The arrangements for the Takarazuka Kinen hadn't changed at all with the arrival of Tokai Teiou and Mejiro McQueen. Kitahara and the other trainers were still helping Tamamo Cross acclimate to the track before the race, though the viewing arrangements had been slightly adjusted.
Previously, the team would generally watch from the front of the track. That spot allowed them to observe the horse girls' performances up close and quickly identify any issues during actual races.
However, today, in order to further put the pre-race Feynman Learning Method into practice—allowing Kogurihimo and others to strengthen their mastery of knowledge by teaching juniors—Kitahara planned to place the horse girls other than Tamamo in the spectator hall.
After completing the final pre-race arrangements with Tamamo in the preparation room, Kitahara assigned Komiyama, Yuzuhara, and other training staff to the spectator seats near the track, while bringing the rest of the team to the Hanshin Racetrack viewing hall.
"You'll watch the race from here today. You won't be disturbed by other spectators."
This plan had been announced in advance, so Oguri and the others showed no surprise. Kitahara continued:
"I'll be at the front watching the race, so I won't be able to see your interactions and communications in real time."
"Therefore, follow what I told you earlier—record your discussions and exchanges during this viewing session."
"Think of it as an assignment. I'll check it later."
According to the plan, the horse girls assigned as senior explainers for the viewing session were Oguri, Creek, Ardan, and Inari One
The ones learning from them were Oguri Roman, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen.
"We have to write an assignment…"
Oguri Cap drooped her ears and scratched her head, looking troubled.
"Do we have to, Kitahara…? School assignments are already painful enough. If we add another one, I don't think I can handle it…"
As a hands-on practical type, she really wasn't good at traditional assignments. Even "training reflection reports" or similar tasks during practice caused her frustration.
If it weren't for classmates and teammates like Tamamo CrossCreek, and Ardan, who were good at these kinds of tasks and often helped her out, she probably would have been in trouble with parents long ago for failing to submit assignments.
In the past, when Kogurihimo struggled like this, Creek and Ardan would smile in an amused yet sympathetic way, then comfort her and promise to help.
This time, even these two top students were troubled.
"Hmm… Kitahara-sensei, if it were a normal assignment, it wouldn't be so bad."
Creek hesitated, glancing at Kogurihimo and then at Kitahara.
"But after learning that study method yesterday, I went back to the dorm to check it out."
"I thought it would be effective and simple, but when I tried it, it wasn't that easy."
"Like what I read online—there are many things we understand ourselves, but explaining them to others is different."
"The way we understand things is in our own mental framework. Explaining it that way to someone else doesn't always work."
"So it's like relearning what we already know, understanding it in simpler, more basic terms, and then teaching it to others."
"But…"
She blushed slightly.
"I tried reviewing my previous knowledge and also chatted with Ardan. I tried teaching her."
"When it comes to starting, turning, sprinting, even basic exertion and running posture, even though Ardan already knew these things, hearing me explain them was different for her."
"It felt strange. Normally, listening to Kitahara-sensei is easy to understand, but explaining ourselves made it seem odd."
As Creek finished speaking, Ardan nodded in agreement, and Kogurihimo became even more worried.
"Don't worry. I never intended for you to immediately master this study method, and for this 'assignment,' you don't even need to write anything down."
Kitahara had already considered her and Ardan's confusion. In fact, when he "assigned the task," he was about to explain the unusual way it should be done—but Oguri had interrupted.
After a brief explanation, he glanced around the viewing hall.
Japanese racetracks generally have nice interiors.
This room had retro wall murals, tall cabinets along the walls with glass display sections containing photos of horse girl events, and storage compartments below.
Tables and high chairs were neatly arranged, each with a vase of flowers and a set of fine tea utensils.
It seemed designed so that spectators could enjoy tea while watching the race comfortably—or relax and chat after an exciting event.
Near the door, next to one cabinet, a few light yellow corrugated cardboard boxes looked slightly out of place.
On top of the boxes was a black package. Kitahara walked over, opened the package, and took out a camera, along with a tripod, power cords, and other accessories.
"See this? For this assignment, you'll use a camera."
He shook the camera, watching the surprised and curious expressions of Kogurihimo and the others.
"You've probably seen some Vlogs, right? Or at least heard of them."
"Don't worry too much about applying the study method perfectly. Treat this as a tea party or a 'watching party.' Eat, drink, and chat."
