Chapter 19. Rice Shower and Mihono Bourbon's First Battle [Part 1]
When Rice Shower stepped onto the racecourse, she surprisingly didn't feel any gazes from around her. Everyone's attention was on Mihono Bourbon.
I should be the first member of Team Sadalsuud to challenge a G1 without being a big favorite, right?
Rice Shower secretly mused—actually, no, Mejiro Dober hadn't been a big favorite when she challenged the Arima Kinen back then.
The theme at that time had been "Grass Wonder vs. Special Week again."
Rice Shower stood in front of the starting gate, waiting for the staff to remind her to enter.
She was no longer a Uma Musume competing for the first time.
Although her racing experience couldn't be called extensive, it was by no means shallow. The black deer-haired Umamusume stomped her foot, feeling the slightly soft turf beneath her.
In this situation, I definitely can't stay behind. The position indicated by the Trainer is the safest choice.
Rice Shower repeated it in her heart.
Because she was assigned starting gate number 9, Rice Shower entered earlier than Mihono Bourbon, who had an even-numbered gate.
After stepping into the starting gate, she took a deep breath and began to adjust her breathing rhythm. Then, while there were still more than a dozen Uma Musume who hadn't entered, she turned her head and looked toward the stands.
From Rice Shower's angle, she couldn't see Shuta An and the others, but her gaze still fell in that direction. Although starting gates and hats blocked her view, the black deer-haired Umamusume was sure that her Trainer, respected senior, and adorable junior were all there, anticipating her performance.
Everyone is cheering for me.
Turning back, Rice Shower assumed her starting pose, clenched her fists, and prepared to wait for the crisp sound of the starting gate opening.
I will do my best.
"Click!"
The sound of the starting gate opening plucked at Rice Shower's heartstrings, and then the black deer-haired Umamusume instinctively took off, rocketing out of the wide-open gate like an arrow from a bow.
The Uma Musume who started to Rice Shower's right ran only a few steps before stopping.
She felt that her left leg seemed to have been strained at the moment of the start.
And Meiner Coat, to Rice Shower's left, because she had been constantly scrutinizing the petite Rice Shower, had a moment of distraction when the starting gate opened and immediately fell to the rear of the pack.
Both opponents encountered unexpected issues, which allowed Rice Shower to easily cut into the inner lane and secure the position she wanted.
As for Mihono Bourbon, her starting speed was even faster than Rice Shower's. In just a few dozen meters, she had already established her leading position.
Speed is normal.
After comparing the experience of these few seconds with previous races, Mihono Bourbon reported her status to herself.
—
On the side of the stands, Shuta An looked at the gradually lengthening pack of Uma Musume. He first spotted Rice Shower's position, but then his attention immediately shifted to Mihono Bourbon.
"The starting speed is very fast; she took the lead right at the beginning. Is she going to control her pace next or continue at cruising speed?"
The young man muttered softly.
His voice was drowned out by the thunderous cheers and applause from the spectators in the stands.
"If she's the kind of Uma Musume who sets a fast pace, then she's truly an opponent I don't particularly like to deal with,"
Tokai Teio narrowed her eyes, staring at Mihono Bourbon.
"Perhaps now is the time to start studying how to deal with her on the 2500-meter course at Nakayama Racecourse."
As Mihono Bourbon was about to cross the finish line for the first time, 405 meters had passed since the start.
At this point, Rice Shower was still in front of the stands. An eight-Uma Musume-length gap had already opened between her and Mihono Bourbon, but she temporarily held sixth place.
Behind her, Narita Taisei was eyeing her, ready to overtake Rice Shower at any moment. But the black deer-haired Umamusume was not anxious or flustered; she continued to cruise steadily, step by step.
This position should also be what Narita Taisei wanted, but Rice Shower started from a more outside position than her, so she pressed in from the outside to snatch this position—Narita Taisei must have hesitated when choosing her position, otherwise Rice Shower wouldn't be ahead of her right now.
Shuta An made a judgment about the current situation in his heart.
But it's all good. Rice Shower has taken the pre-race designated position. Now we can only see what Mihono Bourbon plans to do. How does she intend to run?
