According to the plan devised by Kitahara and the others, Inari One's "rhythm adaptation training" looked overall like a kind of "relay run."
Using one lap of the Chukyo course as one phase, she herself needed to keep running laps, while Oguri Cap and the other horsegirls would take turns in each phase acting as the "pace-setter," "side-by-side runner," or "chaser."
The horsegirls in the team didn't all excel at the same running styles, nor did they prefer the same tactics.
Under this arrangement, Inari One might face the front-running Mejiro Ardan in one lap, only for her next opponent to be Oguri Cap, who specialized in Pace chasing or Late Surging.
Considering stamina consumption during practice, the training intensity at the start was not high, and speed was kept at a standard training level.
After she had adapted for some time, the length of each phase was shortened, and the others accompanied her for only a few hundred meters each.
By this point, the whole practice looked even more like a relay.
While Inari One conducted this training, Kitahara and the other trainers stood trackside recording and analyzing various data.
Komiyama soon took Tokai Teio and the others to the opposite side for their own training, leaving only Kitahara and Tōbara at the track.
"Looks like this constant rhythm-shifting really affects speed a lot."
Glancing at the data on his clipboard, and relying on years of experience, Tōra quickly noticed several concerning patterns and forced himself not to frown.
"The speed at the start of training was fine, but after a few rhythm changes, Inari's performance clearly became unstable."
"Especially now that she's switching speeds three to four times in a single run, her condition is getting even more inconsistent."
"If she's like this in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, there'll be far too many variables… Kitahara."
He fixed his gaze on the track for a moment, then turned to Kitahara.
Just as he said, Inari One's state on the Chukyo track right now wasn't very good.
On one hand, the training had gone on for a while—not only Inari One, but her training partners were fatigued. In that state, everyone was running slightly slower than usual.
On the other hand, because she switched opponents every few hundred meters—each using different running styles and tactics—Inari One seemed flustered and overwhelmed by the rapid switching.
This disorder was most visible in her speed; from the recorded data, her acceleration and top speed after each switch were steadily declining.
However, unlike the concerned Tora, Kitahara remained more optimistic.
"Don't worry too much yet, Tōra."
After calming him with a sentence, he studied the data and murmured,"I don't think this situation will occur in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen."
"Remember, when we designed this training in the first place, we used the most extreme assumptions."
"In real races, there's no horsegirl who can keep changing their running style or tactics over and over in one race."
"So rather than having Inari fully adapt to this unrealistic scenario, we just want to give her psychological preparation."
"And if she can maintain decent performance even under extreme conditions like this, and even recover to normal after partial adaptation, then she won't need to worry going into the Takamatsunomiya Kinen."
That was precisely the team's original intention.
A race where a horse constantly switches running styles or tactics simply doesn't exist.
Every race—even at the same venue with the same opponents—had its own preparation plan. These strategies were confirmed before the race.
Such preparations were based on track conditions, the horse's condition, and the pre-race special practice, and these factors limited the available tactics.
With such constraints, even if one wanted to change tactics on the fly, they couldn't freely do so.
Thus, Inari One's training wasn't about identifying what opponents would do, but about getting accustomed to all possible situations.
And the opponent to watch out for in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen was not someone who freely switched lanes or tactics.
"Cosmo Dream's strength lies in her unique marking tactics—we saw that very clearly in her past races."
Kitahara continued:"Especially in the Oaks, her marking strategy worked extremely well and disrupted her opponent's rhythm."
"Our team's horsegirls, and even those who regularly train with us, aren't good at marking tactics."
"So from another perspective, arranging this kind of training for Inari is our way of simulating being marked."
"It's a last-resort type of training."
"Once she gets used to the current rhythm switching, next we'll have Oguri Cap and the others adjust their positions to change the way they accompany her."
In horsegirl racing, "marking" was a unique tactic with some risk.
It required focusing on a single opponent, ignoring most others and much of the overall race, and running entirely to interfere with that target.
This focus significantly affected the target's condition—especially if the target was already stressed or not calm. Marking could have an unbelievable impact.
Kitahara remembered many famous races where this tactic appeared.
The anime mentioned two particularly notable ones:
One was the 1999 Takarazuka Kinen, and the other was the 1993 Spring Tenno Sho.
Before the 1999 Takarazuka Kinen, nearly everyone believed that Special Week—fresh off his Spring Tenno Sho victory—would win again.
His team believed that too. They had even planned for Special Week to go overseas for the Arc after winning the Takarazuka.
Yet in that race, Special Week lost to Grass Wonder—the famous anime scene, "Today's Special Week is no match for me," originated from this.
Historically, Special Week couldn't really beat Grass Wonder regardless of the day.
But in terms of tactics, Grass Wonder's marking in that Takarazuka Kinen played a major role.
In both the real race footage and the anime portrayal, the marking was extremely obvious.
Special Week maintained 4th–5th position early, while Grass Wonder sat right behind him in 6th, tailing him throughout the race.