"Your discussion topics should be about the race. Later, Komiyama and I will review the footage and provide guidance in training."
"Oh, and about snacks and drinks…"
He patted the cardboard boxes under the black package, smiling.
"I borrowed this camera from Hanshin Racetrack. The staff were really friendly. Since they heard our team is racing here, they also gave us lots of snacks."
"Snacks are here; tea and such are in that cabinet…"
Just as he pointed to the cabinet, a cheerful voice and a silver-gray figure suddenly dashed over.
"Ohhh! If there are snacks, Kitahara, you should have said so earlier!"
"Let me see what's tasty… huh, this is…?"
Oguri pushed Kitahara aside eagerly, tore off the tape on a cardboard box, and pulled out a long box the size of a book, half a palm thick.
"Tile cookies?"
She paused, looking at the writing on the box.
"Ah, those? They're really tasty. Tamamo likes them."
Inari Ichi recalled and explained with a smile:
"I heard that tile cookies are a famous snack from Kochi City. They're shaped like castle tiles, hence the name. Handmade with carefully selected ingredients, very delicious. Hanshin also sells them as souvenirs."
"Eh?! Tamamo and Inari have eaten these? That's unfair! Why didn't I get to try?"
Oguri pouted, but quickly smiled.
"It's okay. This time I can try some. There's plenty here… come and get some, or it'll all be mine!"
The team was used to Kogurihimo's love of food, so they just occasionally teased her.
Inari One went to the box and started distributing the snacks.
"Tamamo doesn't love sweets as much as you. She just happened to be from here and feels a connection to these cookies, that's why she likes them."
"She's also frugal, so these snacks aren't cheap. She rarely buys them. When she does, it's mostly for her younger siblings. I just happened to get some when coming to Hanshin for a race with her."
"Crunch… hmm, indeed tasty. Sweet, crispy, and fragrant."
Kogurihimo opened a box and began eating, but looked puzzled.
"Right… Tamamo rarely buys snacks. When she goes out, she buys the minimum. Eh, Inari, what did Tamamo mean when she said this cookie is 'connected' to her?"
"Oh, didn't we say tile cookies are shaped like the tiles of Takamatsu Castle?"
Inari explained, handing out the rest of the snacks.
"That castle is called Takamatsu Castle, located in Tamamo Town. Hence the name, Tamamo Castle. You see? A connection."
"Here, Creek, Ardan, and Oguri Cap, Teio, McQueen, take some too."
The viewing hall quickly became lively. Mejiro McQueen, in particular, had her eyes light up when she heard "sweet." Though she initially stayed calm with her seniors and sister present, she tried hard to resist rushing over.
"Ahem… Since these are desserts, it's best with black tea. I'll prepare it for everyone."
She went to the cabinet, rummaging through the storage area for tea.
Kitahara didn't feel ignored. Smiling, he set up the camera in the corner, turned it on, and calibrated it before heading out.
"I'll go watch the race from the front. Don't just eat—talk about your thoughts on today's race."
"Not just the Takarazuka Kinen; discuss previous races too."
"Oguri, Teio, McQueen, the knowledge you learned at school differs from real races. You'll understand these differences more once you're on the track, but starting early with seniors will help."
"Just discuss among yourselves. We'll make further arrangements based on the footage later."
After this, he left. Kohaiwan and Ardan replied briefly, while Kogurihimo, busy distributing snacks, finally realized:
"Huh? Kitahara didn't take any cookies… he left."
She scratched her head, then relaxed.
"Crunch… I'll buy some for Kitahara later. They're really good. Also for Dicta and the others, to give during class… crunch crunch…"
Not just her—once Mejiro McQueen brewed black tea, the hall was soon filled with crunching sounds.
Sunlight poured through the windows, illuminating horse girls sitting around tables, nibbling snacks, and sipping steaming tea—like a leisurely afternoon tea.
Even while enjoying themselves, they didn't forget the main purpose.
"Hehe, senpais! Look!"
Grinning proudly, Tokai Teio, after nibbling some cookies, pulled out newspapers and flyers from the chair's back.
"I found some reports and race schedules in the cabinet."
"I've seen horse girl newspapers and watched races before, but this is the first time receiving guidance from seniors."
"Hmm… who wants to start? What should we pay attention to in today's race?"
