Every Uma Musume from the Mejiro family, from Mejiro Peak to Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Ryan, Mejiro Palmer, Mejiro Dober, and Mejiro Bright, is a G1 winner without exception.
Even Mejiro Ardan, who never claimed a G1 title in her own career, should never be underestimated. After all, she raced in an era packed with absolute monsters like Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Inari One.
She may never have stood on the very top step, but she almost always finished in the top three against them. That kind of consistency placed her far ahead of most Uma Musume from her generation, and even those who came before or after her.
A family like that truly deserves to be called an Uma Musume noble house.
By comparison, no matter how famous the Satono family is, they have gone years without a G1 champion. The gap between them and a family like the Mejiros is plain for everyone to see.
That is exactly why the entire Satono family, spoken or unspoken, has made winning a G1 race their single greatest goal right now.
Seeing the strength of those G1 veterans up close, and knowing the difficult position her classmate Kitasan Black is in, it is easy to understand why Satono Crown feels such pressure and nervousness as she prepares to step onto the G1 stage herself.
Understanding all of that, Satono Diamond instinctively glanced at her sister, wanting to offer a few words of comfort.
But the moment she looked away from the track, she saw her sister's eyes suddenly widen.
Startled, Diamond quickly realized what was happening. She forgot all about comforting her and turned her full attention back to the race.
On the track...
Kitasan Black had finally made her decision.
During practice, Yasui Makoto had told her that the ideal moment to use this technique was right at the finish line.
He had also said that race conditions can change in an instant, so she should not get too rigid in her thinking.
Sometimes, instead of waiting for the so-called perfect moment, it is better to unleash all your strength early and create the perfect moment yourself.
When he explained it, he gave her plenty of examples and matching training drills.
Back then, she had not fully understood.
But she had written down every single word in her notebook and completed every training session with care.
Afterward, she would often pull out her little notebook to review the notes, and she even practiced running the technique at home.
At the time, she had no idea what those efforts would lead to.
She simply believed that since she was not a genius like so many of her seniors, friends, and classmates, she had to work that much harder.
Only now did she realize that all that effort had finally paid off.
After the gates opened, her past training and experience had held her back. She had rushed to take the inner lane for what she thought was the best position, only to end up in a bad spot.
She felt off the entire early part of the race and kept searching for a way out. Then, as they exited the turn, a sudden intuition hit her.
It's now!
I have to make my move right now!
The final sprint to the finish line...
This is not the time to worry about that!
If I do not break free now, the rhythm will only get worse, and by the time we reach the finish, there will be no chance left!
With that resolve, she dropped her stance without hesitation, quickened her breathing to short bursts, and shortened her stride.
This was exactly the form needed for a sprint.
The instant she shifted into full sprint mode, a gap miraculously opened up in the wall of seniors blocking her path.
She had no time to wonder how it had appeared. Her eyes locked onto it immediately.
Her heart hammered like a drum, but her legs felt filled with fresh power.
She charged straight for the opening.
Just then, Tokai Teio's excited voice rang out over the broadcast.
"Exiting the second bend! Kitasan Black has chosen to accelerate!
"Perfect timing! What an incredible burst of speed!
"She has finally broken free from that tough position she was stuck in after the start, passing Vodka and Special Week in one go. And now...
"She is running neck and neck with Daiwa Scarlet!"
The stands erupted. Cheers, gasps, and shouts rose and fell in waves.
Everyone had seen it: Kitasan Black, pinned to the inside lane since the gate opened, had suddenly exploded with astonishing speed the moment she came out of the turn.
Using that burst and the natural outward lean of Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka as they exited the bend, the black-haired girl had made a precise dash right alongside Daiwa Scarlet.
"Such incredible acceleration...!"
"Is that even possible? Pulling off something like that in a race against seniors...?"
"That's Kitasan Black for you. What unbelievable determination...!"
Satono Crown's eyes widened as she stared at the high-speed pack on the track.
"Amazing... truly amazing..."
After murmuring those words, she instantly became excited.
"That's amazing, Kita-chan! Go for it!"
Satono Diamond looked just as stunned for a moment, then cheered for her friend with equal excitement.
"So fast... Go, Kita-chan! You can do it!"
At the front of the stands, Duramente, who had stayed quiet until now, suddenly lit up.
"...Go, Kita-chan..."
Her voice was soft, and the noisy cheers from the stands drowned it out, so Air Groove standing beside her did not hear.
"Hmm... excellent judgment of timing. It looks like Trainer Yasui anticipated this situation."
Air Groove nodded in appreciation, folding her arms and resting a finger on her chin as she watched the pack with sharp eyes.
"However, accelerating that hard in the middle section will use up a lot of stamina. I wonder how she plans to handle the rest of the race..."
In the commentator booth, Mejiro McQueen said something very similar.
"Quite an excellent decision. Kitasan Black took advantage of the gap that naturally appears when exiting a turn and broke free from her earlier disadvantage. However... the real question now is how she manages her stamina."
On the track, Kitasan Black only then realized what she had just done.
With that momentary burst of acceleration and an opportunity that had appeared for some unknown reason, she had overtaken the two seniors, Vodka and Special Week, and was now running side by side with Daiwa Scarlet.
Surprise and disbelief surged through her, and she unconsciously broke into a wide, excited grin.
Just then, a low murmur of praise came from beside her.
"Not bad, Kita-chan. Those are some fierce strides."
Startled, Kitasan Black tilted her gaze to the side and saw Daiwa Scarlet's profile, filled with genuine admiration.
She wanted to thank her for what she had just felt, but the fierce wind rushing past her face made it impossible to speak.
She quickly closed her mouth a little more and felt puzzled.
How could Daiwa Scarlet senpai sound so calm and natural in a moment like this?
After the praise, a sharp glint appeared in Daiwa Scarlet's eyes.
As if locking onto the finish line of victory, her gaze turned straight ahead, and a soaring fighting spirit lit up her face.
"However, precisely because you showed such an excellent performance, as your senpai I have to beat you.
"Don't think I will go easy on you, Kita-chan. This race...
"Has only just begun!"