The young man narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself.
If it's a high-speed pace, she has already crossed the uphill section of the final straight. Mihono Bourbon wants to accelerate, she has to do it on this flat section now.
No sooner had the thought flashed through Shuta An's mind than Mihono Bourbon suddenly accelerated, directly pulling ahead of the second-place Kuri Try by one and a half Uma Musume lengths before turning into the bend.
"She accelerated," Tokai Teio said in a deep voice. "But she already accelerated on the uphill section, so this acceleration looks more like the second-place Kuri Try and third-place Reward Garcon decelerated here, causing them to be left behind."
"The acceleration on that uphill section just now was quite significant,"
Deep Impact heard clearly and took over the conversation.
"It feels like a big waste of stamina."
"If the strength is sufficient, then there's no such thing as an unreasonable tactic. As long as it's a tactic that suits oneself, using it directly is usually not a problem,"
Shuta An explained, but then his tone shifted.
"However, having said that, as Trainers, we naturally need to adapt to the situation and design the best tactics for the Uma Musume we train. If a Trainer fails to design good tactics, that can be considered a clear dereliction of duty."
"But I think accelerating here wasn't designed by Mihono Bourbon-senpai's Trainer,"
Kurofune interjected.
"Because I saw her Trainer frown just now. Could there be a chance?"
Kurofune's ears twitched, clearly interested.
"Let's keep watching. Mihono Bourbon's performance in the Spring Stakes has already proven her very high adaptability to high-moisture turf at Nakayama Racecourse."
Shuta An shook his head, thinking Kurofune was still too optimistic.
As Mihono Bourbon was about to exit the first turn, there was still no sign of her speed decreasing.
"It looks like she plans to maintain this speed for most of the race upfront,"
Shuta An was convinced.
"If she cruises at this speed, can she maintain it until the end?" Tokai Teio, who also noticed this, was a little puzzled. "Doesn't it feel too forced?"
"When leading, if everything goes smoothly, it often happens that one performs beyond their limits,"
Kurofune responded.
"I heard Suzuka-senpai say that this is some kind of pace for leading Uma Musume... right?"
"Suzuka-senpai can do it, but can she?"
Tokai Teio still maintained her skepticism.
"She certainly showed it in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes," Shuta An shrugged. "You all should pay more attention to Rice. You've been talking about Mihono Bourbon the whole time; Rice is very pitiful."
"Rice is maintaining a standard senko cruising pace right now; there's nothing to discuss!"
Tokai Teio retorted.
"Are we supposed to say that her position is well-maintained? The gap in Uma Musume lengths between her and Mihono Bourbon right now—"
"Eh?!" At this point, Tokai Teio exclaimed. "What's going on! The distance between Rice and Mihono Bourbon has shortened?"
"Because the overall pace was quickened by Mihono Bourbon, to avoid being left behind by the opponents ahead, Rice chose to accelerate slightly. And Mihono Bourbon, although she maintained a cruise in the latter half of the turn, her speed was actually slowly decreasing,"
Shuta An explained.
"It's reasonable that the distance shortened a bit."
"Then, looking at it this way, Rice's final sprint doesn't need to be much faster than Mihono Bourbon's,"
Tokai Teio raised an eyebrow.
"Mihono Bourbon saved stamina, while Rice consumed more stamina."
Shuta An shook his head, saying nothing more.
In this scenario, it was impossible to ask Rice Shower not to go forward and close the gap between herself and Mihono Bourbon, even if it meant expending more stamina and having an additional impact on the sprint in the final straight.
—
Entering the long straight on the opposite side of the stands, this section first had a downhill slope, and the latter half then became an uphill section. Mihono Bourbon didn't need to exert extra effort; after turning out of the bend and entering the downhill section, she immediately pulled away from the opponents behind her.
But Tokai Teio, who had won the Satsuki Sho, was not as nervous as the several juniors beside her. She knew that it was natural for Mihono Bourbon to open up a gap here; by the time Mihono Bourbon went uphill alone in the latter half, the distance currently opened would basically be made up directly.
