In the afternoon, after a simple lunch outside, Zhou Tai'an led the two Horse Girls back to Nagoya Racecourse.
"It's 1 o'clock now. You can go to the waiting room, Oguri Cap," he said, looking at his watch and turning to the gray-coated Horse Girl behind him.
"Okay, I'm off!" Oguri Cap nodded and chose to part ways with her teammate and trainer for the time being.
"Go, Oguri!" Brand New Shine waved from the side, cheering for her friend.
Oguri Cap didn't look back, just raised her hand and waved, casually replying, "I will."
"There's absolutely no problem," Zhou Tai'an clenched his fists. "There's no one in this race who can match Oguri Cap. I've thought so since I first saw the entry list."
…
In the stands, Tamamo Cross was already dozing off.
"As expected of a local track. The level is really average. Although I've only just broken my maiden at Central, I feel like if I were to run, I could easily win a 1400-meter race by a huge margin," she thought, squinting and half-asleep, complaining about the level of competition in Nagoya.
If it weren't for her curiosity about today's main event, the eleventh race, the Wakakoma Sho—and her reluctance to waste the ticket money—Tamamo Cross would have already gotten up and left.
"Just two more hours until the race I want to see," Tamamo Cross told herself.
Before the eighth race of the day, the on-site commentator at Nagoya Racecourse loudly introduced the participating Horse Girls for today's main event.
The introductions for the first ten or so Horse Girls were all uninteresting to Tamamo Cross.
Until the commentator got to the last one—
"Gate 12, the only Horse Girl from Kasamatsu in this Wakakoma Sho!"
"Kasamatsu?" Tamamo Cross instantly perked up. "That place seems to be just like my hometown, the countryside of the countryside."
"I can't believe a small country place has a Horse Girl coming to challenge Nagoya. That's gutsy." Her curiosity was piqued.
"Oguri Cap! In her debut race at Kasamatsu Racecourse, on a fast track, she posted a time that would be expected on a yielding track. She has not raced since, resting until now, and has chosen to move up and challenge the Open-class race at Nagoya Racecourse directly. This is an unprecedented path. I'm very curious why Oguri Cap's trainer would make such a bold arrangement."
"It is indeed bold," Tamamo Cross agreed with the commentator.
Although there was an almost insurmountable gap between Central and the local regions, the level of competition also varied greatly from one local region to another.
In the Tokai region, there were only two racecourses, Nagoya and Kasamatsu, each with its own local Tracen Academy. Undoubtedly, the racecourse in Nagoya, the largest city in the Tokai region, was the one with the higher level of competition. Looking at past records, the winning rate for Kasamatsu's Horse Girls who went to challenge races in Nagoya was very low, regardless of the class.
And in the eyes of the audience and experts, Oguri Cap's challenge this time was a reckless act without any basis. Apart from Oguri Cap, all the other local Nagoya Horse Girls had raced two or more times and had much more experience.
For debut-year Horse Girls, learning and understanding racing was a required course. And the best way to learn this course was to participate in more races.
There was also a superstitious angle—Oguri Cap was the only gray-coated Horse Girl on the entry list. Don't forget the superstition, unique to Japan, that "gray-coats can't run fast."
So even though Oguri Cap's finishing time in her Kasamatsu debut was stunning, the experts and audience were not optimistic about her prospects in this race.
At first, Tamamo Cross thought so too. But when she glanced at the tote board and saw that Oguri Cap's name was marked with her gray coat, she changed her mind.
"She's a gray-coat, just like me!" she instantly became energized.
"Everyone says gray-coats can't run fast, but I don't believe it. But since I haven't even broken through the 1-win class at Central yet, I don't really have the standing to refute it," Tamamo Cross stood up from her seat. "So, local gray-coated Horse Girl, can you break the prejudice here?"
Oguri Cap was unaware of Tamamo Cross's thoughts. Right now, she had only one thing on her mind: to win this Wakakoma Sho.
"Only by winning this race can my trainer and I go to Hokkaido and continue to climb to a higher stage," Oguri Cap muttered to herself, sitting alone in a corner of the waiting room.
She scanned her opponents in the room. They were all Horse Girls from Nagoya Tracen Academy. They trained and studied together at the academy, so they were all acquaintances.
"They're no different from everyone at Kasamatsu," Oguri Cap observed coldly. "They're all laughing and chatting before the race. The atmosphere is filled with a sense of camaraderie that I can't fit into."
"Just like at Kasamatsu," she closed her eyes and focused her attention. "Then the result today will also be the same as my debut race at Kasamatsu!"
"I won't lose to any of you!" Oguri Cap stood up and strode out.
At the same time, the staff also reminded the Horse Girls in the waiting room that it was time to check in at the registration office.
After checking in, the parade began as scheduled. Oguri Cap, having drawn the outermost gate, dutifully walked at the back of the line.
Watching the big screen broadcasting the parade, Tamamo Cross's gaze quickly fell on Oguri Cap.
"She really is a gray-coat, just like me," she said, satisfied. "Then for this Wakakoma Sho, I'll be rooting for you!"
…
Carrying the expectations of Zhou Tai'an, Brand New Shine, and Tamamo Cross, Oguri Cap was the last to enter the starting gate.
She no longer paid attention to how her opponents to her right were looking at her, this foreign object that had intruded into their Wakakoma Sho.
"Give my best performance, use everything I've accumulated in training, and I will definitely win!"
"Clack!"
Just as Oguri Cap was silently psyching herself up, the starting gates abruptly opened.
Oguri Cap froze for a split second, then instinctively shot out of the gate.
"Oh no!" Brand New Shine held her head in her hands. "Oguri had a late start!"
"Tsk," Tamamo Cross, who was nearby, shook her head. "A late start in a 1400-meter dirt race? That's going to be hard to make up for."
Zhou Tai'an heard Tamamo Cross's remark and retorted, "Things that other Horse Girls can't do, Oguri Cap can definitely do!"
Tamamo Cross hadn't expected her casual comment to be challenged. Her pride was a little hurt, and she bristled.
She shot Zhou Tai'an a sidelong glance. "You have that much confidence in her?"
"Of course!" Zhou Tai'an thumped his chest righteously. "I am Oguri Cap's trainer! Even if no one else has confidence in her, I believe she can do it!"
"A trainer?" Hearing Zhou Tai'an's reply, Tamamo Cross thought of her own trainer, who had always trusted and encouraged her. Her expression softened. "Then it's not surprising."
"But I still don't think she can do it," she said, not about to change her opinion.
-------
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