[Again, if Max Verstappen wins the Qatar Sprint one extra chapter + One extra if Mclarens DNF]
Perhaps because it was the first time they watched a race with the mindset of a trainer—especially a race involving a teammate they trained and lived with every day—the moment the word "Start!" came from the TV and the gates opened, Oguri Cap and the other horse girls subconsciously tensed up.
For a brief instant, they all felt the same illusion—that the one running on the track wasn't just Tamamo Cross, but also themselves.
They felt the same nervousness and excitement as if they were personally standing at the starting line, bursting out the moment the gates opened.
With those emotions surging uncontrollably, sitting in the seats of the viewing lounge, they clenched their fists, leaned forward, and felt their shoulder, arm, and leg muscles stiffen involuntarily.
Especially when the cheers from outside the viewing hall echoed loudly, their bodies reacted on instinct—they almost jumped forward.
But confused comments beside them and the announcer's voice from the TV pulled them back to reality. They suddenly realized—it wasn't their bodies on the track.
"...Sis, what are you doing...?"
"Senpais…?"
"All the contestants have gotten a clean start, quickly entering a fierce position battle."
"Grabbing the early lead, as expected, is the race favorite—Akitsu Teio. She has chosen her specialty again today: front-running."
"Following closely behind is the sixth favorite, Earthshaker Dragon."
"Behind them is Sudachi Hawk. These three are leading the pack."
"Among the pace runners are also three contestants: Mejiro Dillon, Mejiro Fuku, and Shinsei."
"Further back is Tamamo Cross, the second most popular horse in this race. It seems she is running in the back-of-the-pack strategy this time."
"Most likely aiming for a final corner and home-stretch burst."
"If she adopts last-surging style, she can save a lot of stamina. Hopefully, Tamamo Cross will be able to surge forward all at once in the final fight."
Before the commentary finished, Oguri Cap and the others had already regained their composure.
"Oh… I accidentally thought I was the one running just now. I froze for a second. Thanks for the reminder, little Oguri."
Patting her little sister's head, Oguri turned back to the screen, rubbing her chin—a rare sight—and said in a low voice:
"This opening… is pretty standard."
"Little Tama really is suited for late surging or End Closing."
"She can run pace chasing, but if the opponent excels at mid-distance, saving stamina and watching the situation until the final turn is more advantageous."
"Then, with her ability, she should be able to burst forward in one go… well, not necessarily. Depends on how things develop…"
"My head hurts already. Does Kitahara and the others think about all this every time?"
"No idea. Usually during races, if Taro or Uncles say 'Run like this,' we just run like that. Who has time to think about such things?"
Inari One spread her hands, helpless—and then started thinking herself.
"But speaking of relying on the final burst to win, Little Tama's last-spurt…"
"It's not actually the strongest among us, right?"
"Honestly, Oguri, if it's purely a sprinting burst, I'm confident I'm not worse than Little Tama."
"You too, right?"
"For just the last burst… yeah, I don't think I'd lose to her either."
Nodding, Oguri stared at the screen—looking first at the small silver-gray figure near the back, then the group at the front—frowning deeper.
"Then Akitsu Teio…"
"If she's very strong at mile and mid-distance—especially miles—her power might be stronger."
"Kitahara said before: Inari and I are strong in miles, and Ardant is also better at miles."
"Mile distance really tests explosive power."
"Little Tama and Super Creek aren't as suited for that. So that means…"
Her eyebrows furrowed further, and Inari One, Creek, and Ardan also looked stressed.
Through training together, they knew one another's strengths and weaknesses deeply.
Based on the analysis, Tamamo Cross's strategy right now was obvious—save stamina early and mid race, observe the field, and then burst forward at the end.
But such a strategy demands extremely strong last-spurt power.
And within the Eisei team, Tamamo Cross did not have the best last-spurt ability. In training targeting that area, her performance was slightly weaker than Oguri Cap and Inari One.
Thinking like this, they couldn't help but worry.
"Ahhh, senpais, don't be so gloomy!"
