Chapter 74
Gate break, early race positioning, cruising pace, acceleration timing…
Yasui Makoto felt that there were no issues with this series of arrangements, and it was also the best Kitasan Black had been able to achieve previously.
Despite this, she was still almost caught by Real Steel near the finish line.
Part of this was certainly due to her lack of experience.
If she had more actual race experience, she might have thought of more efficient training methods in the past and been able to arrange more suitable tactics during the race.
At the same time, it also indicated that the various arrangements for training and racing should enter the next stage.
After three months of diligent effort and her own development, Kitasan Black's abilities in all aspects had significantly improved.
At this point, her previous training level was no longer sufficient, and the methods also needed to be changed to meet the demands of subsequent races.
Yasui Makoto had ideas and various alternative plans for optimizing training methods when he first started coaching, and now he only needed to arrange them one by one according to Kitasan Black's current situation.
However, in these past few months, his Uma Musume's good popularity had given him some new ideas.
So while touring the mansion, he pondered along the way and finally decided to have a simple chat with Kitasan Black at the dinner party.
…
That evening, to celebrate Kitasan Black's victory in the Spring Stakes, Kitajima Saburo specially arranged a large dinner party.
Aside from Yasui Makoto and Daiwa Scarlet, most of the attendees were Kitasan Black's family members.
With this dinner party, Yasui Makoto realized that this large family truly had many people. Counting from Kitajima Saburo, there were about thirty to forty people.
The rest were the elder's disciples and students, numbering around ten.
Dozens of people gathered together, most of whom were skilled in song and dance. There were also pre-prepared performances during the banquet, and several Uma Musume performed and sang a few songs, making the whole scene very lively.
Returning to their seats at the table, the Uma Musume smiled and talked about the Winner's Stage during their active careers.
"It's been a long time since I performed in front of so many people. I should have performed pretty well, right?" Special Week, who was the last to sing, asked with a smile.
Before anyone else could speak, Gold Ship chuckled maliciously.
"Of course you did! There was absolutely no feeling of being out of practice, Special Week! And even if there truly was any rustiness, it was still better than your first time on stage back then."
Special Week looked a little embarrassed. Then, somewhat annoyed, she covered half her face with her hand and lowered her voice slightly.
"Hey, Gold Ship, it's been so long. Why do you still remember such things…?"
"Because a Winner's Stage where you stare blankly at the sky like a stunned chicken is just too memorable. Besides, mmm mmm mmm…"
Grinning mischievously and revealing her friend's past blunder, Gold Ship was halfway through her sentence when a piece of golden-fried tempura appeared in her mouth.
Putting down the chopsticks she had just used to pick up the tempura, Vodka laughed exasperatedly.
"Alright, even eating can't shut you up, Gold Ship."
"Exactly! And wasn't your first time on stage even funnier? You completely treated the stage like a circus, didn't you?"
Following Vodka's words, Daiwa Scarlet, with great tacit agreement, teased her friend and then naturally shifted the topic to Special Week.
"Speaking of which, when I asked Special Week-senpai if she had time to come to Tokyo, I never expected her to agree so smoothly. Did senpai come specifically to cheer on Kita-chan?"
"Of course! And I should thank you all for telling me about this."
Looking at Kitasan Black, Special Week scratched her face sheepishly.
"I've been quite an incompetent senpai. I didn't even know Kita-chan had already debuted. If I hadn't received your call, I might not have seen Kita-chan's race until the Satsuki Sho."
"Senpai, please don't say that."
Kitasan Black quickly said, "I'm already very happy that Special Week-senpai can come to cheer me on.
And senpai must be very busy normally, so it's normal not to follow debut races. I don't watch many debut races myself."
"Kita-chan is so considerate. Actually… hehe, I'm not that busy in Hokkaido."
After a sigh, Special Week thought for a moment. "But if I'm being honest, besides coming specifically to cheer on Kita-chan, I also have a race."
Everyone at the table paused, and Daiwa Scarlet was the first to react.
"A race… Oh right, it's the Dream Cup, isn't it?"
"Yes! That's right, the Association called me last year to ask if I would consider participating in this year's Summer Dream Cup."
Special Week nodded. "I was still hesitating because the Association didn't mention how this year's event would be arranged.
It just so happened that you all told me about Kita-chan's race, so I simply agreed.
This way, I can not only come to cheer on Kita-chan but also prepare for the race earlier at the Tracen Academy.
Oh right, and I can also help Kita-chan with her training or something."
She clenched her fists, full of ambition. "Kita-chan's next races are the Classic Triple Crown, and I think I still have some experience with these three races."
Hearing these words, Daiwa Scarlet and the other Uma Musume nodded, while Kitasan Black and Yasui Makoto were surprised.
"Dream Cup? What is that…?"
Scratching her head, Kitasan Black frowned in recollection. "I think Crown-chan and the others mentioned it, but… what was it?"
"It can be said to be the All-Star Invitational of the Twinkle Series."
Recovering from his surprise, Yasui Makoto explained to Kitasan Black:
"Simply put, the URA holds two Dream Cup events every year, one in summer and one in winter, inviting famous retired Uma Musume to participate."
While explaining, Yasui Makoto's mind became active.
When he was touring the mansion with Kitajima Saburo in the afternoon, he had already thought of a new training arrangement.
Training races.
This method was similar to an upgraded version of parallel running.
Parallel running was not just running however you wanted; it often had clear objectives.
For example, "oikiri" training (chase training to push the horse to its limit).
This training aimed to master the techniques of positioning and changes in posture and movement, thereby altering the competitive situation in a race under corresponding circumstances to gain an advantage.
Typically, a "sparring Uma Musume" would be arranged to run in a designated position beforehand, and the "training Uma Musume" would follow for a while, then, according to the trainer's instructions, make adjustments in speed and movement at specific times and positions.
Each practice would be divided into several groups, and the specific instructions would also vary to some extent.
This allowed for better confirmation of adaptability and cultivated the ability to respond to different situations.
Training matches also had objectives, but they required completing more instructions within a single race.
For example, gate breaking and positioning according to a certain standard, completing an overtake within a specified distance, and achieving a certain sprint speed and distance.
This training method was more comprehensive, and the improvement in response capabilities was also faster.
In Yasui Makoto's opinion, Kitasan Black's opponents in the Satsuki Sho all shared a common advantage.
Without exception, they had all debuted last year, received longer periods of race-specific training, and had more average race starts than Kitasan Black.
Compared to her, their experience was undoubtedly richer.
And training matches were precisely the most efficient way to bridge this gap within the next month.