Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Ten Meters

Just like before, parallel runs were arranged once each in the early morning and evening.

It was slightly disappointing that Daiwa Scarlet, now officially a dorm supervisor, could no longer join every training session, leaving Vodka alone to assist during evening sessions.

Fortunately, Daiwa Scarlet's initial contributions before the Conditions Race had met expectations. There was still room for further improvement, but that wasn't urgent at the moment.

Besides, adapting to various opponents and overall scenarios would benefit from practicing with different running styles.

Vodka happened to be an optimal choice in this regard. From that perspective, her involvement had indeed come at exactly the right time.

Yasui Makoto didn't let this precious opportunity go to waste either. After their evening training, he immediately began a detailed review of the previous races with Kitasan Black in the dance studio.

"I mentioned before: In the last Conditions Race, you were the only Uma Musume who debuted this year, and one of only two who had just a single Rookie Debut under their belt."

"You probably didn't understand how significant that was at first, but now I'm sure you've realized—there's a massive difference between the opponents you faced in those two races."

"Yes, definitely!" Kitasan nodded enthusiastically. "Especially when running behind Satono Gallant-san, it felt much easier than my debut race."

"In my debut, I initially followed your instructions and ran behind another girl. But very quickly, her rhythm felt strange, so I switched opponents."

"It happened again right after. Everyone's rhythm felt messy, so I eventually decided to just follow my own pace."

"Just then, I hit the spot you told me about, and I simply gave it my all and surged forward, and won."

Before Yasui Makoto could respond, Vodka, who'd come along out of curiosity, spoke up, clearly astonished.

"Whoa, seriously? Yasui-kun, I knew you were good, but managing to guide her that effectively without any previous training experience… isn't that just a bit too amazing?"

"I wouldn't say it was that amazing…" Yasui chuckled modestly. "I've studied many Rookie Debuts, and beginner races are often like that."

"A lot of Uma Musume perform great in training but can't fully demonstrate their abilities during actual races."

"To win at that level, the simpler the instructions, the better. Kita-chan happens to be quite straightforward, so I gave her just two simple tasks."

"First, find someone suitable to follow based purely on rhythm. She only had to focus on that for most of the race."

"But I had already researched her debut opponents—none of them had a better rhythm sense than her."

"Once she realized that herself, it was about time to sprint. At that point, the task was even simpler: just dash forward at full power. Her opponents wouldn't have enough time to react."

Kitasan Black's eyes lit up with realization.

"So that's how I won? It sounds so simple!"

Vodka said nothing, but her thoughts were far from simple.

Yasui Makoto made it sound easy, even casual. But as one who had been among the strongest Uma Musume of her generation, she knew how incredibly difficult it was to have such precise control over a race, especially in advance.

Uma Musume might seem just like human girls and even share certain psychological traits, but ultimately, they weren't the same species.

In daily life, Uma Musume's thoughts tended to be simpler. But once racing was involved, their sensitivity to external factors sharply increased, and their mental states became correspondingly more complex.

Accurately grasping the psychology of one's assigned Uma Musume, as well as her opponents, was always a major challenge in their industry.

Preparations the night before, sleep quality, pre-race meals, the atmosphere at the track, opponents' temperaments, compatibility, weather, temperature, humidity, even the texture of the track…

Every one of these factors could significantly impact performance.

Negative influences could lead Uma Musume to resist racing altogether, and Vodka had seen that scenario countless times.

Seniors, peers, juniors—many Uma Musume had withdrawn at the last minute or refused outright to enter the gates because something had disrupted their mental state.

If a Trainer couldn't comfort them properly, the Uma Musume might even withdraw completely. Even if forced into the gates, their performance would inevitably suffer.

Vodka vividly remembered when this had happened to Air Groove-senpai in the Shuka Sho.

Prior to that race, Air Groove-senpai's record had been stunning: three wins and two second-places, including a G1 Oaks victory. Yet before the Shuka Sho, she'd been startled by a camera flash, completely losing composure. Not only did she end up finishing tenth, but a post-race check revealed a fracture in her right leg, leading to an eight-month recovery.

Because of these incidents, Trainers capable of consistently handling Uma Musume temperaments during races were universally regarded as top-tier. Those who could accurately gauge opponents' states even before races began were considered beyond exceptional.

How on earth did Yasui-kun develop such insight and judgment at his age? It can't just be due to family training alone, can it?

Even as Vodka silently marveled, Yasui Makoto continued reviewing the previous race with Kitasan Black.

"…I specifically emphasized Satono Gallant last race because of her outstanding adaptability."

Saying so, Yasui pointed to the analytical data displayed on his notebook computer.

"I mentioned before the race: her first three races were in Sapporo, then she raced in Chukyo and Kyoto."

"Sapporo is in Hokkaido, Chukyo is in Nagoya, and Kyoto is in Kansai. You can imagine how different these tracks and conditions were."

"Moreover, the first three races were 1800m, while the following two were 2000m—one mile and mid-distance respectively. These differ significantly in terms of racing tactics."

"Yet her performance only improved with each race, clearly proving her adaptability."

"Part of that's innate talent, but it also reflects her earlier debut, extensive training, and the substantial resources the Satono family invested."

"Your last race had a complicated field. Aside from someone adaptable like Satono Gallant, you also faced opponents accustomed to shorter 1400m distances who unconsciously sped up too soon, as well as strong late kick specialists."

"You only had one previous race experience, Kita-chan—far too little to deal with complex race dynamics immediately."

"So, I asked you to follow Satono Gallant until mid-race. If you accelerated just a bit sooner, she'd find it difficult to catch up and pass you."

"You probably realized that firsthand."

Throughout Yasui's explanation, Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly, growing more enlightened. By the end, excitement lit her expression.

"If that strategy works so well, can I keep using it in future races too, Trainer?"

But to her surprise, Yasui Makoto shook his head gently, smiling.

"It's not that easy, Kita-chan."

"To be precise, your opponents in these two races weren't at a particularly high level. Their abilities and experience were only relatively strong."

"The further you advance, the tougher your competition will become."

"The rivals you defeated now will continue growing as well, and someday they might very well turn the tables on you."

"So, letting your opponents dictate the rhythm might work as an occasional tactic to catch them off-guard, but it absolutely can't become your main strategy."

"That's why your next training objective will gradually shift—starting now, you'll learn to firmly establish your own running style, step by step."

"You'll learn how to lead the entire race yourself."