Sensing their tension, Tokai Teio hopped up to the TV, voice bright and energetic.
"For race plans, Uncle Kitahara definitely prepared something great. Eisei has won so many races beautifully, right?"
"So this time's Takarazuka Kinen won't be any different! Hahaha!"
She hoped to cheer them up.
But after talking and laughing for a while, she realized—Oguri, her senpais, and even Mejiro McQueen and Little Oguri still looked worried.
"Why still such long faces…"
She sighed, then suddenly thought of something.
"Right! Senpais, don't you feel something strange about the opening?"
She pointed at the screen.
"Isn't it weird? Neither Little Tama nor her opponents are using the inside rail!"
"Normally, the inside lane is the shortest distance and saves stamina. Why is no one running there?"
"At the start they moved slightly inward during the lane battle, but only a little!"
"After that they're running outside the inner rail."
"Do you know why?"
"Or McQueen, Little Oguri, do you know?"
Indeed—none of the 13 horse girls were hugging the inner rail. They were all running along the outer edge of the inside lane—roughly the middle of the track.
"Uh… I don't know either…"
McQueen hesitated. "Maybe Hanshin Racecourse is special… No, that's not right."
"This track hosts not just Takarazuka, but also races like the Hanshin Daishoten."
"And contestants there do cut into the inside rail."
"Probably related to track condition."
Little Oguri nodded slightly.
"I remember Uncle Kitahara talked about track condition before."
"Something like: a race isn't just about your ability, but also about the state of the course."
"Different conditions can change performance, even on the same course."
"That's roughly it, but I'm not really sure what's going on today…"
She looked at her senpais for help.
But they were absorbed again—in the race, the runners approached Hanshin's famous steep uphill.
"The lead horsegirl has expanded the gap—this is a dangerous situation!"
"This is a front-running strategy taken to the extreme! Akitsu Teio is pushing the pace on the downhill, using the momentum to widen the gap as much as possible before entering the final straight!"
"This is exactly the kind of developing situation where chasing from behind becomes overwhelmingly difficult— if you allow a leader to stretch the distance on a downhill like this, catching up in the final straight becomes nearly impossible!"
The words struck Oguri Roman like lightning.
She clenched her hands unconsciously, staring rigidly at the screen.Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke:
"Eight… eight horse lengths already…"
Tokai Teio gasped sharply.
"Eight—?! That much?!"
Oguri Roman nodded, face tightening.
"That's the critical line… If the gap goes beyond eight lengths at this point—then even if you're faster, even if you unleash everything you have at the end, you won't catch up. You can't overturn that distance by acceleration alone."
"In that exchange race in Europe… that's exactly how we lost."
Her voice carried a shiver of remembered frustration.
"Once the leader escapes beyond that threshold, the race is already in their hands. They can control the pace, control the field, and force all the chasers to suffocate behind them."
She bit her lip.
"And right now—Akitsu Teio is doing exactly that."
The commentators on the TV shouted again:
Commentary Continued
"If the chasing pack doesn't respond here, it's over! If someone doesn't make a move in the next few seconds, the race will be decided before the home stretch even begins!!"
"Eight lengths—this is the red zone!"
Tokai Teio's face went pale.
"That much distance… then Tamamo-senpai—she'll lose—!"
But Oguri Roman shook her head slowly.
"No. Not this time…"
She looked at her sister Oguri Cap—who was smiling confidently.
"Because unlike back then… this time, the one giving chase can use a Domain."
"...So what strategy did Kitahara arrange? I remember something about it but I feel like I'm missing the key…"
Oguri murmured, struggling to recall, when someone tugged her sleeve.
"Sis, maybe you should answer what Teio just asked?"
Snapped from her thoughts, Oguri blinked.
"Huh? Teio asked something?"
She hadn't heard anything. Neither had Small Bay.
"Teio, can you say it again?"
"No problem! I just hope senpais stop worrying. I really believe in Tama-nee and our trainers!"
Hands open, grinning brightly, Tokai Teio said:
"But my question really is confusing."
"And that is—why aren't they running on the inside lane in this Takarazuka?"
