Damn… as expected of a genius trainer, this Naise Fumino…
After hearing Yaeno Muteki explain the Transcendence Team's strategy for this preliminary battle, Kitahara couldn't help but feel a headache rising.
True, Oguri Cap and the five in her group were all extremely talented horsegirls. Looking at the current generation, there were very few who could rival them. With that kind of strength, against most opponents their win rate was guaranteed to be very high; their current majority victories in races were proof enough of that.
But that didn't mean that only those five could be called top-class in this generation. Yaeno Muteki, Sakura Chiyono O, and others stood just as tall at the peak among thousands of contemporaries.
And the problem was—they were all in the Rival Team. When compared one by one, just in terms of raw ability, Eisei's side wasn't guaranteed to win.
Take the four horsegirls about to run in the next race as an example.
Dicta Striker's finishing kick was not inferior to Oguri Cap's. Up to now, all her victories had come from tearing the field apart with that explosive finishing speed, each win secured with massive leads.
Yet in Eisei's own training, Super Creek couldn't even match Oguri Cap in finishing speed. Her victories in practice races relied instead on immense stamina and clever tactics. If that tactic failed to work, and she was forced into head-to-head contests of power and speed, her odds of victory dropped sharply.
And Sakura Chiyono O's plan to lead at a fast pace would force Creek into that very kind of battle of raw strength and speed, effectively erasing her tactical advantage.
Beyond the tactical disadvantage, there was another problem for Creek.
In a parallel reality, Sakura Chiyono O had won the Yayoi Sho with a wire-to-wire escape run—defeating Dicta Striker that way.
If a horsegirl had sufficient ability to run away from the front, the advantages of other running styles were greatly diminished. As long as Sakura Chiyono O established enough distance, no matter how strong Dicta Striker's finishing kick was, it wouldn't catch up. By the time it did, they'd already crossed the finish line.
Escape running was exactly that kind of flashy yet devastating style.
Kitahara couldn't just assume that the Sakura Chiyono O of this world wasn't a runaway master. He could only accept helplessly that the Wakaba Stakes would be the toughest race Creek had ever faced.
"…Chief Kitahara, you… don't look so good. Are you worrying about Creek?"
A sudden voice of concern from Mejiro Ardan snapped Kitahara back to reality. He realized his face felt stiff—probably from too much deep thinking just now. He instinctively turned toward the voice and found not only Ardan but also Kyoko Miyamura and Belno Light, who had come to the viewing hall together, looking worriedly at him.
With them was Maruzensky. She too was watching Kitahara, but unlike the others, the experienced legend seemed to understand what he was thinking.
"Are you worried that Chiyono O's escape pace will be beyond Creek's ability to handle?" she asked after a moment's thought—perfectly voicing what had been in Kitahara's mind.
At those words, Ardan and the others grew even more focused on him. Symboli Rudolf, Yaeno Muteki, Dino Yoshitaka, and Konai Tadashi, who had already been watching, now fixed their gazes even more closely.
It felt like everyone wanted to hear Kitahara's take.
Meanwhile, on the room's giant screen, the broadcast switched to Hanshin Racecourse.
In the live feed, the stands were already cheering, and the commentators announced that the parade ring presentation had begun.
"…That's right. Compared to Chiyono O, Creek doesn't have an advantage in speed. Her strength lies in extraordinary stamina."
After a brief silence, staring at the parade ring where the horses began to appear, Kitahara spoke openly:
"Up to now, her tactics have been very similar to what Yaeno Muteki just said—trying to drag other opponents into her own field of endurance running.
"As long as her opponents entered her specialty zone, victory was not hard to achieve.
"But…"
He glanced at Yaeno Muteki, Yoshitaka, and Tadashi, smiling wryly. "That tactic has been neutralized by Chief Naise in the same way.
"Chiyono O is clearly a master of Front Running. She won't give Creek the chance to employ her tactics. If Creek can't quickly recognize this and adapt, her chances will be slim."
Maruzensky nodded.
"Yes, Chiyono O really is gifted at front-running.
"I remember back at the start of term, I happened to attend one of the freshmen's training sessions and, at the teacher's invitation, demonstrated some running styles.
