About an hour later, it was race time and the announcer explained again who the umamusume were. As I expected, Grand Ekinoks wasn't the race favorite and the favorite umamusume turned out to be Cannon, whom I knew as her room-mate.
As all the umamusume took their positions, I listened to the announcer's remarks.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Our debut race on the 1600-meter turf track will begin soon, and all the umamusume have taken their places. On your marks, set, go..."
Just at that moment, I heard the doors open and that familiar starting sound.
"RACE HAS STARTED!!!"
The experienced announcer, who I've known to host these races for many years, clearly knows how to hype the atmosphere.
Setting this aside, I felt I needed to worry about Grand Ekinoks. Her entrance from the gate hadn't been great, and I had just seen her drop to sixth.
"During the first 100 meters, a contest for the lead is unfolding between Lyka and Lavie En Rose. Cannon is right behind them and the gap to the rest of the pack is about three lengths."
The competing umamusumes were divided into two groups, and Grand Ekinoks was running in the back group. Right now, her slight hunch didn't seem to bother her too much. Until the first turn, Grand Ekinoks's position wavered between sixth and fifth and I noticed one of the front-runners seemed to be struggling to keep up with the pace.
"From the front group, Lavie En Rose is slipping to third while there's a movement in the back group."
As the second and final turn approached, I felt that fluttering sensation in my heart again. Grand Ekinoks was pulling away from the barrier and, at the same time, speeding up.
"This... Grand Ekinoks. As they approach the home stretch, she has increased her speed and pulled away from the back group to take fourth."
As happy as that made me, Cannon's late move worried me.
"Lyka was holding her own in front, with Cannon pressing forward to pass. At the same time, it seemed Lavie En Rose might not be able to hold third, because Grand Ekinoks was closing in on her!"
With 300 meters to go, Grand Ekinoks was alone with her rival and after a while she managed to accelerate a bit more and pass the rival.
"Grand Ekinoks has passed Lavie En Rose and now, while trying to catch Lyka and Cannon, we're entering the final 200 meters!"
Grand Ekinoks had finally reached her top speed and continued to close in on the two umamusume in front of her.
But when I heard there were only 200 meters left, a worry rose inside me. With so little distance to go, could Grand Ekinoks really win? She needed to increase her speed even more.
"Cannon is finally swinging out to the outside, about to catch Lyka, and Grand Ekinoks is coming from behind!"
She could speed up, but it wasn't at the level I expected. I could vaguely see her face and I noticed she was grinding her teeth. Moreover, I noticed something odd in her stepping rhythm.
"ONLY 50 METERS TO GO!"
With the hope of catching them, she started taking larger strides. She could reach them this way but she needed to set a better rhythm again.
That's when I remembered why I love these races. For such a small detail, Grand Ekinoks might not win. That's sad, but recognizing the detail has rekindled my love for these races.
"And the race is over! Lyka and Cannon crossed the line at the same time, and Grand Ekinoks was third, only about a half-length behind them. It's really disappointing that her effort went unrewarded."
While the announcer continued to explain the order and share thoughts about the competitors, I started to look at the final result on the board.
1. Lyka (2)
2. Cannon (4)
3. Grand Ekinoks (1)
4. Lavie En Rose (9)
5. Dalamalı (7)