She repeated and pointed again:
"They're almost at the second turn and still running in the middle!"
"McQueen said that in the Hanshin Daishoten on this same track, everyone does run the rail."
"Little Oguri said maybe it's about track condition."
"And I remember teachers saying weather affects track choice—like sloppy or heavy turf after rain."
"But the weather is great today. So why?"
She pointed outside the window.
For major races like Takarazuka, it was always held last on the card. Before it, there were usually around ten other races…
There will be roughly ten races before this, and by the time the Takarazuka Kinen starts, it will already be around 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
At this moment, the sunlight outside was at its brightest in the late afternoon. Inside the viewing hall, in order not to interfere with the brightness of the television screen, the curtains had already been pulled halfway shut.
Yet even with only part of the window exposed, the sunlight that came through was still blindingly golden, clearly showing that the weather today was incredibly good.
"Ah, it's because of the rainy season."
Following Tokai Teio's gesture and glancing out the window, Mejiro Ardan chuckled, then turned toward her younger sister Mejiro McQueen and nodded:
"McQueen was right—during the Hanshin Daishoten, rushing to the inside rail wasn't some coincidence. It was because that wasn't yet the rainy season."
"The Hanshin Daishoten is at the end of March—early spring. Though it rains, the rainfall and frequency aren't high."
"But now, from May to July, it's the rainy season, and the Hanshin racecourse where the Takarazuka Kinen is held is in Hyogo Prefecture, close to the sea. The rainfall and frequency are ridiculous."
"In other words, even if today looks sunny, the past few weeks here have been raining nonstop."
"Or rather, it's that right after heavy rain, we now have a rare sunny day—this makes the once-soaked turf only half dry, half wet, and the footing feels awful."
"Especially the inner rail. The grass near the inner rail has less turf to begin with, so the impact is even worse."
"On top of that, today there have already been eleven races. This morning, before the sunlight was this strong, the inner rail was still barely runnable."
"With all that combined, the inner rail right now must be in terrible condition—probably comparable to the mud fields in Europe."
"Unless a horse girl is especially good on muddy ground, it's better not to run on the inner rail."
"Oh, right."
Mejiro Ardan suddenly clapped her hands. "I actually remembered this before the race—how did I only realize it now?"
Her sudden turn of topic left the other horse girls stunned.
"Huh? Sis, what did you think of before the race?"
McQueen instinctively asked.
"Ah, I noticed that in this race, Tama-chan drew the far outside gate."
Thinking for a moment, she pointed at the image of Tamamo Cross on the TV with a smile:
"You all must've heard the trainers mention this during lessons—most of the time, drawing the outside is a disadvantage."
"It means you either fight hard to get inside right after the start, or you have to go farther around. Either way, it's unavoidable disadvantage."
"But the Takarazuka Kinen is different."
"Because it's held during rainy season, and because it's one of the final high-stakes races of the day, the inner rail is usually muddy."
"In most cases, normal horse girls wouldn't choose to run the inner rail under such conditions."
"So in the Takarazuka Kinen, drawing the outside is actually an advantage."
"The outside rail is closest to the center of the track, where the pack will gather—so you don't waste distance."
"So, I actually feel like we don't need to worry too much about Tama-chan."
As she continued, Ardan shifted her tone again with a smile.
Seeing the surprised expressions around her, she explained:
"Everything I just said—these were things the trainers repeatedly discussed and confirmed during preparations."
"Not just before the race. If I recall correctly, as soon as they got back from Europe, they began investigating the situation here at Hanshin."
"I remember they even used measurement equipment together with Light to check the condition of the track."
"And they specifically brought Tama-chan, and rotated bringing all of us to perform joint running drills on the Hanshin course."
"Back then, we didn't think about it as carefully as the trainers did, so we didn't notice the reasons behind it."
"But now we finally figured out the point," she said cheerfully, clapping her hands.
"Before the race, I thought—maybe this is what they wanted us to experience in this race."
"We always experienced races only from a competitor's perspective. We never once analyzed things this carefully from a trainer's perspective."
