Zhou Tai'an and Brand New Shine stood side by side, watching as Oguri Cap, in the innermost gate, was the first to step into the starting stall.
"Even with the rain, Oguri's condition doesn't seem to be affected," Brand New Shine said in a low voice.
"It's just rain," he didn't comment. "Her performance before entering the gate doesn't matter. The most important thing for her is the result."
"That's right," Brand New Shine followed his lead. "For us, winning this race is the most important thing."
Normally, he would have added, "We have to win with honor," but as he watched the Horse Girl he was solely responsible for training step onto the stage of a Graded Race, his mind was filled with only one thought: "Please win."
Shiraishi looked at her daughter with a mixture of love and worry. She didn't understand much about racing, but she knew that this race was very important. If her daughter won, she would have a bright future.
"If I could trade places..." Shiraishi silently wished in her heart.
Tojo Hana, on the other hand, was not nervous at all. Although she and her Horse Girls were here to cheer for Oguri Cap, the outcome of the race didn't really affect them. Even if they were a little nervous, it was nothing compared to Zhou Tai'an and the others, who had a stake in it.
After Murcielago, in the outermost gate, entered the stall, his heart was in his throat—because the race was about to start.
Despite the pouring rain, it couldn't block the view of the people in the supporters' viewing area. The starter on the high platform waved his flag, the high school band from Sapporo, huddled under the eaves, played the opening fanfare. Everyone, including him, had their attention focused on the track.
"It doesn't matter if the break is smooth or not, since we're running as a 'Closer' anyway." The young trainer understood the logic, but he still hoped that everything would go smoothly for his gray-coated Horse Girl in the next few minutes.
The sound of the starting gates opening was muffled by the rain, but the Horse Girls, completely focused on the track, would not miss the right moment to break. All 8 of them, including Oguri Cap, shot out of the gates like arrows.
Oguri Cap obediently followed the plan he had set before the race and moved to the back, not choosing to fight for the lead with the other 7 opponents.
Yes, in this race, apart from Oguri Cap, the other 7 Horse Girls all charged forward after the break, clearly all having designs on the lead.
The only one to move to the back, Oguri Cap, instantly became the focus of the track.
"Is the challenger from Kasamatsu this year not used to running in the rain? Her speed doesn't seem to have fully picked up, and she's already more than four lengths behind the front runners," the on-site commentator said, mentioning Oguri Cap, who was at the back of the pack, while reporting the positions.
"Is this really okay?" Tojo Hana turned to glance at him. "You asked for a 'Closer' strategy, but this is already a 'Chaser' situation, isn't it?"
"It's not a problem," he remained calm. "Although it's different from what I expected, it's because the other 7 Horse Girls all went for the lead, so Oguri Cap's position is relatively further back. If a few of them had held back, her position would be a standard 'Closer'."
This was not only to answer Tojo Hana's question but also to reassure Mrs. Shiraishi on the other side.
In the 1800-meter race at Monbetsu, the Horse Girls would run 270 meters before entering the first turn.
Happy Grin, who had temporarily taken the lead, was the first to enter the turn. Noticing her positioning, a brilliant smile spread across his face. As the other horses followed her into the turn, his smile became more and more exaggerated, and his body even began to tremble—clearly, he was holding back a hearty laugh.
"Has he already seen the key to victory?" Tojo Hana thought.
Shiraishi noticed his behavior and quickly asked in a low voice, "Are you not feeling well, Zhou-kun?"
"No," he quickly shook his head. "I just saw a scene that was within my expectations, and I feel our chances of winning have become higher."
Just as he finished speaking, Oguri Cap also followed the path of the front runners into the turn.
"Something's not right..." Tojo Hana squinted. "Oguri Cap can overtake on the inside, right? Why is she taking the wider, less efficient outside path here?"
And in other parts of the supporters' viewing area, the trainers of the other participating Horse Girls all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Oguri Cap's performance on the turn. "It seems we don't need to pay attention to this one from Kasamatsu."
In their opinion, her ability to navigate the turn was about the same as the horses they were in charge of. And since she was so far back now, unless she suddenly grew wings and flew like an angel, from any perspective, victory in this race had nothing to do with this gray-coated Horse Girl from Kasamatsu.
"But it would be great if there were more Horse Girls willing to spend the time and money to make an expedition like this," the Monbetsu trainers wished for more like her in the future—of course, this was also because she didn't seem to have a chance of winning right now.
After entering the first turn, Don Fortis, who was originally in second place, suddenly began to accelerate, looking as if she wanted to snatch the lead from Happy Grin.
"The pace is already fast, but Don Fortis is making a move here. Isn't she afraid of pushing the pace of this race into a super-high speed?" the on-site commentator was puzzled.
And on the supporters' side, both he and Tojo Hana could guess Don Fortis's intention. "She just thinks her raw ability is the best in the field and wants to push the pace to an extreme to drain all her opponents' stamina."
This strategy was not a problem in his opinion—on the premise that Oguri Cap was not in the race.
"When it comes to stamina, the strongest one in this race is not you, Don Fortis," the young man squinted, staring at the two Horse Girls fiercely competing for the lead at the front, and muttered to himself.
Oguri Cap also began to gradually accelerate, slowly eating away at the four-length gap between herself and Southern Vigorous in front of her.
"This pace is no problem for me at all!" the gray-coated Horse Girl said to herself.
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