She laid out the papers and thought:
"Or, if I were racing today, how should I run?"
Her enthusiasm caught Kogurihimo's attention. Without hesitation, Oguri shook her head.
"It's better not to run."
Her blunt answer froze Tokai Teio's smile. Oguri, oblivious, continued seriously:
"Teio, you have great talent, but you're still too young. In any race today, you won't have much chance of winning."
"So to avoid losing badly and feeling too sad, it's better if you don't race today."
"No, wait a minute…
Senpai, aren't you being a bit too blunt…?"
The room immediately fell into silence. The other horse girls were left speechless at Oguri's straightforward words.
"…Ahem, what Oguri said isn't exactly wrong, but I think what Teio really wants to know is about the Hanshin track, right?"
After a brief moment of awkwardness, Creek stepped in first, showing her understanding and trying to ease the atmosphere in the room.
"Well… let's see. Right, when Mr. Kitahara, Creek-senpai, and Yuzuhara-san used to analyze races, they also started from the track itself."
"Why don't we explain it the same way to Little Oguri, Teio, and McQueen?"
"Oh, I remember the track," Oguri replied enthusiastically, still unaware that what she had just said might be a bit problematic.
"If it were Kitahara explaining it, let me see… ah, it would probably go like this, ahem."
After clearing her throat twice, she began imitating her trainer's usual tone.
"Takarazuka Kinen, Hanshin inner turf, 2200 meters. The start is on the right side of the spectator stands near the exit of the fourth turn. The finish line is about 200 meters straight ahead of the starting point."
"For normal strategies, the first 200 meters after the gate is a gentle downhill. It's easy to accelerate here, so you need to be careful with your competitors' speeds—don't let them get too far ahead."
"After these 200 meters comes the famous steep uphill at Hanshin. The height difference isn't huge, only about 90 meters, but it requires increased power, and your stride frequency will also go up."
"Most horse girls maintain their uphill stride speed through the first and second turns. The key here is to avoid being left behind."
"The subsequent straight is about 356 meters. On other tracks, position adjustments are often done here, but at the Takarazuka Kinen, it's better not to do that."
"Because the final turn of the Takarazuka Kinen is downhill, which helps acceleration, making position adjustments here is most energy-efficient, especially for chasing or drafting horses."
"However, using too much energy for these adjustments can backfire: after the final turn, you'll face another uphill and may run out of stamina, making it hard to maintain speed."
"Hmm… that's roughly it."
After reciting all that, she nodded instinctively, then looked excitedly at her teammates and juniors.
"How was that? Did I sound like Kitahara-sensei?"
The room fell silent again, but this time for a slightly different reason.
"Impressive, Oguri…" Creek said, feeling a bit awed. "I can remember Kitahara-sensei's analyses and arrangements, but memorizing them almost verbatim like you did… I really couldn't."
As Ardan had said, Oguri had just completely repeated the instructions Kitahara had given to Tamamo Cross yesterday and today in the pre-race preparation room. Or rather, memorized them.
What she said was almost exactly what Kitahara had instructed Tamamo Cross.
"Eh, Creek, you can't do that?" Oguri looked surprised. "Your memory should be way better than mine, right?"
"I think Kitahara-sensei's race arrangements are easy to remember, especially after running on the track. They stick easily," she added.
"Aren't you like that?"
"…Not at all. I can remember the key points, like the steep uphill, when to switch positions, and when to accelerate…" Inari sighed with admiration.
"But remembering Kitahara-sensei's exact words? Honestly, I think only you could do that."
"And it's weird—Oguri, why don't you have this kind of memory in Japanese class?"
"I remember it used to take you days just to memorize a text, right? And you still might not get it perfectly."
"Even if you're skilled at practical things, you shouldn't be so good at memorizing things in such strange contexts!"
"I… I don't know," Oguri admitted. "I just feel these things are easy to remember because they're easy to understand."
"Easy to understand…?" Ardan's expression shifted; she thought for a moment.
"To be honest, I'm surprised you could remember Kitahara-sensei's words so clearly, but…"
"By repeating his words exactly, is that really teaching Little Oguri and the others?"
"It seems Kitahara-sensei meant for us to explain it in our own words, right?"
"Just like you said, remembering his words is one thing, but truly understanding it yourself is different from just repeating them."
"In your own words?"
Oguri paused, thought quickly for a moment, then smiled confidently.