"Because we have the task of teaching McQueen, Teio, and Little Oguri this time, we ended up thinking this deeply—and worrying just now."
"But thinking about it, I imagine the things we worried about earlier—the trainers must have already thought through them long ago."
"So maybe we should relax a bit. Believe in Tama-chan, believe in the trainers. Tama will definitely win this Takarazuka Kinen."
"Of course, we still need to fulfill the assignment from Coach Kitahara—explaining things clearly to McQueen and the others."
"I really feel like this approach increases our abilities. Everyone, give it a try!"
By the end, Ardan's voice was full of excitement and lightness.
Under her influence, Oguri Cap and the others perked up as well.
"Oh! So that's what Kitahara was intending?"
She turned toward the TV, pinched her chin and stared at the race closely.
"Let me see… judging from the situation right now…"
"Ah? They're speeding up a lot…"
On the TV, the pack had already passed the first and second turns, entering the backstretch directly opposite the starting point.
The camera angle was facing from the start straight across, making the distance between horses appear vast.
And because the camerawork followed the runners, visually the horse girls looked like they weren't moving that fast, even though they obviously were.
Oguri Roman, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen felt that way—so when they heard Ardan, Oguri Roman couldn't help asking:
"Sis, how did you tell they were speeding up…?"
"Ah? I'm not talking about Tama-chan—I mean Autumn Emperor."
Pointing at the screen, Oguri casually said:
"Look—after they passed the uphill earlier, the pack length should've been around ten horse lengths, right?"
"Now it's already fifteen."
"Since the last-place runner hasn't slowed down, that means Autumn Emperor is accelerating."
"...Sis, her name is Akitsu Teio…"
After listening, Oguri Roman fell silent.
Seeing the older horse girls snickering, and noticing Teio and McQueen's strange expressions, she awkwardly tugged her sister's sleeve and whispered.
"Oh? A—Akitsu, huh?"
Oguri didn't feel embarrassed at all, simply corrected herself and continued:
"Anyway, Akitsu is definitely continuously accelerating."
"I didn't notice too closely earlier, but if she opened that much distance, maybe she's been accelerating the entire time since the uphill."
"What?! Accelerating ever since the uphill?!"
Teio exclaimed in disbelief.
"Seriously?!"
"The uphill is only about 200 meters from the start, right?"
"That means for nearly 1000 meters after the uphill… she's been accelerating the whole time?!"
"You're kidding?!"
She yelled again.
"I'm afraid it's true, Teio."
This time it was Inari One who responded—but unlike before, her tone was relaxed rather than worried:
"I'm pretty good at acceleration myself. When someone's accelerating, you can tell just by looking."
"Oh, McQueen, Oguri—you three haven't run many official races yet,
so maybe this is like Ardan said about track conditions—just details you haven't noticed yet."
She raised her hand and waved it quickly before their eyes, leaving an afterimage.
"See? Like that—you'll need to pay attention to all kinds of details when you train or race."
"For us older racers, we can't turn our heads and look around during a race, so we need to pick up even tiny visual cues."
"For example, peripheral vision."
"Look—just like on the TV," she pointed again.
"If you only stare at Tama-chan and the others,
it'll look like they're hardly moving, because the camera is following them."
"But look at the railing, the trees, the spectators."
"Notice anything?"
"So fast… I see now."
McQueen suddenly understood: "We always only look forward. We never look at the surroundings."
"But the environment keeps rapidly moving backward."
"If we can detect the difference through that, we can sense speed and distance changes."
"Very good, McQueen. Well said."
Ardan praised gently. After waiting a moment, her tone deepened slightly.
"But—there's something very important you still haven't noticed."
McQueen froze, then immediately stared at the screen intently, frowning.
Oguri Roman and Teio mirrored her posture.
Seeing them thinking desperately, the older horse girls smiled and looked back at the TV.
Moments later, realizing the three were still struggling, the veterans exchanged smiles and finally spoke.
"Tama-chan has moved up quite a bit. She's speeding up quietly, and she's used one or two lane-switching techniques."
