Between stretches of live commentary and lively analysis, Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa deftly passed on precious experience to their juniors from the perspective of those who had been through it themselves.
In the spectator stands, many of the Umamusume caught on at once. They nodded in admiration again and again, talking excitedly among themselves.
"Grass Wonder-senpai and El Condor Pasa-senpai really went out of their way for this. Their commentary is full of lessons from experience." An Umamusume with lively twin-tails had admiration shining in her eyes, her excitement written all over her face, and her voice rose a little without her noticing.
The Umamusume beside her, however, looked puzzled. Her brows drew together slightly, and there was a trace of hesitation in her voice. "But I thought those two seniors weren't especially known for sprint races...?"
"Even if sprint races weren't their main focus, with their records and accomplishments, their understanding of sprint races still isn't something an ordinary person could compare to."
At that moment, an Umamusume wearing delicate glasses raised a finger, lightly pushed up her frames, and explained with clear logic.
"Take breaking from the gate, for example. Even in top-level G1 races, mistakes happen from time to time, let alone among rookies like us, who are only just starting out."
"So having our seniors give pointers from the side makes today's races a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity for us."
Her analysis was well-reasoned and convincing, and the Umamusume around her all looked as if they had suddenly understood, echoing her again and again.
After that, they turned their gazes even more intently toward the racecourse, following those gallant figures as they ran, afraid of missing even a single moment they could learn from.
On the course, the air of competition grew stronger by the second. Sayakachan was leading the field, running at the very front.
Every step she took was steady and powerful, as if she meant to stamp deep marks into the turf beneath her feet. Grass clippings flew up around her, further highlighting the momentum of her headlong charge.
Lily Noble stayed locked onto Sayakachan's steps, her gaze burning as she fixed it firmly on the back ahead of her.
From the state of her muscles, taut as bowstrings, it was clear that she was pushing with all her might, trying to narrow the distance between herself and Sayakachan little by little.
Cantabile and the other Umamusume farther back refused to show weakness either. They gritted their teeth, eyes flashing with determination, and chased the runners ahead with everything they had.
The speed of the whole field seemed to be pushed along by some invisible hand, continuing to rise at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Watching this feverish race tempo, Lucky Lilac stood at the edge of the venue with her heart in her throat, tension and worry spreading through her chest.
Her gaze seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread and never once left Almond Eye's figure. Fine beads of sweat quietly formed on her forehead and slowly slid down her cheeks.
Almond Eye, you have to do your best. Lucky Lilac repeated the words silently in her heart again and again, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes so tightly that her fingertips turned faintly white, as if doing so could send her own strength to her friend on the course.
In a prime spot in the stands directly facing the finish line, Kitasan Black was just as nervous.
Her hands were clenched tightly into fists, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the track as if drawn by a magnet. Her gaze was full of deep concern and fervent anticipation, as though it could pierce through the air and lend Almond Eye strength.
"Competition in sprint races... really is much more intense than in middle- to long-distance races."
She could not help murmuring to herself, "This pace almost feels like it's catching up to graded races. As for Almond-chan..."
As she spoke, she confirmed that Almond Eye was currently settled into a Late Surger position and nodded lightly.
From the standpoint of the evaluation, whether she won or lost this mock race would not have much impact on her admission, because today's assessment was based on overall qualities rather than a single race.
And Kitasan Black knew very well that Almond Eye was excellent in every area. During the volunteer rotation break at noon, she had quietly asked Tokai Teio to help her ask around, and learned that Almond Eye's results in each assessment were quite good. There was not much to worry about.
It was just that since this was a race, winning would naturally be best. She also knew that this junior of hers had a strong competitive spirit. If Almond Eye did not win, she would probably sulk for a while.
As for the mock race's arrangement and tactics, she had spent no small amount of time researching them together with Yasui Makoto recently, and they had also decided on the running style that, in theory, gave Almond Eye the best chance.
Now that she saw Almond Eye steadily advancing exactly according to the planned tactics, she felt much more at ease for the moment.
As long as Almond Eye could maintain her current stability, Kitasan Black believed she would definitely achieve victory in the end.
"Almond-chan, you'll definitely be fine," Kitasan Black murmured softly, lowering her voice.
After saying that, she turned her head full of expectation toward Yasui Makoto beside her, inquiry shining in her eyes. "Right, Trainer?"
It was indeed Yasui Makoto standing beside Kitasan Black. Hearing her question, he did not answer right away, but fell into brief thought.
A moment later, he slowly nodded, his tone steady and certain.
"Judging from the information we investigated before, Almond Eye's sprinting ability can be considered outstanding among examinees of her year. In fact, it has already reached an excellent level worthy of being called a true final spurt."
"With that kind of sustained explosive speed, she naturally has an enormous innate advantage in sprint races."
After a slight pause, his expression grew more serious. "However, precisely grasping the timing of her sprint is crucial for her."
"If she starts sprinting too late, not only will she waste this obvious advantage, but there's also a high chance her speed during the sprint won't reach her limit."
"But if she starts sprinting too early, there's a very real chance her speed will decline and she'll run out of strength before the end."
"Only..."
When he reached that point, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He froze for a moment, then shook his head with a helpless, amused smile.
Kitasan Black hurriedly pressed him. "Only what, Trainer?"
His gaze locked tightly on the runners fiercely competing on the course, Yasui Makoto quickly explained without hesitation.
"Only that this requirement is actually a little too demanding for Almond Eye as she is now."
"If you look closely, you'll see that the participants in this mock race are still all rookies who haven't undergone systematic professional training yet. The race situation they're presenting is far too different from the high-level races you usually take part in."
"And Almond Eye is also a rookie like them. She's simply more talented and better prepared."
He paused slightly, his tone softening a little before he continued.
"Kita-chan, even someone as experienced as you has found it hard in past races to grasp the best sprint timing perfectly in every single race. How much harder would it be for Almond Eye, who's participating in this kind of mock race for the first time?"
"However, by my standards, Almond Eye's performance on the course so far is undoubtedly the most eye-catching among these rookies."
Hearing that, Kitasan Black hurriedly focused all of her attention on the racecourse.
A moment later, she realized that Yasui Makoto was right.
---
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