"I think what I'm thinking is the same as Kitahara-sensei."
"For example, if I were running the Takarazuka Kinen, then at the gate I'd just go 'Ha!' and dash out."
"At the first uphill, I'd go 'Hehehe!' all the way up in one breath."
"The next two turns and the straight don't change much; just go 'shush-shush-shush' through them."
"At the final downhill turn for positioning, I'd 'whoosh' to the front."
"Then on the straight and the next uphill, I'd have to push harder than before and 'heh-ha!' accelerate suddenly."
"Finally, the finish line—just go for it, nothing else to think about, and 'whoosh!'—done."
"See? My thoughts are basically the same as Kitahara-sensei's, right?"
Completely different!
In their minds, Creek and Ardan exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of amusement and disbelief.
"See, if you ignore Oguri repeating Kitahara-sensei's words, her own understanding is indeed different from what Ardan and I went through last night."
After the initial amusement, Creek pondered.
"When Ardan and I were teaching each other about the Takarazuka Kinen, we were like Oguri Cap now."
"We could roughly recite what Kitahara-sensei said, though not as perfectly as Oguri, but the key points were there."
"But when it came to explaining it in our own words, there were differences."
"Like Oguri's 'shush-shush-shush' and 'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh'—very vivid, but a bit different in understanding."
"Hmm… ah, I know how to ask." Creek's expression brightened as she looked at Little Oguri and the others.
"Can you understand what Oguri meant when she described it in her own way just now?"
Simultaneously, Teio and McQueen smiled awkwardly, hesitated, and shook their heads.
"Sorry, Senpai… I really didn't understand that…" Teio said, embarrassed.
Like her friend, McQueen shook her head, but quickly tried to cheer up.
"Even though I didn't really get it… Haha, your description, Senpai, was still very vivid."
"Like watching the race up close, ha-ha…"
"Uh… McQueen, your awkward consolation is actually worse than none…" Teio muttered under her breath.
McQueen, already feeling embarrassed by her own explanation, wanted to disappear into a hole upon hearing Teio.
"…I really didn't get it, but it's okay. I think I have an idea."
As a horse girl, Creek's hearing was excellent; she caught the quiet exchange between Teio and McQueen.
Pretending not to hear, she turned to Oguri and changed the topic.
"If I remember correctly, when you said 'Ha!' at the gate, you meant to push out harder than usual, right?"
"Ah? Yes, Kitahara didn't say that?"
Oguri froze for a moment and instinctively said:
"After the gate, the first 200 meters is a gentle downhill, so we should be faster than on flat ground, right?"
"Then pushing harder out of the gate makes it easier to get a good position. And if you're faster than your opponents, it doesn't really matter how fast they go."
"…Eh? Listening to that, Oguri, you really are thinking the same as Kitahara-sensei."
As soon as Xiao Li finished speaking, Ardan's eyes lit up. She looked at Creek.
"I see now, Creek, you wanted Oguri to explain why she analyzed her race that way. Or, why she thought that after hearing Kitahara-sensei's analysis."
Before Ardan said this, Inari and Oguri and others were a bit confused, but now they all nodded in understanding.
"Yes, that's exactly what I intended," Creek said with a smile.
"Fortunately, Oguri's memory is special. She's slow at memorizing class texts or English words, but she remembers race arrangements perfectly."
"I think my learning and memory aren't bad, but I couldn't memorize race instructions like Oguri."
"If I'm not mistaken, Kitahara-sensei only said the Takarazuka Kinen arrangement a few times, and Oguri memorized it completely. I really couldn't do that."
"And Ardan, I guess you couldn't either?"
Without hesitation, Ardan nodded.
"This kind of thing requires talent," she said, looking at Oguri with admiration. "It seems Oguri's talent isn't in school learning but on the track."
"As long as the content is suitable, even seemingly boring things can be memorized instantly."
"Boring things… you mean Kitahara-sensei's usual analysis?" Oguri asked. Seeing Creek and Ardan nod, she drooped her ears.
"I think those analyses are easy to remember."
"Texts and English words… that's truly hard."
"In Europe, I could practice English with Moonlight Lunacy and felt my skills improved. But after returning, I couldn't find anyone to practice with. Creek and Ardan are good at English, but during training I forgot, and after training, other things came up, so I remembered even less."