"Rice Shower-senpai has been pulled away again."
Only Admire Vega, who lacked racing experience, was worried about this.
But when she saw her Trainer's expressionless face, without a hint of tension, she also relaxed.
Trainer's reaction probably means there's no problem, right?
Admire Vega thought.
Rice Shower maintained her sixth-place position, and Narita Taisei behind her had already given up on trying to overtake Rice Shower, content to follow behind the black deer-haired Umamusume.
"MIHONO BOURBON IS PULLING AWAY, ALREADY THREE LENGTHS AHEAD OF SECOND-PLACE REWARD GARCON! IT LOOKS LIKE THE GAP IS STILL WIDENING!"
"RICE SHOWER IS STAYING IN SIXTH PLACE AND DOESN'T SEEM TO BE BOTHERED BY MIHONO BOURBON EXTENDING HER LEAD."
After mentioning the current status of the top two favorites in the race, the live commentator continued to focus on Mihono Bourbon.
"This is the rhythm."
Kuronuma stared at Mihono Bourbon's figure on the big screen, muttering to himself.
"Let's show the results of our Hill Training and shatter everyone's doubts about us!"
Three training sessions a week, with three Slope Road runs each time. This had been the fixed training regimen Kuronuma set for Mihono Bourbon since before her debut.
Kuronuma firmly believed that Hill Training was the most efficient and effective training method. And he believed that Hill Training was indispensable for Mihono Bourbon, who was not highly rated within the academy, to become a G1 winning Uma Musume and a big favorite for the Satsuki Sho.
And the Nakayama Racecourse is most famous for its high Slope Road on the final straight.
Every drop of sweat, every bit of gain. I don't believe there's a Uma Musume in this generation tougher or more diligent than Mihono Bourbon.
Kuronuma thought this and glanced at Shuta An not far away.
After winning the Undefeated Triple Crown, it will be time for Mihono Bourbon to challenge Tokai Teio. I want to prove that a Uma Musume without enough talent, as long as she works hard enough, can also defeat an unprecedented genius!
Shuta An was unaware of Kuronuma's thoughts. He continued to stare at Rice Shower's figure on the big screen.
It looks like the stamina consumption is still within an acceptable range.
The young man breathed a sigh of relief. It all depends on her performance in the final straight.
And Rice Shower herself also felt that her current condition was very good.
With the current stamina reserves, I can definitely unleash my final burst of speed when I enter the final straight.
She squinted slightly, raised her head, and surveyed the front, beginning to search for an opening.
The 310-meter final straight of the Nakayama Racecourse is too short; it's impossible to start accelerating only after entering the straight.
This is something every Uma Musume knows.
Rice Shower was no different, so she planned to slowly begin accelerating and moving forward during the final bend, gradually building up speed. Then, upon entering the final straight, she would unleash her full explosive power and launch an assault on Mihono Bourbon.
Mihono Bourbon also knew this, so after passing the uphill section of the backstretch opposite the stands, she also used the downhill terrain of the final bend to gradually begin accelerating, hoping to build momentum to help her gain speed to resist her opponents behind her on the final straight.
—
"It's hard to say what will happen." Nishizaki Ryu, watching from the cafeteria, murmured. "Looking at it this way, it feels like Mihono Bourbon might lose speed on the final straight."
"Indeed, starting to accelerate here looks a lot like struggling."
Minamisaka agreed.
"It's hard to say." Kitahara-san shook his head and offered a dissenting opinion. "Mihono Bourbon is always running on the Slope Road whenever I go to the Slope Road training ground to train our team's Uma Musume. Stamina is definitely not an issue for her. I think she's more like she has victory in her grasp."
"Kitahara-san, do you mean Ann-san can't win this race?"
Nishizaki Ryu was a little surprised.
"He himself doesn't have much confidence in the two crown, didn't you notice?" Kitahara-san was also very surprised. "He should have set his sights on the Kikuka Sho."
"Did Ann-san say that himself?"
Minamisaka blinked.
"I guessed it."
Kitahara-san laughed awkwardly.
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