Oguri Cap pointed at the TV, energized:
"Lightning Footwork—that is the technique only she can use best among us."
"My Ultra High-Speed Lane Change isn't suited for straight lines."
"Well, it's not impossible, but straights don't have the 'sling-shot' momentum that curves provide. Changing position would require much more speed and stamina."
"Tama's Lightning Footwork is different—it can be used on most tracks."
"She has excellent balance—the best among us."
"That balance means her form barely changes when passing others, so her speed isn't affected much."
"Hmm… that means I'm the opposite of Tama."
Oguri chin-held muttered: "I need huge form changes just to switch lanes…"
"That's because your monster strength is too high—how else would you change lanes?"
Inari teased, then looked toward the bewildered Teio and McQueen, smiling casually.
"So anyway, thanks to Teio mentioning the inner rail, we've now realized—there's probably nothing to worry about in this race."
"Drawing the outside, muddy inner rail, post-uphill response, and now Lightning Footwork…"
"I'm sure Taro and the old man confirmed all of this and handed it to Tama as strategy."
"This little lane switch should've secured her a good cruising position. Consider it a warmup."
"At the next corner, she'll probably surge straight to the front."
"Seriously, why didn't they just explain it properly to us?"
"They made us worry for nothing."
"Well then…"
She raised her hands and formed finger-and-thumb rectangles like a camera frame,
looked through it at the screen, and squinted one eye.
"The distance between Tama and Akitsu Emperor is only five horse lengths now. If that's the case…"
She put her hands down and thought.
Oguri, Teio, McQueen and the others all sank into contemplation.
At the same time, the race commentary grew heated:
"The field continues to stretch out—more and more!"
"As expected of Akitsu Emperor—her reputation is real! Accelerating continuously for over 1000 meters!"
"They are in the mid-race straight! After this 350m section comes a long 600m curve!"
"A long downhill turn—speed will increase even more!"
"Meaning Akitsu Emperor's final sprint could reach an incredible 2000 meters!"
"Or more! She might sprint the entire race!"
"What an outstanding front-run!"
"Time is running out for the challengers—if they can't close the distance now, they will lose any hope of victory!"
"The final straight after the last corner is short—and includes a second sharp uphill!"
"Fail to reach the front before then, and you're done!"
"Will anyone respond?!"
"What about Tamamo Cross?"
"She seems very standard so far."
"She's reducing the gap but still over five horse lengths—or rather, now slightly above four!"
"That is still dangerous. Hopefully she can get a better position before the final corner!"
Hearing this, the younger horse girls panicked again.
"Hey hey! Why aren't you seniors saying anything?!"
"She's still more than four horse lengths away!"
"That's dangerous right?!"
"You senpais—surely the trainers planned something here, right?!"
"There must be something!"
"Hey hey, Oguri, why aren't your sister and the others saying anything…?"
Previously, Teio had tried to lighten the mood even though she was worried herself.
But now, seeing the seniors silent and serious, even someone like Teio—a confident optimist—felt her nerves breaking.
And then she noticed something strange.
McQueen looked anxious too, staring at her sister.
But on the other side, Oguri Roman, just like her sister Oguri Cap, was staring at the screen, chin pinched, deep in thought.
"Roman… why are you doing that too…?"
Teio grabbed Roman's arm in exasperation.
"…Highground slope… long corner… downhill…"
Oguri Roman was muttering quietly when she suddenly felt someone tugging at her clothes. She hurriedly turned to look.
"Huh—? What is it… ah, Teio?"
"Uh… Little Oguri, what were you saying just now?"
Tokai Teio had vaguely heard Oguri Roman's words, and she looked stunned."What… what slope, long turn, downhill… what are you talking about?"
"Oh, that."
Smiling a little, Oguri Roman didn't hide it. She pointed at her older sister Oguri Cap, then at herself.
"I was talking about an exchange race we participated in over in Europe."
"That race was held at the Epsom racecourse."
"That course is very unusual—many things there are completely different from racecourses in Japan."