In the final corner, Special Week surged first and briefly opened a gap, but Grass Wonder unleashed the fastest closing speed in the field and overtook him in the final 200 meters.
Such a tactic certainly carried risks, but given how strong Special Week looked beforehand, sticking to him and overtaking late was a logical choice.
Similarly, the 1993 Spring Tenno Sho also had marking between Mejiro McQueen and Rice Shower.
With this in mind, Kitahara felt that they must assume Cosmo Dream would attempt to mark Inari in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and prepare accordingly.
After all, Eisei's reputation was now huge, and their horsegirls were strong enough that opponents were sure to target them.
"Change the way we structure the practice, huh…"
Tōra understood Kitahara's earlier analysis—they had discussed it within the team. Following Kitahara's thoughts, he looked toward the track.
"In that case, since the general adaptation has already been done, should we move to targeted practice, Kitahara?"
Tōbara clearly wanted to push the training schedule forward, and after checking the track, Kitahara agreed that it was time.
"Yes, that should work. Oguri Cap and the others can rest for now—let's have Tamamo Cross come next."
After a moment's thought, Kitahara decided on Inari One's next partner, and shouted toward the track:
"Alright, that's enough for now. Oguri Cap, Creek, Ardan—take a rest."
"Inari, Tamamo! Prepare for a 2,000-meter training race!"
Thanks to long-term training under Eisei, the horsegirls were already totally accustomed to following instructions. On hearing Kitahara's call, they quickly took a short rest, drank some water, and finished their preparations.
"Two thousand meters! Turf! Good condition! Left-handed! Trial race—ready!"
By reflex, upon hearing Kitahara's voice, Tamamo Cross and Inari One instantly stiffened their expressions, simultaneously looking forward as they assumed starting stances.
Although this had shifted from simple training into a training race, their eyes weren't fixed entirely forward—the corners of their vision still locked onto each other.
Their auras rose sharply; one seemed veiled in white lightning, the other surrounded by an invisible storm.
For a moment, Kitahara almost felt like the two horsegirls had grown giant before his eyes, and he momentarily forgot to signal the start.
Fortunately, he soon came back to his senses.
"Start!"
In an instant, wind and thunder roared—white lightning and a violent gale kicked up dust and pebbles as they burst forward like two beasts released from their cages.
Unlike normal training, the two trainers—Kitahara and Tōra—observed more sharply and systematically during this training race, and the two horsegirls performed even better.
They both used their best running styles.
Tamamo Cross didn't have many middle-distance races, but the style she chose could entirely compensate.
She chose "Pace Chasing."
Tamamo Cross's posture wasn't like that—she was clearly suppressing her speed, imagining an opponent in front to pace behind.
It sounded strange, pacing off an imaginary opponent when none existed.
But the Eisei team all knew from experience that "imaginary opponents" were standard for any athlete.
Victory in competitive sports never came from tactics invented on the spot—it came from daily habits.
Athletes had to constantly imagine "a rival beside me," predict what they would do, and practice their own responses. Only then could they make the best choice instinctively in real competition.
Like in Sanda, where imagining how an opponent would punch and how to dodge and counter improved reaction speed and odds of winning.
Tamamo Cross was doing exactly that—imagining a pace-setter and simulating real race decisions:
Using the "leader" to reduce wind drag, adjusting stride to stay close, occasionally surging forward to apply pressure…
If a real horsegirl were actually ahead of her, they would be under overwhelming pressure—if inexperienced or mentally weak, they might even crumble.
"Tamamo's adaptability is impressive—she just finished training earlier, yet she can still pull this off…"
Kitahara nodded inwardly at her technique, then looked at Inari One, and immediately frowned.
"Compared to her… Inari, your running right now is way too rough."
"Rough" contrasted with the "refined" method Tamamo used—her detailed adjustments showcasing her full strengths.
For example, Tamamo kept her upper body upright.
If no one were ahead, this would generate extra wind drag. But with someone in front, her 1.40-meter height allowed her to fully hide behind them and conserve energy.
More importantly, this posture reduced her height disadvantage and ensured wide visibility to read the race at all times.
That made her timing more precise, and once the deciding moment arrived, her judgment would be faster and more confident.
Inari One's method lacked such finesse—she was relying entirely on brute strength to force a chase.
She had chosen the "end closer" tactic. It looked similar to mid-pack, but required less effort early on—it meant relaxed steps, breathing, arm swings.
But "relaxed" didn't mean weak. In fact, closers were usually the strongest physically.
Because closers spend most of the race at the back, to break through a pack during the mid-late stages, they needed enormous acceleration and power.
Typical powerhouse end closers like Narita Brian or Gold Ship were monsters in terms of strength.
[Look at Deep Impact's Japan Cup Win from last to first]
Inari One was that same kind of terrifying end closer—but Kitahara thought her running looked rough because she was relying only on sheer force.
Seeing her slightly distorted form, he couldn't help but frown.
Beside him, Tōra also voiced concern.
"Did her mindset get affected by the earlier training…?"
"Normally, Inari wouldn't be this impatient…"
(End of Chapter)