Chapter 166: A Beautiful Start
When Makoto looked toward the display facing the stands during the parade ring, he saw another Umamusume step out from behind Mejiro Bright.
Long, dark-brown hair, purple eyes, a cooler and more aloof air compared to Mejiro Bright—yet her features resembled the latter somewhat.
After approaching Mejiro Bright, the Umamusume seemed a little helpless; she patted Bright on the shoulder, snapping her out of waving enthusiastically at the camera.
Bright quickly made an apologetic gesture, then smiled and whispered something before heading into the parade ring—leaving the stage to the newcomer.
"Bright-senpai… her personality really is slow-paced. Ahahaha…"
Watching the scene in the parade ring, Kitasan Black felt a strange pang of secondhand embarrassment, but this quickly shifted into excitement.
"And that one… that's Mejiro Dober-senpai! McQueen-senpai's family really is full of talent."
Almost as if responding to Kitasan Black's amazement, the announcer's introduction rang across the racecourse.
Five G1 victories.
Two wins in the Filly Triple Crown.
Four consecutive years as the Best Older Filly or Mare.
One of the century's top hundred racers…
As Mejiro Dober's accolades echoed through the broadcast, a wave of cheers surged through the crowd of over a hundred thousand spectators.
In fact, the cheering had never stopped from the moment the appearance procession began—and only grew more fervent as one star after another stepped into view.
And when the cheering reached its absolute peak was the very moment the Umamusumes entered the starting gates.
"Finally! The long-awaited Dream Trophy League is about to begin!"
The commentator sounded far more excited than usual.
"Under the blazing August sun, our eagerly anticipated star racers are ready to bring us a spectacular showdown!
"Loading is complete. The expressions on the competitors are full of determination—just how will they respond to the passionate expectations of their fans?
"Now then, Dream Trophy League! Tokyo Racecourse, G1 turf, 2000 meters, left turn—right here, right now—"
"Start!"
The instant the announcer called it, Makoto—like the hundreds of thousands of spectators—unconsciously held his breath.
A metallic snap echoed like an imagined sound in his ears, and his eyes lit up the moment the gates sprang open.
Different from the other Twinkle Series races—different even from normal G1 high-stakes races—the start before him was stunningly beautiful.
As though they had rehearsed countless times, making this moment more a performance than a competition, the instant the gates opened, more than a dozen figures slotted into the track with gear-perfect precision.
Barely another blink had passed when a pale-blue figure sprang forward, surging decisively into the lead.
"A beautiful start!"
The commentator shouted in excitement.
"It's Seiun Sky! Seiun Sky takes the lead as expected, once again showing us her superb front-running skill!"
"Their start…"
With eyes full of awe, Kitasan Black couldn't help murmuring,
"It's so beautiful! It feels completely different from my race!"
"That's only natural."
Without taking his eyes off the track, Makoto nodded.
"They've run and trained far more races than you, and more importantly, they know each other extremely well."
"In this race, the only one who excels at leading is Seiun Sky. Someone who can even win the Kikuka Sho by frontrunning it—trying to fight her for the early pace is just asking for trouble. It's better to leave the lead to her.
"By the way, Kitasan, result aside—since you're also a front runner like Seiun Sky, make sure to study how this senpai handles every situation."
"Right! I got it!"
Kitasan Black body instinctively tensed, tail flicking upward as she shouted in response.
But her gaze couldn't help sweeping across the entire pack; she just couldn't focus solely on the leading Seiun Sky.
Not even a blink later, her brows suddenly knit together.
"But… in a race like this… can someone still botch the start?"
She stared toward the very back of the group that had just burst from the gates.
Like she was just half a beat slow, Mejiro Bright—whom Makoto had mentioned earlier—was running at the very back.
At that moment, the commentator's live report and analysis came in right on cue:
"Currently at the end of the pack is Mejiro Bright. It seems she's had a slow start just like in her past races."
"For Mejiro Bright, coming from behind is her specialty. During her time in competition, she was famous for an unheard-of closing kick. So being in last place isn't really a handicap for her."
Makoto added at the same time, "It can't be called a complete mistimed start."
"I've told you before—every type of response in your race varies from person to person."
"For example, the start. From the moment the gate opens, to your brain recognizing it, to reacting—this whole process includes something called reaction time.
"Theoretically, your average reaction time is around 100 to 200 milliseconds, and with specialized training you can stabilize it at about 150 milliseconds.
"But some Umamusumes are born with longer reaction times."
"I've looked into Mejiro Bright's data before; she belongs to this category. When she debuted, her gate-test reaction time was a whole 310 milliseconds."
"With that kind of reaction time, she's naturally slower out of the gate—and compared to the strong rivals of her generation, it's even more noticeable."
Makoto explained all this quickly, his words blending into the roar of the crowd.
But Kitasan Black still understood most of it—after all, "reaction time" was something she had learned during training and class.
Hearing Makoto bring it up again, and watching Mejiro Bright's situation for a moment, she suddenly had a realization.
"So that's it…"
Pointing toward the very end of the pack on the track, she asked tentatively:
"Bright-senpai… she must know her own weakness, so she took the inner rail position!"
Makoto didn't explain further, but he nodded with great satisfaction.
From his perspective, Mejiro Bright's strategy was exactly as Kitasan Black guessed.
This Umamusume certainly understood her own starting ability, and she also knew the running styles, techniques, and tactics of her old rivals.
So she definitely knew how to play to her strengths and minimize her weaknesses.
Just like the front runners not fighting Seiun Sky for the early lead, she was now hugging the inside rail—likely aiming to conserve stamina.
The inner rail absolutely saves more energy, and in this race, none of her opponents were rear-chasers like her.
By conserving stamina while observing the others' movements from behind, waiting for the perfect chance to burst through and overtake them all—with her exceptional closing kick—this was undoubtedly the most suitable race strategy for her.
Thinking this far, Makoto nodded slightly… then his brows furrowed a little.
But the race ahead probably won't go as smoothly as she hopes…
No—when everyone knows each other so well, no one is going to get the race they want…
Just as Makoto thought this, the commentator's voice—no longer as excited as earlier—settled into a calmer rhythm.
"After a short opening straight, the pack enters the first turn."
"Let's confirm the positions."
"Currently leading is Seiun Sky, maintaining a two-and-a-half-length advantage as she enters the curve."
"Right behind her on the outside is Special Week, with Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi in third on the inner side slightly further back."
"Fourth, fifth, and sixth are Butterfly Orchid, Erimo Harrier, and Air Jihad."
"The mid-pack group is just as large."
"Heading this section are El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder."
"Behind them are Mejiro Dober and Taiki Shuttle."
"Mejiro Bright remains at the rear."
"The pace is fast—the runners are powering through most of the turn and are gradually approaching the backstretch."
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