"And coincidentally, the final turn there is somewhat similar to Takarazuka Kinen's today—it's a long sweeping turn on higher ground, then it slopes downward while entering the corner."
"Oh, right, and there's an even bigger coincidence."
Holding her chin and watching the field gradually approach the final corner of the Takarazuka Kinen on the television, Oguri Roman paused in thought.
"In that exchange race, at the very end, Tamma-nee was also in this same position—needing to chase down the front-running horse girl."
"Wow! A race in Europe!"
International top-level competition was the original reason Tokai Teio longed to join Eisei, so hearing this, her attention instantly shifted away from Takarazuka Kinen.
"Then—then what happened next?"
"If she needed to chase the front runner, did Tamma-senpai manage to catch up in the end? Wait—!"
She suddenly gasped again, and her attention swung back to the Takarazuka Kinen broadcast.
"I remember the President said before—that in that European exchange race, Senpais… lost!"
"T-then…"
She became even more frantic, glancing between the tense race on TV and Oguri Roman, Oguri Cap, and the others.
"If the situation is the same, doesn't that mean Tammy-senpai will—?"
"It's not the same situation."
Watching the climax of the race with their full focus, Oguri Cap and the others hadn't noticed Tokai Teio and Oguri Roman talking—but Mejiro McQueen, who was nearby and listening, couldn't help interrupting.
"It's not the same? But Little Oguri, from what you said, it sounds exactly the same…"
"The race situation is the same, but—"
By now, Oguri Roman had noticed her sister and the others' expressions.
She could clearly see that both her sister Oguri Cap and Senpai Inari One were smiling—relaxed, confident smiles.
She also couldn't help smiling herself.
"But in that Epsom exchange race, Tammy-nee and the others were facing opponents who had mastered the 'Domain.'"
Without thinking too much, Oguri Roman naturally said the word 'Domain.'
"Against opponents like that, and on a track they weren't familiar with, that's why they lost."
"But earlier, when they arranged the race strategy, I don't remember Uncle Kitahara mentioning that any of Tammy-nee's opponents here had mastered the Domain."
"So that means—in this Takarazuka Kinen, Tammy-nee is the only one capable of entering a Domain…?"
"D… Domain?"
Hearing this unfamiliar term—"Domain"—Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen both froze, about to ask what it meant.
But at that moment, a shocked, explosive cry came from the TV commentator.
Race Commentary
"So this is it, this is what she planned?!"
"Tamamo Cross had no surprising action or tactics up until now—just so she could unleash everything right at this moment?!"
"No one could have imagined this! This is clearly her first G1 race at mid-distance, and this is the most difficult final turn in the Takarazuka Kinen!"
"Yet she just accelerated like she has run it countless times, continuously overtaking in the middle of the curve!"
"She has surged all the way past Akitsu Teio and taken the lead position!"
"She's still accelerating—she hasn't slowed at all!"
"So she was conserving her stamina all along, intending to bet everything on this final turn and final straight?!"
"She's still speeding up—her pace has reached an unbelievable level!"
"She's running as if she's raced this track a thousand times—the complicated course environment isn't affecting her at all! She's too familiar with it!"
"She's still widening the gap—still expanding her lead!"
"They've burst out of the fourth corner—only 200 meters remaining to the finish line, and she's already two lengths ahead! Did this really happen in just a few hundred meters?!"
"She's still extending her lead—100 meters left! Three lengths!!"
"Fifty meters!! The gap widens again—four lengths!"
"She's charging—charging to the finish!!"
"She crosses the finish line—and the distance widens once more!"
"A full five lengths of difference!!"
"The winner of the Takarazuka Kinen is—Tamamo Cross!!"
"A raging storm of seven consecutive victories!!"
"She shatters all doubts about her ability at mid-distance!"
"This—this is the strength of the Spring Tennō shō champion horse girl!!!"
"Let us congratulate Tamamo Cross!!!"
[T/N: Confession time: I think Almond Eye is a Distance Merchant and I think Kitasan Black is only relevant because of Equinox]
(End of Chapter)