his gaze from the track. "You're right. The winner is clear."

Mark laughed heartily. "It's great that you know when to admit defeat. There's hope for you yet!"

Andrew shook his head. "I think there's a misunderstanding, Mr. Thatcher. I meant our victory and Number Two's defeat."

Before Mark could respond, Bernard shouted, "How is Number Four moving so fast?"

Mark's heart sank as he turned back to the track. Just before the finish line, Number Four surged forward, overtaking the leading thoroughbred and crossing first.

Mark's confident smile froze. He had lost again. The mayor of Jayrodale, renowned for his horse racing expertise, had suffered three consecutive defeats.

"Number Four… actually won!" Francesca gasped. "Andrew, how did you do it?" Lauren erupted in delighted laughter, oblivious to the darkening expressions around her. "Dr. Lloyd, that's three wins in a row! I calculated the odds beforehand—we just won nearly 1.5 million dollars! You're incredible!"

"You're cheating! You must be!" Harvey exploded. Nobody responded. The club's owner, another powerful figure, wouldn't risk offending Mark over a few races.

Mark chuckled bitterly. "Harvey, sit down. We may have lost, but let's maintain our grace. That wasn't cheating."

Wiping sweat from his brow, Mark turned to Andrew. "You're just a junior doctor at Jayrodale General Hospital. Do you happen to study horse racing in your spare time?"

Andrew replied simply, "Not really."

Mark's smile became wry. "So, a doctor with no racing background wins three straight races, each time catching us off guard. Is the universe trying to tell me something?"

Bernard shouted angrily, "Mr. Thatcher, this kid just got lucky!"

"Silence!" Mark snapped. "I can judge for myself whether it was luck or skill."

Bernard flushed with embarrassment and fell silent.

Mark turned to Andrew with genuine curiosity. "Dr. Lloyd, I'm still puzzled by these losses. Would you mind explaining your strategy for these three races?"

The sight of Mark humbling himself to ask Andrew for advice left Francesca, Christina, and even Lauren stunned. The crowd watched in shock as this young doctor made the mighty Mark Thatcher swallow his pride.