By now, Kitahara was no longer surprised by Oguri Cap's "comprehension ability."
This genius girl had a very clear trait: she didn't always understand pure theory, but once it was tied to practical application, she could immediately grasp it.
For example, this time, she not only instantly understood Kitahara's analysis of the disadvantages of an overly strong competitive spirit but also picked up on his subtle implications.
Kitahara indeed had other intentions.
"No matter whether it's dirt or turf, when many Uma Musume run together, mud and dust will inevitably fly," he patiently explained.
"Oguri Cap, it's easy for you because you're tall. But if a Uma Musume is short, during a race she'll inevitably get splashed with mud all over her face, which can affect her vision."
"If your vision is blocked, you won't just fail to see your opponents' movements—you might even miss the distance markers along the track, causing misjudgments and missed opportunities."
"But you habitually keep a low center of gravity, so being short or tall doesn't make much difference for you."
"So, starting behind now also lets you adapt to the mud and dust kicked up by the front runners. In other words, you're adapting to—and breaking through—the environment."
"You must overcome all disturbances the environment throws at you."
Regarding competitive spirit and track adaptability, Kitahara's advice was actually based on two sets of experience.
In another world, top jockeys, when riding a young racehorse for the first time, would deliberately control speed and place the horse slightly behind in races, including follow-up competitions.
Horses are inherently competitive creatures. They have a natural fixation on the leading horse, and they are sensitive and intelligent enough to fully understand the outcome of a race.
So, during early training, leading from the front might be fine if there are no strong competitors, but if a horse gets used to being in front, it might panic or be heavily disadvantaged when later falling behind against a strong rival. This can cause the horse to lose control.
Thus, having young horses get used to being slightly behind is a necessary method to train their mentality.
The same principle applies to adapting to mud and dust.
Historically, famous jockey Yutaka Take would deliberately keep the legendary horse Special Week behind during races to train its ability to handle flying dirt and mud.
In the first season of the Uma Musume anime, Special Week's mother used mud-throwing exercises when Special Week was small, a method inspired by this real-life training.
Since horse girls are embodiments of real-world horses, their mentality is similar. Kitahara confirmed this from past memories and therefore gave the above advice.
"Got it."
"…Eh? Oguri, how do you understand it again so fast?"
The difference in talent between Oguri Cap and Belno Light was obvious.
Oguri might nod off during lectures if they were too theoretical, but when it came to actual racing methods, her comprehension was undeniably genius-level.
Belno Light, on the other hand, was diligent but needed time to fully understand.
After hearing Kitahara's explanation, Oguri again displayed extraordinary insight.
"Then I have another question. If it's to get used to being behind, why not use the very back position—the 'Late Surger' style?"
Kitahara had already analyzed this.
"It's actually for a similar reason—to train your mindset," he said with a smile.
"You both haven't competed in an official race yet, so you might not understand just how terrifying it is when someone is chasing you hard from behind."
"Or… Oguri, maybe it's hard for you to imagine with your speed…" Kitahara paused, thinking, and then addressed Belno Light instead.
"Belno, imagine you're running, and Oguri is chasing you at full speed from behind. How would that feel?"
Belno Light instantly understood.
"…P-Please stop! If Oguri is chasing from behind… that speed, that movement… it's terrifying! It's like being chased by a monster!"
"Ah! Sorry, Oguri, I didn't mean you're scary… I mean…" Belno stammered, unsure how to explain.
"Oh, a monster? That sounds pretty strong!"
Oguri surprisingly liked being called a "monster." She nodded, though she looked slightly puzzled.
"Really scary to be chased? I don't fully understand Belno's feeling…"
Kitahara thought for a moment and said, "Imagine you're running toward the cafeteria, and Fujimasa March overtakes you—she'll eat all the food in the cafeteria…"
"Kitahara! Don't say such scary things! No food—I'd die! That's terrifying!"
Without hesitation, Oguri replied seriously. Then she paused thoughtfully.
"Ah, now I get what you mean, Kitahara."
Kitahara smiled.
"Of course, that was just an analogy. In a real race, being chased feels different. But knowing in advance helps a lot mentally."
"I understand," Oguri nodded. "Then for this race, my style will be 'Pace Chaser.'"
Seeing Oguri agree, Kitahara was satisfied and had a realization.
Historically, Oguri Cap's pedigree horses primarily ran "Near-Front" or "Mid-Pack" styles. In the game, Oguri also has A-rank adaptability in both styles.
The reason: her hind legs are strong while her forelegs are relatively weaker, so staying slightly behind saves stamina and allows for explosive speed during the final sprint.
For Oguri Cap, besides Kitahara's reasoning, there's her unique running posture.
Her body is extremely flexible, allowing her to maintain a very low center of gravity, reducing wind resistance without affecting stride length, saving stamina in the early to mid-stages of the race.
If she ran at the very front, she would need complicated skills and experience to maximize her stamina usage, or risk a reckless "Super Frontrunner," which could waste energy.
For a naturally talented, slightly absent-minded horse girl like Oguri, human-designed techniques are less effective than her innate ability. Techniques like "Super Front Runner" would be too risky, so Kitahara didn't want her to take that chance.
"Therefore, barring any unexpected situations, Oguri Cap's future racing style will mainly be 'Pace Chaser' "
Kitahara thought: "In that case, the area that needs the most strengthening is positioning and sprinting at the end—not just in the future, but starting now."
With recent special training and targeted guidance, Oguri Cap was almost fully prepared for the debut race. Once Fujimasa March came out, she could run on the track and check for any remaining gaps.
The wait for Fujimasa March wasn't long—barely over half an hour.
The two horse girls and trainers, both competing in the same debut race, met at the track entrance. The horse girls only exchanged a glance, saying nothing, while the trainers greeted each other briefly.
While testing track adaptability at Kasamatsu Racecourse, Kitahara casually asked Oguri:
"Did you expect to say something to Fujimasa March? But you didn't… Looks like you're confident?"
Oguri's reply was simple:
"Races are for the track. That's how I think. She probably thinks the same."
"You two really have a lot in common, even without saying anything," Kitahara joked, then focused entirely on training Oguri Cap.
The following training days were similar. Everyone was absorbed in practice, and time flew—before they knew it, it was May 19th, the day of Oguri Cap and Fujimasa March's debut race.
Like other tracks, Kasamatsu Racecourse had a resting room for horse girls to prepare, discuss tactics, and go over important points with their trainers. Many participating horse girls were in these rooms discussing race strategies.
Kitahara, however, didn't say anything more to Oguri. He went early to the stands, thinking he had already given all necessary instructions. Any remaining gaps would be Oguri's own in-race experience or his own lack of skill.
Belno Light, watching the race with Kitahara, was uneasy.
"Kitahara, really no more instructions for Oguri? I see other trainers still in the resting room…"
Kitahara casually smiled, scanning the track:
"You've asked this so many times already. What else could I say?"
"Training for mud and dirt, running tactics, race details, even the initial appearance in pre-race presentation, and the final winner's stage—I've told her all of that. I don't think there's anything else to remind her about."