Chapter 134: On the Pulling Power of an Umamusume
What Grass Wonder described didn't surprise Makoto—or rather, it confirmed what he had already suspected.
This particular Umamusume had faced Special Week twice before, and her performance in those two races had been rather unusual.
The first was the Takarazuka Kinen in June. That summer had come early, and during her training matches, Grass Wonder had been negatively affected by the heat, falling into a slump that lasted quite some time.
Yet, the very next day, the moment she saw Special Week at the racecourse, it was as if she had turned into a completely different person—her aura visibly intense and overwhelming.
With that "reborn" vigor, she won the race by three lengths ahead of Special Week, and a full ten lengths ahead of the third-place finisher, Stay Gold.
The second race, the year-end Arima Kinen, followed almost the same pattern.
That time it wasn't illness but injury—Grass Wonder had to withdraw from the Japan Cup due to her condition. But before the Arima Kinen, she recovered in time, her energy soaring again on race day, and once more, she bested Special Week.
With these memories in mind, Makoto couldn't help but want to confirm his suspicions when Grass Wonder's name came up.
If her performances in those two races were the result of her training or race strategies, then she could serve as a perfect benchmark for Kitasan Black's current special training.
For his race, the more experience she gained in finishing sprints and chase scenarios, the better—there could never be too much of it.
And even if things turned out just like in those old interviews, that would be fine too. Everything could proceed according to plan.
After recalling his past impressions and comparing them to Grass Wonder's explanation, Makoto nodded in understanding.
"This kind of situation… is indeed unusual. In that case, we shouldn't push you too hard, Grass Wonder. As for whether we'll use the pace chasing strategy, let's decide after I've confirmed your current physical condition, all right?"
Practice races needed to have their goals set in advance.
For example: how to handle specific gate starts, how to deal with positioning through curves, and how to respond when being pursued.
Each objective was ideally handled by a different racer, ensuring the best possible results while also allowing Makoto to optimize future training tasks based on the performance data.
To make this work, he naturally had to confirm the condition of each assisting racers and make sure she was fit for the role.
He had already checked on Special Week and the others—only Grass Wonder, who was joining this particular practice race, remained.
Having participated in practice races before, Grass Wonder quickly understood what Makoto meant. Without hesitation, she smiled and nodded.
"No problem at all, Yasui-san. I'll leave all the arrangements to you."
…
Saturday morning, at the central Tracen Academy track.
As usual, even before Makoto got close, he could already see Kitasan Black warming up on the track.
The difference today was that she wasn't on the usual grass track, but on the woodchip one.
This particular track was located on the outermost perimeter of the training grounds, typically used for adaptation and high-intensity training.
Its surface was covered with about five centimeters of woodchips, bonded together with an adhesive layer over a hybrid rubberized base—designed to reduce the impact on joints during running.
The incline sections had also been carefully planned.
Around the section directly facing the spectator stands, there was a combined slope of about 1,200 meters, perfect for improving hill-running adaptability, explosive power, and cardiovascular endurance.
Because the texture differed from that of grass, Kitasan Black's usual training didn't involve the woodchip track very often.
But recently, it happened to serve a double purpose—simulating the mixed slopes of the Japanese Derby course and acting as the setting for today's practice race.
Makoto watched Kitasan Black's warm-up for a while, nodded slightly in approval, and then shifted his gaze to the other side of the track.
Dozens of meters away, near where the woodchip track met the grass, Special Week, Grass Wonder, and Vodka were running side by side, seemingly reacquainting themselves with the surface of the woodchip track.
A bit farther out, across a wide patch of grass, Deep Impact was lying on her back on a balance ball, doing sit-ups.
Not far from her, at a parallel distance, Orfevre was alone on a mat doing push-ups.
'Everyone's here so early… I should hurry up and get the field set up too.'
After checking the Umamusumes' conditions, Makoto began unpacking the large bags he had brought with him.
Unlike the last time, this practice race wasn't going to be lively. Aside from the participating Umamusumes, there were only a few others doing weekend training. The stands were empty and quiet.
The two student council members, Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, had business to attend to and hadn't come today either.
So the work of setting up all the equipment—laser sensors for recording starts, cruising speed, and finishes, a drone for filming, a loudspeaker for announcements—fell entirely on Makoto's shoulders.
After a good amount of work, just as everything was almost ready, a rumbling noise and shouting echoed from the outer edge of the track, growing louder as it approached.
"Hey—! Can someone come give me a push here?!"
Recognizing Gold Ship's voice instantly, Makoto turned his head—and froze.
In the Twinkle Series races, the starting gates were specially made pieces of equipment with precise specifications.
From the base rollers to the frame and the hydraulically controlled doors, the entire mechanism was made of metal, weighing well over six tons in total.
Outside of official races, Umamusumes would also do specialized start-dash training using these gates.
Whether at the stadium or in a training field, the gates were usually hauled in and out by a tow truck.
But right now—Gold Ship had a rope tied around her waist, dragging an entire starting gate behind her.
'So when she said she'd take care of the starting gate… this is what she meant?'
Makoto couldn't help but laugh and sigh at the same time.
Since she was preparing for the upcoming Spring Tenno Sho, Gold Ship wasn't participating in today's practice race. However, during the celebration dinner after the last event, she had enthusiastically promised to come and help out.
Makoto hadn't thought too much of it at the time and agreed, letting her take charge of setting up the field—including the starting gate.
He just hadn't imagined this would be how she handled it.
Amused and exasperated in equal measure, Makoto jogged over toward Gold Ship, with Kitasan Black and the others—who had stopped their warm-ups—following close behind.
As they got closer, they saw that Gold Ship wasn't the only one hauling the gate. Behind her, Daiwa Scarlet and Silence Suzuka were both pushing it from the rear.
When the others joined in to help, Special Week naturally ended up beside Silence Suzuka, gripping one of the metal bars with her and saying with a laugh,
"Su—Suzuka—? Why are you helping Golshi with this nonsense?"
Standing beside Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka also pushed against the gate, equally baffled.
"Yeah, it's one thing for Golshi to mess around, but you too, Scarlet? And Suzuka? What's going on with you two?"
From the grass field, Orfevre couldn't help shouting in frustration.
"Hey, what's wrong with you, idiot? Couldn't you just drive a truck over like a normal person?"
"How's that my fault?!"
Before Silence Suzuka or Daiwa Scarlet could respond, Gold Ship protested indignantly.
"I was gonna drive! But when I asked around, it turned out none of us have a license! So what else could we do but push it here?"
"And besides," she added, pouting, "why are you blaming me anyway? Just tell me—are you gonna use this gate or not?"
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