As Kitasan Black walked toward the starting gate, the cheers from the stands suddenly swelled into a lively peak.
Amid the shouts of encouragement and the buzzing excitement, a few pairs of eyes stayed remarkably calm.
Satono Crown stood with her arms crossed, watching the black-haired girl approach the gate. She tilted her head slightly.
"Honestly, Satono Diamond, I'm a little envious of Kita-chan. She gets to race against so many big-name seniors all at once…"
Standing beside her, Satono Diamond nodded. "Kita-chan has always been full of energy and popular wherever she goes. She's been on good terms with these seniors for a long time."
She glanced at her older sister with a hint of hesitation. "But… envious? Are you feeling any pressure, sis?"
"Pressure… not really." Satono Crown paused, then continued. "Actually, compared to Kita-chan…"
Her gaze shifted as she spoke. On the far side of the stands, a Uma Musume with short light-brown hair and red-and-white earmuffs was looking their way.
Noticing Satono Crown's stare, the brown-haired girl smiled, gave a quick wave, and turned back toward the track.
"Compared to Kita-chan, I'm more worried about Real Steel…"
Satono Crown lowered her voice a little. Satono Diamond had to lean in closer to hear her over the noise from the stands.
"Real Steel, huh?"
"Mm… For the Satsuki Sho over 2000 meters, speed matters a lot more than in the Japanese Derby or the Kikuka Sho, especially that final burst at the finish."
Satono Crown kept her tone low. "Our family's trainers ran the numbers. Kita-chan's running style is a pretty unique front-running approach. It puts huge demands on rhythm, distance judgment, and stamina management. One small mistake and the win can slip away."
"And she isn't strong in the final sprint. Otherwise she wouldn't have nearly been caught by Real Steel in the Spring Stakes."
"Plus, this is just a public training race. There's still plenty of time to adjust."
She glanced toward the front of the stands again. "Real Steel's finishing kick… and Duramente's finishing kick… Those are the ones we really need to watch."
At the same time, up front in the stands…
"…So, Duramente, when you went 'hmm' just now… was that a yes or a no…?"
Air Groove rubbed her temple, staring toward the track while keeping Duramente in the corner of her eye.
She had only heard about today's training race last night. She was supposed to attend a university division meeting, but the moment she learned about the race she asked a friend to cover for her and dragged Duramente straight to the stands.
She knew exactly how strong the Uma Musume lining up against Kitasan Black were, especially Special Week.
Back in the Japan Cup that year, Air Groove had beaten Special Week by the narrowest of margins. That didn't mean Special Week was any weaker. The late surge the other girl showed at the finish line had left Air Groove and her trainer analyzing footage for hours. They both agreed that if Air Groove hadn't switched to her usual closing style, the result could have gone either way.
Because of that memory, Air Groove wanted Duramente to get the same kind of experience in this training race.
Her junior, however, wasn't much for socializing and usually stayed quiet and reserved. Even when Air Groove brought up the training race earlier, she still hadn't given a clear answer.
While Air Groove nursed her headache, Duramente stared fixedly at the starting gate. After a moment she finally spoke.
"'Hmm' means…"
Just then, Tokai Teio's bright voice boomed from the speakers around the stands.
"All right, everyone! The training race you've all been waiting for is about to start! Let me hear those cheers and that applause for our athletes!"
Her infectious energy whipped up another wave of excitement. Then, sounding every bit like an official race commentator, Tokai Teio began introducing the runners.
She kept it shorter than a professional announcer would, not because she didn't know the field, but because she knew how famous Special Week and the others already were. She also didn't want to pile extra pressure on Kitasan Black.
Compared with this group of seniors, a junior who had only debuted three months ago was naturally going to look a little overshadowed on paper. If anyone ran a popularity poll right now, this newcomer would probably finish dead last.
For the same reason, the gate numbers were drawn by lot and the race numbers followed debut order.
"Number one, Special Week, through number four, Gold Ship, have all entered the gates. Number five, Kitasan Black, is now entering."
"Entry looks smooth. All athletes and staff, please get ready."
"Training Race, turf, 2000 meters, clockwise direction, good track condition. And now…"
"Start!"
The training race set up for the Satsuki Sho followed the same format as a real race, but with far fewer runners. With only five Uma Musume on the track, the moment the gates flew open the entire course was clearly visible.
As race commentator, Tokai Teio called the action live.
"Beautiful! Every Uma Musume got a clean break, even the ones who usually…"
Before she could finish, Mejiro McQueen's ears twitched. She quickly grabbed the microphone and cut in.
"The one who shot straight to the lead is Daiwa Scarlet! Just like always, she's going with her favorite front-running tactic!"
Tokai Teio handled the live call while Mejiro McQueen provided color commentary, exactly like a proper race. Mejiro McQueen had smoothly covered for her friend's near slip, and Tokai Teio shot her a grateful glance before taking the mic back.
"With all her experience up front and talent that puts her a step ahead of her generation, Daiwa Scarlet has taken the early lead!"
"Right on her heels is… Vodka!"
"These two really are lifelong rivals. Even in a training race they're battling it out."
"In third we have Kitasan Black. She broke well but couldn't grab the lead. Let's hope she stays calm and handles the pace."
"Next is Special Week."
"She's keeping a steady gap behind Kitasan Black, clearly planning to stalk and pounce later."
"And bringing up the rear, as expected, is Gold Ship."
"As one of the top stars in the Twinkle Series, her signature late-closing style has given us so many thrilling races."
"Will she come flying past her seniors with that trademark burst in the final stretch? Gold Ship, the stage is yours! Let's see what happens!"