Fujimasa March, looking back while navigating the turn, immediately spotted Oguri Cap pulling away to the outside.
She didn't understand Oguri Cap's move.
"Isn't running wide just a waste of energy? What is she thinking?" the gray-coated Horse Girl in the lead wondered.
The turn at Kasamatsu was short, only a little over 200 meters, and the effect of centrifugal force was quite noticeable. Therefore, Fujimasa March quickly refocused on her own race.
"Whatever. I just need to lead all the way and maintain my advantage to the end!" she told herself.
On the sidelines, Kitahara watched his Horse Girl stop paying attention to Oguri Cap and instead focus on running forward. His heart, which should have been relieved, felt a strange pang.
"Although Fujimasa March is in an ideal state right now, why do I have this feeling that I can't ignore Oguri Cap?" he scratched his head, unable to find an answer.
Kitahara inadvertently glanced at Zhou Tai'an not far away and saw his colleague talking to his other Horse Girl.
"Tai'an-san doesn't look worried at all... Did he prepare some secret weapon?" He grew more nervous. "I wonder if Fujimasa March can hold on until the end."
At this moment, Kitahara felt a tinge of regret. "I should have prepared some trump cards for Fujimasa March."
But even if he had, he wouldn't have known what to prepare.
"I still have a lot to learn... I should buy more books and read up after this," Kitahara made a mental note.
…
Although Oguri Cap had drifted wide on the turn, leaving a huge gap on the inside, no opponent was able to take advantage of it.
On one hand, the Horse Girls at Kasamatsu really didn't know how to fight against centrifugal force. On the other hand, anyone who wasn't blind could see that the sand on the inside was much thicker than on the outside.
In a dirt race, thicker sand meant slower running speed. The participating Horse Girls were aware of this basic knowledge.
Of course, positioning in a race wasn't set in stone. Zhou Tai'an knew this well, but the opponents Oguri Cap was facing now, and the race she was in, didn't require those kinds of advanced tactics yet.
"I need to slowly add these things to the agenda," he muttered to himself, his eyes never leaving Oguri Cap for a second.
As she was about to exit the turn and enter the final straight for the sprint, Fujimasa March's body involuntarily drifted outwards.
Not wanting to waste extra energy, she simply went with the flow and drifted wide.
"I see!" After just a few strides, Fujimasa March immediately understood why Oguri Cap, who was behind and to her side on the turn, had pulled away.
"She knew I would unintentionally drift wide when coming out of the turn, so she created distance to avoid having her sprint hindered by me!"
She turned her head to the left, and Oguri Cap's figure came into view.
In a split second, Fujimasa March made a judgment: "I can't block her sprint!"
So the gray-coated front-runner abandoned her plan to block. "Then let's compete with our finishing kicks!"
Although Fujimasa March had adopted a leading strategy for this race, the total distance was only 800 meters, so the stamina she had used so far wouldn't have much of an impact on her explosive power.
"In a super-sprint like this, once you take the lead, the Horse Girls behind you won't be able to catch up!" This was Kitahara's theory, and also Fujimasa March's thought.
"When it comes to explosive power, I won't lose either!" With this thought, Fujimasa March lowered her center of gravity, her upper body almost parallel to the ground, and shot forward like an arrow, piercing the air as she sprinted towards the finish line 200 meters away.
"So fast!" Brand New Shine couldn't help but cry out when she saw Fujimasa March start her sprint.
"Can Oguri catch up?" She clenched her fists, secretly worrying for her friend.
"Oguri Cap will be fine," Zhou Tai'an said, seeing Brand New Shine's worry, to comfort her. "When it comes to explosive power, no Horse Girl in the entire Kasamatsu Tracen Academy has trained more than you two."
"Our weekly shrine slope practice wasn't for nothing," he added.
In this land of Kasamatsu, most of the registered Horse Girls were of mediocre talent. Oguri Cap, a standout talent, had also put in more sweat than her rivals at the academy. If she still couldn't win, then that would be something Zhou Tai'an couldn't understand.
…
Oguri Cap was the first to notice Fujimasa March start her sprint, and the first to react.
"I should start my sprint too," she reminded herself.
Although Zhou Tai'an hadn't taught Oguri Cap what kind of gait and rhythm to maintain during a sprint, she had her own instincts—
"Tense the muscles, lengthen the stride, use the whole body's strength to swing the legs. Because the friction on this track is low, to get a good push-off, I need to use my ankles. After my feet land, I'll spring forward, trying my best to use all my strength to sprint ahead."
With the explosive power enhanced by her talent and the unique slope training at Kasamatsu, Oguri Cap was neck and neck with Fujimasa March 100 meters from the finish line.
"How can this be?!" Fujimasa March thought she was already giving it her all, but in her peripheral vision, Oguri Cap's figure was getting clearer and clearer. "My goal is to conquer the Tokai Derby! How can I lose to another Horse Girl in my debut race!"
She gave it everything she had, even trying to wring out every last bit of latent energy in her body to maintain her precarious lead.
In contrast, Oguri Cap felt more and more at ease as she ran.
"Trainer's training is really effective. Both the slope and the chasing practice with Brand New Shine... Everything I learned in training is being applied in today's race." She was only grateful to Zhou Tai'an at this moment. "I wonder if Mom is listening to the broadcast of this race."
She glanced at Fujimasa March to her right, who was gradually being overtaken. "Mom, please wait just a little longer! I'm about to win the race!"
The next second, Oguri Cap accelerated again.
"Trainer said we're going to take down Central together! We won't be stuck in a race like this!" Her expression became fierce, all her energy channeled into swinging her legs and supporting her ankles for the push-off.
"Overtake her! Overtake her!" Zhou Tai'an pumped his fist in the spectator stands. "Oguri Cap! Now! Pass her! Take our first victory!"
"Oguri Cap! Crosses the line!" Just as he finished speaking, the on-site commentator at Kasamatsu Racecourse shouted.
"0:49.8." The time of the winner of this race was displayed on the tote board.
-------
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