"I feel my English has declined a lot. It's really annoying…"
"Ah, Senpai wants to practice English?" Teio immediately volunteered, patting her chest. "My English is okay. If you don't mind, I can practice anytime with you!"
"Me too!" McQueen added quickly. "My English isn't worse than Teio's, so practicing with Senpai together should help us improve faster."
"And since you've been explaining races to us, this is a perfect way to return the favor."
"You guys… thanks so much. Really… oh right, how do you say 'thanks so much' in English…"
Oguri got excited, thought quickly, and then brightened.
"Thank you! Very thank you, Teio, McQueen!"
…Senior, you got their names right, but there's no "very thank you" in English. "Thank you very much" is correct…
At this level of English, how are they supposed to practice…
Teio and McQueen mentally groaned at the thought of their upcoming "practice sessions."
Oguri had no idea about their worries. Creek and Ardan watched and secretly laughed.
Having practiced English in Europe together, they knew how much trouble Oguri's spoken English had caused Moonlight Lunacy.
After quietly laughing, Creek thought that after the race she'd discuss with Ardan how to properly help Oguri improve her English during the next training camp.
Then she returned to discussing the race.
"In any case, since Oguri memorized Kitahara-sensei's instructions verbatim, we can compare her own expression with the original and review the key points of the Takarazuka Kinen."
"Earlier, we talked about the start. Next is the first uphill."
Oguri understood Creek's idea and, without waiting to be asked, said instinctively:
"For the uphill, you go 'hehehe' all the way up."
"Isn't that how we usually practice?"
Responding to her, it wasn't Creek but Ardan. While listening to the previous dialogue, she had been thinking about training and race arrangements, and now she realized what Oguri meant by "hehehe."
"It's a high-frequency, small-stride uphill form."
Looking at Little Oguri, Ardan explained:
"Back in Europe, Little Oguri also participated in this kind of special training, right?"
Seeing Little Oguri nod, Ardan looked at Teio and McQueen, who were deep in thought.
"But at school, you don't get track-specific training."
"I'm not saying there's no uphill training at all, but it's not tailored to a specific track, like the Yasen track we ran before, or the Hanshin track Oguri will run this time."
"Theoretically, to maintain a high pace on an uphill, you need more power to push forward."
"But this increases heart rate, breathing, and alters stride rhythm, and more importantly, consumes a lot of energy."
"After the slope, it's hard to get back to cruising pace."
"So on an uphill, the focus isn't on pace stability, but on keeping heart rate, breathing, and stride rhythm stable."
"And small, high-frequency steps help ensure this."
She raised her palm slightly forward. "Lean forward a bit, adjust your center of gravity. Use your forefoot to push off the ground, overcoming gravity, moving up and forward. High-frequency steps help go uphill, and small strides save energy."
"Does that make sense?"
Teio and McQueen thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Hmm, it feels similar to classroom basics, but in a real race, it must be more complicated, right?" Teio asked.
"Senpai just mentioned track-specific training. That means adjusting stride and frequency for the track, right?" McQueen added.
"Yes, you both are quick to grasp that."
Ardan nodded with satisfaction, feeling a sense of accomplishment seeing the two horse girls start to understand.
"Many principles of racing knowledge and skills are taught in class, but track conditions cannot be taught there."
She pointed to the track outside the window.
"Every track is different. On a slope, gradient, length, and surface conditions vary."
"With weather changes, even the same track may have different conditions."
"Every horse girl is different too."
"This requires trainers to guide each of us to find the optimal frequency and stride for each track."
"Then we train the basics and make track-specific adjustments before the actual race."
"For example, Oguri Cap can 'hehehe' all the way up in one breath because her stride is long, her posture is unique, her center of gravity is low, and her grip is stable."
"For Tamamo, her stride is smaller, so she needs better balance to 'hehehehehe' up the slope."
"Meaning her stride frequency needs to be faster."
Ardan mimicked Oguri's onomatopoeic style, smiling, then asked:
"This way of explaining is quite interesting… you all understand now, right?"
Seeing Little Oguri and the others nod, Ardan felt a strong sense of accomplishment and smiled even more.
"Kitahara-sensei's learning method is really interesting. Explaining it just now, I feel I understand our running habits better. And seeing them understand is really satisfying."
"Creek, Oguri, Inari, do you want to try it?"
"Yes! I want to try!"
Before the others responded, Inari eagerly leaned in.