"That Kouhai seemed very interested in me—after the demonstration she stuck close, later often came to chat at the academy, sent me texts, called me, and even gave me gifts on holidays.
"I still have a stuffed dog she gave me on my desk. She said it looked like me, but honestly it looks more like her. Its name is even 'Sakura Woof King,' which is clearly just her, isn't it?"
"…Oops, got a bit off-topic."
Whether to ease the mood or not, Maruzensky shared some personal anecdotes about Chiyono O, then shrugged with a smile.
"Anyway, I ran alongside her a few times. I can confirm she's not just fast like me—she's truly skilled at leading from the front. She can even handle long escapes."
Kitahara nodded silently. Ardan, Light, and Miyamura grew anxious. Glory, more impulsive, reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
"Then let's quickly tell Creek and Yuzuhara! If we let them know… ah! Wait—" She stopped mid-sentence, drooped her ears, and glanced helplessly at Yaeno Muteki.
"It's already too late… you knew this, didn't you, that's why you said it so openly?"
"Yes."
Yaeno Muteki nodded firmly. "Chief Naise said our tactics were simple. Once Chief Kitahara heard, he would surely find a countermeasure. So she told us to keep it secret.
"But she also said—after the match, it wouldn't matter, especially after the second race, since Chief Kitahara would figure it out anyway. Whether we told or not made no difference.
"Now that Master allowed it and the race is about to begin, I spoke."
"What an obedient girl," Maruzensky said with interest, smiling at Yaeno Muteki.
She was about to say more when Symboli Rudolf, who had been deep in thought, suddenly spoke.
"Then—if you had known about Transcendence's tactic earlier, Chief Kitahara, how would you have responded?
"For example, in this upcoming Wakaba Stakes."
All eyes turned to Kitahara. He didn't hesitate.
"Then we'd go head-to-head."
He said firmly: "Chief Naise's tactic is just stripping tactics away and testing pure strength. Creek does have strength.
"It's true Chiyono O is good at running in the front and likely a bit faster than Creek. But don't forget—Creek's stamina is extraordinary. She's only used it tactically before. Who says she can't use it for speed?"
"Use stamina… for speed?" voices echoed.
Symboli Rudolf reacted fastest. After a moment's puzzlement, her eyes lit up. "Chief Kitahara, you mean… early acceleration?"
"Exactly."
Kitahara nodded coolly, glancing at Rudolf and Maruzensky. Then he explained:
"Normally, most horsegirls accelerate in the last 200 to 400 meters.
"I've watched both your races countless times. Even with your immense strength, both of you accelerated in that zone. President Rudolf, with better stamina, could begin at 400 meters. Vice President Maruzensky, with overwhelming speed, seemed steady throughout, but in truth you accelerated around 200 meters.
"If I recall, in races like the Asahi Hai, Maruzensky even pushed again at 200 meters to ensure the win."
The two legends exchanged a look and nodded together.
"Yes. I usually began to build up speed before the final turn, continuously overtaking. That was when I first felt my Domain," Rudolf said.
"And Maruzensky too, discovering that even with a big lead, accelerating again around 200 meters revealed the Domain's presence."
"Incredible, Chief Kitahara," Rudolf added. "Old footage isn't clear, yet you noticed our timing. Especially Maruzensky's—it fooled many trainers. They thought she either ran at a constant speed or accelerated throughout."
Kitahara wasn't surprised. He'd suspected this long ago. Analyzing old footage was simple enough for him.
"The videos are old, yes, but breaking them down frame by frame, combining finish data and triple-wave data, our team could analyze it. Not difficult."
After that brief explanation, he shifted focus back to Creek.
"With her level of stamina, acceleration isn't limited to 400 meters."
He took a deep breath. "From training and analysis, we can be sure she can accelerate as early as 600 meters from the finish.
"She can even accelerate in mid-race and keep going until the end.
"She has the strength to do it.
"If Oguri Cap has monster finishing speed, then Creek has monster stamina. In that regard, she fully deserves the 'Super' in her name."
