Just like in the dream world, Oguri Cap drew the number 5 gate in this debut race, while Fujimasa March drew the number 1 gate.
When Zhou Tai'an and Brand New Shine arrived at the spectator stands, they easily spotted Kitahara.
But he didn't walk over to watch the race with his friend as he usually would. He just gave a simple wave as a greeting.
After all, the Horse Girls they were in charge of were about to face off in this local race. If they watched together, it would be awkward for either of them to celebrate wildly, no matter who won.
"Trainer seems very nervous," Brand New Shine, standing to Zhou Tai'an's left, broke the silence.
Zhou Tai'an stared intently at the starting gates and replied, "The outcome of this race is very important. It will decide Oguri Cap's future race schedule. Only if she wins this one will I arrange for her to go to Nagoya and challenge the Horse Girls there."
"But more than the result of the race, there's something else I'm more concerned about."
The young man's addition piqued the chestnut-haired Horse Girl's curiosity. "Something you're more concerned about than winning?"
"I gave you both race tactics," Zhou Tai'an glanced at Brand New Shine. "I hope Oguri Cap can seriously execute the tactics I arranged before the race. And you too, later."
"Break from the gate, grab the lead, and run away with it. It's such a simple tactic, I won't forget," Brand New Shine stuck out her tongue. "Oguri's tactic requires her to mark Fujimasa March-san after the break. That's what you're most concerned about, right, Trainer?"
Zhou Tai'an didn't explain further, just gave a barely perceptible shake of his head.
…
On the track, Oguri Cap, as the number 5 Horse Girl, entered the starting gate third with the help of the staff.
In the daily training in April, Zhou Tai'an had specifically trained Oguri Cap on entering and breaking from the gate from the very beginning. Her performance had been very good, so the young trainer on the sidelines wasn't worried about her having any problems in this area.
Watching his Horse Girl obediently enter the gate, Zhou Tai'an's heart tightened.
It was completely different from when he was on the West Coast of America.
"Even though the Horse Girl I was in charge of as an intern trainer was challenging a G1, the pressure I felt was nowhere near this."
Zhou Tai'an knew exactly why this abnormal reaction was occurring. Oguri Cap was, after all, the first debuting Horse Girl he had independently trained.
"I hope to start my career as a trainer with a victory," he murmured.
"Ding~~~~~" The bell rang, and the gates flew open.
Under Zhou Tai'an's watchful gaze, Oguri Cap shot out of the gate like an arrow released from a bow...
...and then began to decelerate at an exaggerated rate.
"You've got to be kidding me?!" Zhou Tai'an almost jumped over the railing to rush to Oguri Cap's side. But just as he was about to act, Brand New Shine grabbed him.
"Oguri is fine! It's Fujimasa March-san who had a late start!" the chestnut-haired Horse Girl quickly reminded her trainer to prevent any chaos.
"You're right." Zhou Tai'an came to his senses, shifting some of his attention to Fujimasa March. "A late start... How did Kitahara train her? A late start is fatal for a front-runner."
On Kitahara's side, he bit his lip. "Maybe I shouldn't have told Fujimasa March about the bet with Tai'an-san? It feels like she's under a lot of pressure after I told her."
But the most agitated person at Kasamatsu Racecourse right now was Fujimasa March.
After the late start, realizing the trouble she was in, she immediately accelerated, wanting to use her advantage on the inside rail to take back the lead. But just as she started to pick up speed, she caught a glimpse of the gray-coated Horse Girl with the number 5 saddlecloth looking at her while decelerating—as if she was waiting for Fujimasa March to accelerate past her.
"Damn it!" Fujimasa March, of course, knew who number 5 was. Her trainer had told her before the race that number 5's trainer had made a bet with him for a kaiseki dinner.
"You see me get a late start, and instead of pulling away, you slow down and wait for me?" Fujimasa March gritted her teeth, her body tensing as she took one angry step after another. "Who do you think you're looking down on?! You're too arrogant!"
Oguri Cap, noticing Fujimasa March seemed a bit angry, blinked in confusion. "Trainer told me to stick behind her and keep the gap close. I just did what he said. Why does she look so furious?"
The gray-coated Horse Girl couldn't figure it out, so she decided not to dwell on it.
Because in that short time, Fujimasa March, having retaken the lead, had already entered the turn.
"Trainer's instruction is to create space for acceleration on the turn, and then use my explosive power to overtake her on the final straight," Oguri Cap repeated Zhou Tai'an's plan in her mind.
Although Oguri Cap believed she had enough stamina to overtake Fujimasa March on the turn, she still planned to obediently follow her trainer's instructions.
"I trust Trainer's plan. He must have his reasons," Oguri Cap told herself.
Although she had only been on the team for a little over a month, she already had a great deal of faith in Zhou Tai'an.
Even though her training was different from the other Horse Girls at the academy, Oguri Cap could clearly feel herself improving every day, and that was more important than anything else.
So, running in second place, she immediately drifted slightly outwards as she entered the turn, creating distance between herself and Fujimasa March.
"Didn't Tai'an-san train Oguri Cap to resist centrifugal force?" In the stands, Kitahara frowned. "That can't be right... Although no one at the academy does it, Tai'an-san is a top student from America. I was hoping to learn a thing or two from Oguri Cap's performance, but it turns out he hasn't done any training in this area?"
He was a little disappointed.
Meanwhile, Brand New Shine heard her trainer let out a long sigh.
"Hah... Oguri Cap is really following my instructions," Zhou Tai'an said with a smile.
In his eyes, the result of this race was... still very important, but the patience Oguri Cap displayed in the race was something he valued even more.
She would never run another 800-meter race after winning this one. She could sprint all out in this super-sprint, but could Zhou Tai'an have her sprint all out for a 1600-meter, 2000-meter, or even a 2400-meter race in the future?
"Don't be ridiculous," he muttered to himself.
Forget Zhou Tai'an; even that group of "doping gods" from the West Coast couldn't pull that off.
-------
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