"Well, I think I get it too. Oguri's 'whoosh-whoosh' and 'shush-shush' describe her habitual running style."
She gestured:
"At the gate and on the uphill, her strength allows her to go all out in one breath."
"For the next two turns, 'shush-shush-shush' means she doesn't need changes there, and too many adjustments aren't suitable."
"Her power is stronger than most horse girls. To adjust position, the only options are to overtake on the outside or change lanes at high speed."
"These two methods both consume a lot of stamina, so they're not suitable for the early or middle parts of the race. You can just run normally."
"In that case, it's the same as me. If it were me in that position, I'd make the same choice."
She spoke thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly shook her head.
"But for the downhill position fight, I can't do it like her."
"That 'swoosh' forward, then a sudden burst of speed—she's using the 'ultra-high-speed lane change' technique there."
"We've all learned that technique, but it requires a certain amount of strength and body weight."
"If we compare our strength, I'm not much weaker than Oguri, but she is much heavier than me."
"What did Uncle Kitahara say again? Something about… center of gravity, inertia, gravity, centrifugal force… whatever…"
"Ah, whatever! Headache…"
"In short, for Oguri, from the final turn to the straight, she can use the ultra-high-speed lane change to secure a good position."
"As for the last 'swoosh'… well…"
Inari paused slightly, glancing at Oguri Cap and the others. Her eyes lingered on Ardan and Creek.
"Uh… should we tell them?"
She was, of course, referring to the "field," and if it had been at the time they first learned about it, neither she, Ardan, nor Creek would have hesitated to mention it—they would have said it naturally.
They all wanted to ensure that whether for themselves or other racehorses, everyone could harness the gift of the Three Goddesses and run freely on any track they wished.
But as Kitahara and the others explained the field in more detail—especially after Rudolf's symbolic reminder—they understood that sometimes, even with good intentions, you might not handle things correctly.
Inari hesitated now because she roughly understood that once a racehorse gril mastered the field, they would only think about how to maximize its use.
For instance, during the Epsom exchange race, they saw through Tony Bianca and Moonlight Lunacy that the field could be used in segments. This is exactly what Tamamo Cross would practice mastering after the Takarazuka Kinen and the Takamatsunomiya Kinen.
But Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, and Oguri Roman were different. The latter practiced every day at Eisei, so she understood the field well, but the first two might know nothing.
The field is a powerful ability, and even if the Eisei horse gir haven't fully mastered it, they can still perform exceptionally on the track.
For any racehorse, this is a huge attraction. Given that, mentioning the field to Teio and McQueen prematurely might make them overly focused on it, affecting other areas of learning.
This is why Kitahara and Komiyama's earlier plans didn't explicitly mention the field in front of the two.
During everyday training, the Eisei racehorses' teamwork is extraordinary. Ardan and Creek quickly guessed what Inagi was thinking from her eyes and expressions.
"Hmm… did you all understand what Senpai Inari just said?"
She first looked at Oguri Roman and the others, then focused on Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen. Creek said, "I mean, except for the last part. The part about centrifugal force, gravity, inertia—we'll explain that later."
"The rest should be understandable, right?"
"Yeah, the rest is fine!"
Teio nodded, though a bit puzzled. "Regular cornering and straight-line handling, we've learned that in class. But the detailed points Senpai Inari mentioned, the teachers never taught."
"It seems really necessary to hear from senior racehorses' experiences!"
McQueen nodded as well. Inagi's face showed satisfaction, and Kohaku smiled.
"That's good. The explanation for the final part of the track is a bit tricky—let's leave that to Mr. Kitahara later."
Wanting to leave the field explanation to Kitahara, Creek smoothly changed the topic and said with a smile:
"I'll give a brief explanation about gravity and such…"
The explanation with Oguri went very smoothly.
Thanks to Oguri's unusual memory, the other racehorses quickly grasped the trainers' original words.
With Creek and Ardan's excellent learning ability, even if Kokurihime's personal interpretations were a bit odd, they could integrate everything and organize the knowledge and techniques clearly.
Especially after discussing Tamamo Cross's upcoming Takarazuka Kinen, as previous races unfolded, Oguri and the others could try imitating Kitahara's usual analysis approach and share their own understanding with Oguri Roman, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen.
This process continued until just before the main event at Hanshin, the Takarazuka Kinen.
