As in the Dream World, Oguri Cap was assigned Gate 5 in her debut race, while Fujimasa March took Gate 1.
When Shuta An and Berno Light arrived at the spectator stands beside the track, they immediately spotted Kitahara among the crowd. Yet he did not come over to watch the race with his friend as usual—he simply waved in acknowledgment.
After all, the Racehorse Girls they were each responsible for were about to compete in this local race. Watching together would only make it awkward to celebrate freely, no matter who won.
"Trainer seems very nervous," Berno Light said, breaking the silence as she stood to Shuta An's left.
Shuta An's eyes remained fixed on the starting gates. "The outcome of this race is very important," he replied. "It will determine Oguri Cap's future schedule. Only if she wins will I arrange for her to challenge the Racehorse Girls in Nagoya."
He paused. "But more than the result, there's something else I care about."
The young man's words piqued the chestnut-haired girl's curiosity. "Besides winning or losing, Trainer has something else he cares about more?"
"I've devised race tactics for both of you." Shuta An glanced at her. "I hope Oguri Cap can faithfully execute the tactics I arranged before the race. The same goes for you later."
"Burst out of the gate, seize the lead, and hold it to the finish, right? I won't forget something that simple." Berno Light stuck out her tongue. "Oguri's tactic is to mark Fujimasa March after leaving the gate. That's what you're really focused on, isn't it, Trainer?"
Shuta An didn't answer—he only shook his head slightly.
On the track, Oguri Cap, the filly in Gate 5, was the third to enter the starting stall with the staff's guidance. During her April training, Shuta An had specifically drilled her on entering and exiting the gates from the very beginning, and she had always performed well. The young Trainer was therefore not worried about any mishaps at the start.
Still, as he watched the Racehorse Girl he had personally trained obediently step into the gate, Shuta An's heart tightened.
It was completely different from when he had been on the West Coast in America.
"Even when the Racehorse Girl I was responsible for as an intern was running in a G1 race back then, I didn't feel nearly this much pressure."
He understood the reason clearly—Oguri Cap was the first Racehorse Girl he had independently trained to debut under his own name.
"I want to start my Trainer career with a victory," he murmured.
The electric bell rang—"Ding~~~~~"—and the gates burst open.
Under Shuta An's gaze, Oguri Cap shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow… only to decelerate abruptly.
"No way?!" Shuta An nearly vaulted over the railing to rush to her side, but Berno Light grabbed him.
"Oguri's fine! Fujimasa March was just late!" the chestnut-haired girl quickly reminded him, preventing chaos.
"That's true…" Shuta An exhaled, shifting his focus toward Fujimasa March. "A late start… how is Kitahara training her? For a front-runner Uma Musume, that's fatal."
Kitahara, on his end, bit his lip. "Maybe I shouldn't have told Fujimasa March about the bet with An-san. She's been tense ever since."
But the most agitated person on the track was Fujimasa March herself. Realizing her late start, she immediately accelerated, trying to use her position on the innermost lane to reclaim the lead. Yet out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gray filly wearing number 5 glance her way—slowing down, as though deliberately waiting for her to catch up.
"Damn it!" Fujimasa March instantly recognized who it was. Her Trainer had told her before the race that the camp of number 5 had made a bet with him for a Kaiseki meal.
"After seeing my late start, you're slowing down to wait for me?!" she snarled under her breath. "Who do you think you're looking down on?!"
Oguri Cap blinked, puzzled by the anger in Fujimasa March's expression. "Trainer told me to stay behind her and maintain distance. I'm just following instructions… why does she look so furious?"
Not understanding, the gray filly stopped thinking about it and focused on the race. By then, Fujimasa March had regained the lead and was already entering the turn.
"Trainer's instruction is to create acceleration space on the turn, then overtake on the final straight." Oguri Cap repeated Shuta An's plan in her mind.
Even though she believed she could overtake right there, she faithfully followed her Trainer's strategy.
"Trust in Trainer's plan—there must be a reason," she reminded herself.
Though she had only joined the team a little over a month ago, she already had immense faith in Shuta An. Her training might have differed from other Racehorse Girls at the academy, but she could clearly feel herself improving every day—and that mattered more than anything.
So, as she entered the turn in second place, she slightly veered outward, creating space between herself and Fujimasa March.
"Didn't An-san train Oguri Cap on resisting centrifugal force?" Kitahara muttered from the stands. "That can't be… An-san's a top student from America. I was hoping to learn something from watching her. Don't tell me he skipped that training?"
He felt a pang of disappointment.
Meanwhile, Berno Light heard her Trainer exhale in relief.
"Ha… Oguri Cap really did follow my instructions," Shuta An said with a faint smile.
To him, the result of the race was still important—but Oguri Cap's patience and discipline meant far more.
An 800-meter race could be run flat out, but in future races of 1600, 2000, or even 2400 meters, no Trainer could expect a filly to sprint from start to finish.
"Don't be ridiculous," he muttered.
Even the highest umamusume of the West Coast couldn't achieve that.