After motivating Kitasan Black, Yasui Makoto headed to the commentator's booth.
Drones had been positioned in four directions above the track, and the footage they captured was instantly transmitted to the large screen in the commentator's booth.
To test the new equipment, Yasui Makoto skipped the binoculars this time and stared directly at the screen instead.
The moment the gates opened, he took one look and immediately frowned, drawing in a sharp breath.
It came as no surprise. Compared to her experienced seniors, Kitasan Black was still too green.
He could tell that his Uma Musume had fallen into a habitual pattern. The instant the gates opened, she instinctively angled toward the inner lane.
In a formal race, that choice would have been perfectly reasonable. With more than ten runners, the field usually spreads out quickly after the start, making the inner lane a strong position.
But this was only a training race with just four opponents. In this situation, the field had limited room to spread horizontally, so the early and middle stages would not be heavily affected by position.
Veering inward to claim the rail here would only waste precious time and stamina.
Kitasan Black was completely unaware of this.
Daiwa Scarlet, on the other hand, understood it perfectly.
In fact, not just Daiwa Scarlet, but Vodka, Special Week, and Gold Ship all saw it clearly.
The moment Kitasan Black moved inward, the other four Uma Musume charged straight forward without hesitation, instantly claiming the best positions for themselves.
That single difference meant Kitasan Black had already fallen a step behind in terms of stamina.
Worse still, although she had reached the inner lane, her position was very poor.
Daiwa Scarlet was directly ahead of her, Vodka was to her front-left, and Special Week was positioned a little further back on her left.
The three seniors formed a subtle angle that boxed Kitasan Black into a narrow corridor.
If the race continued like this, her movement would be heavily restricted.
This was not intentional on the seniors' part. With their rich racing experience, even in a simple training race they instinctively chose the strategy that benefited them most.
While those strategies helped them, they also limited their opponents to varying degrees.
They managed to avoid hindering each other too much, which naturally left the least experienced runner, Kitasan Black, in the worst position.
Watching the race on the screen, Yasui Makoto unconsciously crossed his arms, his brow furrowed.
This is troublesome, Kita-chan. Before you can think about winning, you need to find a way to bridge this huge experience gap...
At the same time, Tokai Teio was giving an honest live report of the race.
"The field has passed the first turn, concluding the early stage battle.
"Still leading is Daiwa Scarlet.
"Vodka is right behind her but has already been dropped back a bit.
"Next is Special Week, running on the outside about four lengths behind.
"Kitasan Black sits in fourth. She wasn't able to secure her preferred position in the early going, so she's further back than usual.
"And finally, we have Gold Ship. She appears to be watching the others, waiting for her moment."
Mejiro McQueen continued:
"Most of the girls are in familiar positions, using tactics commonly seen in past middle-distance races.
"Kitasan Black still needs more experience. Her current positioning isn't ideal. I hope she can show us something better in the later stages."
On the track, completely unaware of the commentators' voices, Kitasan Black stared straight ahead, silently gritting her teeth.
The moment the gates opened, she had realized the difference between a training race and their usual parallel training sessions.
In parallel training, each practice had a single clear goal and the distance was very short.
For example, in positioning drills, they only ran a hundred meters, and she had to use every technique she had to steal the desired spot from her seniors.
Because the goal was so focused, she sometimes felt that with just a little more effort she might be able to surpass them.
A training race was completely different.
This kind of race had multiple objectives, and her seniors could display their full strength.
One of their greatest advantages was their wealth of experience.
It was that experience that made them charge straight ahead after the start instead of fighting for the inner lane like she had.
With only five Uma Musume on the track, there was plenty of space. There was none of the crowding found in a real race. Taking the inner lane right now was a complete waste of time and energy. There would be plenty of chances to adjust position later.
By the time she realized this, she was already trapped on the rail.
The three seniors ahead and to her left had perfect control over their spacing and positioning. Their rhythm and pace were perfectly synchronized.
Even though they were still some distance away and hadn't made any physical contact, she felt an uncomfortable sense of restriction.
Daiwa Scarlet was directly in front, with Vodka to her front-left. As the two seniors ran, they created an invisible wall.
Blocked by that wall, she found it difficult to run at her normal speed. Her usually steady stride and clear rhythm began to fall apart.
Even more concerning, at some point Special Week had moved up on the front-left and suddenly widened the wall.
So at this moment... what should she do?
Did she really have no choice but to keep running like this?
No... Kita-chan, you need to calm down...
She gritted her teeth again unconsciously, her mind racing.
At the same time, excited cheers rose from the stands.
"This is incredible! The seniors are just perfect!"
"Is this the true strength of top-class Uma Musume?!"
"It's so exciting! I wish I could run with the seniors too!"
Amid the younger Uma Musume's exclamations of envy, the trainers watching the race also nodded quietly. They whispered and exchanged thoughts with their companions or their own Uma Musume.
Anyone admitted to Tracen Academy, whether Uma Musume or trainer, possessed outstanding talent and ability.
They could all read the flow of the race from the very beginning. To varying degrees, they recognized both the brilliant decisions made by veterans like Daiwa Scarlet and the mistake Kitasan Black had made.
"Indeed, Kita-chan's experience is still lacking... If I were in her position, I probably wouldn't do much better."
Crossing her arms while watching the figures on the track intently, Satono Crown frowned and said,
"I heard this training race was only arranged a week ago, so these seniors had very little time to prepare.
"Besides, except for Gold Ship, Daiwa Scarlet and the others have hardly raced at all in recent years.
"Yet they can still perform at this level...
"Becoming a G1 Uma Musume really isn't easy at all..."
She unconsciously clenched her fists.
Beside her, Satono Diamond, who had been staring at the race the whole time, glanced over. Her eyes showed both worry and seriousness.
Coming from the same Satono family and spending every day together, she could clearly sense the pressure her sister was feeling right now, and she knew exactly where that pressure came from.
For years, the outside world had praised the Satono family for producing so many talented Uma Musume, almost giving them the reputation of being able to rival long-established prestigious families like the Mejiro family.
Many members of the family had come to believe this themselves and even proudly called themselves a "Uma Musume powerhouse" when speaking to outsiders.
However, some of them remained calm and clear-headed. They knew that compared to the Mejiro family, the current Satono family still had a long way to go.
---
Bonus chapters
200 - Stones
400 - Stones
600 - Stones
And so on, do you best!
Also visit my patreon for advance chapters to all my work!
(patreon.com/LizTL)