"Hmm… explaining to the younger Oguri feels different from what I usually think."
Having rarely spoken for this long, Oguri felt a bit thirsty. Except at the very start, she hadn't really had any snacks, only tea to soothe her throat.
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of black tea, and gazed toward the track.
"I wonder if the Takarazuka Kinen will also feel different from usual…"
Her eyes scanned the track as she whispered.
Near the parade ring by the track, 13 horsegirls were walking toward the starting gates.
The parade segment had ended, and the broadcast in the stadium and observation hall already carried the announcer's encouraging declaration: the race is about to begin.
Next to Oguri were Creek and the others.
In the room, there was a rear-projection TV—they had been watching the pre-Takarazuka Kinen coverage on it.
But now, as their companions were about to compete, they couldn't help moving to the window to see with their own eyes.
After the long analysis earlier, they increasingly realized that watching the race from outside the trainer or participant perspective completely changed their mindset.
Through explaining and analyzing with Teio and the others, Oguri and her friends sensed that Tamamo Cross faced pressures they hadn't noticed before.
"…I'm still surprised. Tamamo Cross just won the Tenno Sho (Spring)—that's a G1, a top-level G1…"
Inari furrowed her brow. "But her popularity this time isn't first…?"
Indeed, the commentary had clearly stated that in today's Takarazuka Kinen popularity vote, Tamamo Cross was second.
The most popular was Tokai Teio, emphasized before the race.
"…It's not that hard to understand."
Kohaku frowned slightly as she tried to reason. "Mr. Kitahara said that sometimes it's not about who has won more races—popularity and odds aren't always determined that way."
"Tamamo Cross has had many victories. Her most recent was the Tenno Sho (Spring), a major race."
"But her victories have mostly been in long-distance races. Tenno Sho (Spring) 3200m, Hanshin Daishoten 3000m, Naruo Kinen 2500m…"
(Naruo Kinen then was held in December, not June, and the distance was 2500m, long rather than mid-distance.)
Creek's point was clear: Tamamo Cross dominates in long-distance races. She's competed in mid-distance races, but the weight of those wins isn't comparable to G1/G2s like Tenno Sho (Spring) or Hanshin Daishoten.
Her rival, Akitsu Teio, has victories in mid-distance races: Tenno Sho (Autumn) 2000m, Mile Championship 1600m, Hakodate Kinen 2000m.
In the first two races, she beat the second-place horse by a total of 5 lengths, and in Hakodate Kinen, she set a new record.
Such a competitor is clearly stronger in mid-distance races. So it's understandable that Tamamo Cross is second in popularity for now.
Before today's explanation for the younger ones, Oguri and the others probably wouldn't have noticed this.
Race arrangements, opponent analysis, advantages and disadvantages—all these are the work of Kitahara, Komiyama, and Yuzuhara. At most, Kyoko Miyamura or belno Light might offer suggestions from medical or technical perspectives.
It's not that Oguri and her friends wouldn't consider these things, but their usual "considerations" were more based on race intuition and experience. An analysis from the trainer's perspective—today was the first time they really did that.
Thus, they couldn't help but worry: how would Tamamo Cross face a mid-distance expert like Akitsu Teio?
They also tried to consider which of Kitahara's arrangements could ensure their companion could beat such an opponent.
But they hadn't practiced such analysis before. They could recall some of the trainers' words, and Oguri could recite most of them, but in the rush, the key points didn't immediately come to mind.
"…Let's just watch the race as usual first. After seeing Kitahara's arrangements, we can properly consult him."
Looking at the competitors getting ready in the gates, Ardan's gaze lingered slightly on the outer lane, noting the small silver figure. He furrowed his brow subtly.
The outer lane… Kitahara mentioned it was a bit special in Takarazuka Kinen… where exactly, though…
Though puzzled, she reassured her companions, left the window, returned indoors, and turned up the TV and broadcast volume.
"Perhaps this race experience is exactly what Mr. Kitahara wants us to feel."
"Everyone, come watch—TV gives a clearer view than the window."
As she finished speaking, the announcer's voice rose in excitement from the TV.
"The 13 Takarazuka Kinen participants, selected by thousands of fans' votes, are ready!"
"All the horsegirls have entered the gates!"
"Now, the Takarazuka Kinen, G1 turf, 2200 meters…"
"Start!"
(End of Chapter)