As he said this, Kitahara thought not only of Creek but also of two other long-distance kings and their similar tactics: Mejiro McQueen and Gold Ship.
In the 1992 Spring Tenno Sho, McQueen, aiming for a consecutive win, faced Tokai Teio, undefeated in 7 races and a national idol.
Against the number-one favorite Teio, McQueen was the second favorite. The race was called the "Showdown of the Century" and drew immense attention.
In that race, McQueen began a long sprint from the final turn, using her absolute stamina to stay ahead of Teio, ultimately winning by three lengths and becoming the first ever to win consecutive Spring Tenno Sho titles.
Similarly, Gold Ship's "1 vs 15" Arima Kinen was another case of this tactic.
There, after a poor break that left her trailing the field, Gold Ship began a long acceleration 800 meters from the finish, running wide outside. She surged again in the last 100 meters after the slope, pulling away like a warship, and won by 1½ lengths over Blue Ocean, becoming the second gray horse after Oguri Cap to win the Arima Kinen three times.
That was the power of long-distance champions—the ability to maintain endless acceleration, locking in victory while exerting unbearable pressure on opponents.
Rudolf and Maruzensky didn't know McQueen and Gold Ship—one was still a child in elementary division, the other still a little girl nicknamed "Little Gold Ship." Neither had raced yet.
But as seasoned legends, they could understand Kitahara's meaning easily enough.
"In this race, if Creek chooses early acceleration—even just from 600 meters—Chiyono O's chances drop significantly," Maruzensky said first, familiar with both horsegirls from training.
"Because runaway horses fear nothing more than hearing footsteps growing closer. That pressure could easily cause Chiyono O to falter and lose stamina early.
"And Creek has the power to make that happen."
Rudolf agreed. "Yes. Though my habit was to sprint from 400 meters, I felt my opponents' pressure even then, especially as I kept overtaking them.
"It's a pity…" She shook her head with regret. "If Chief Kitahara had realized Chief Naise's strategy earlier, this match wouldn't be so difficult for Creek. But…"
At that, Eisei's members, except Kitahara, went from joy back to gloom.
Ardan and the others had been fired up hearing Kitahara, Rudolf, and Maruzensky talk about Creek's strengths. But they had forgotten that the race was already about to start. No matter the analysis now, they couldn't tell Creek and Yuzuhara at Hanshin anymore.
"…Yes. If only we'd known earlier, her chances would've been much higher…" Light muttered, her excitement fading, her face drooping as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. "Now we can only hope Creek and Yuzuhara notice it themselves."
"Seems that's all we can do…" Miyamura and Ardan exchanged a look and sighed. Ardan turned to ask Kitahara something but saw him staring straight at the screen, so she followed his gaze.
"Ah! We were chatting too long—the Wakaba Stakes is starting already!" she exclaimed.
Instantly, everyone's attention turned to the screen. At the same time, the commentator's excited voice filled the room.
"The spring championship at Nakayama has ended, and in the much-anticipated first clash of 'Eisei vs Transcendence,' Mejiro Ardan takes the first victory!
"Now, the second showdown begins at Hanshin! Entering the gates are Super Creek and Sakura Chiyono O!
"Clearly influenced by the rivalry of the two teams, these two horsegirls are first and second favorites! Their gates are close too—Creek in 3, Chiyono O in 5!
"Both have shown dazzling escape runs before. Will this be a thrilling runaway duel? Let's wait and see!"
At that, Light and the others couldn't help but cry out.
"She mustn't fight Chiyono O for the lead! If she does, she'll be at a disadvantage!" x3
Rudolf and Maruzensky frowned slightly.
"Let's hope Creek, like Chief Kitahara, realizes Chiyono O's strategy. If not…"
Rudolf trailed off, and Maruzensky finished with a furrowed brow: "Then she'll be attacking with her weakness against the enemy's strength. The race… will be very dangerous."
On Trancendence's side, Dino Yoshitaka and Konai Tadashi were silent as ever, eyes locked on Gate 5.
Yaeno Muteki too stared fixedly at that gate, at the figure with soft pink hair.
"Chiyono O…" she murmured.
(End of Chapter)