“Innocent Dino’s speed has really slowed down after entering this straightaway.” Oguri Cap bit her lip.
“I feel like I have plenty of stamina left.
Should I consider an early sprint?”
Thinking this, Oguri Cap involuntarily glanced toward the stands.
“If Trainer could give me instructions now, that would be great.” A thought full of dependence popped into her mind.
“She’s hesitating…” In the stands, Yugi blurted out the change he observed in Oguri Cap.
“Did she notice something?”
He gripped the railing in front of him tightly.
“Please don’t let it be an injury…”
Berno Light’s heartstrings were also tugged.
She stared nervously at Oguri Cap’s figure.
“Oguri should be fine, right?”
Tamamo Cross, standing nearby, rolled her eyes inwardly and muttered, “It’s obvious Oguri Cap is troubled by the tactics she set before the race.”
Yugi, with his sharp ears, heard Tamamo Cross’s mutter and stared intently at Oguri Cap’s gait and Innocent Dino’s in front of her.
“So that’s it…” He let out a sigh of relief.
“She’s hesitating whether to accelerate early and overtake, isn’t she?”
Yugi tugged at his throat with his right hand, then shouted his command with all his might.
“Oguri Cap!
Overtake!
Now!”
===
Yugi’s call reached Oguri Cap’s ears with the wind.
“Trainer is allowing me to accelerate early!” The doubts in her heart vanished instantly upon hearing her trainer’s shout.
Oguri Cap, on the outer lane, no longer hesitated.
She immediately increased her stride frequency, easily gliding past Innocent Dino on her left.
Having eaten half a track of sand, Oguri Cap felt much more refreshed the moment she drew alongside her.
“No need to squint anymore.” Oguri Cap, feeling more comfortable, lowered her body, leaned her center of gravity further forward, and her speed suddenly surged.
With every step, Oguri Cap left a distinct footprint on the deep sand track of Nagoya Racecourse — unlike Innocent Dino, Oguri Cap did not kick up the sand on the track.
Because she had compacted the loose sand with her steps.
“Her burst of power is so strong, and each time she exerts force, it doesn’t scatter but concentrates on the ground,” Tamamo Cross praised in her heart.
“As expected of a gray Uma Musume like me.”
Yugi, beside her, was not surprised by this.
Rather, Oguri Cap’s performance was exactly what he expected.
“The Slope Road in front of the shrine wasn’t trained for nothing.” A confident curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Victory is assured, isn’t it?” Tamamo Cross looked down and opened her wallet, glancing inside.
“Good thing I brought a lot of cash today, otherwise it would be bad later.”
She now also believed that Oguri Cap would win this race.
As she entered the final bend, Oguri Cap had completely pulled away from the pack, opening up a gap of more than three lengths over second-place Innocent Dino.
“Maintain this speed, go!” Yugi became excited, pumping his fists in the air, his face grim as he muttered through gritted teeth, “Win this Wakakoma Sho!
Make those who looked down on you blush!”
Oguri Cap couldn’t hear his muttering, but she had already seen her trainer at the bend.
“Trainer is so excited…” Oguri Cap silently complained.
Although her mind wandered, it didn’t stop Oguri Cap from continuing to accelerate.
“She started accelerating at 800 meters and has been going for 400 meters now.” Tamamo Cross raised an eyebrow.
“It looks like Oguri Cap could extend that distance even further.”
“That’s right.” The now calm Yugi took over.
“In my plan, Oguri Cap’s future should aim for mile and middle-distance races, the range of 1600 meters to 2400 meters.”
“There aren’t many races in that distance range in the local circuit, are there?” Tamamo Cross realized the problem and guessed something.
“Could it be—?”
“You want to take her to challenge Central?” She stared intently at the young man in front of her, pressing for an answer.
Yugi glanced back at her.
“Challenging Central shouldn’t be illegal, right?”
“No, I don’t mean to question you.” Tamamo Cross shook her head repeatedly.
“I’m also really looking forward to seeing Oguri Cap in the Twinkle Series.”
“I need to work hard too.” She mused to herself.
“I can’t be stuck in conditions races when Oguri Cap goes to challenge Central major races.”
As she entered the final straight, with only 194 meters left to the finish line, Oguri Cap had already left her opponents behind by more than 9 lengths.
“No need to hold back!” Yugi had forgotten his previous thought of hoping Oguri Cap would minimize her energy expenditure as much as possible.
He shouted loudly, “Run forward with all your heart!”
“So, what am I thinking now—?” She asked herself.
“Of course, to keep charging forward!” The answer was obvious.
Regardless of how her opponents performed, Oguri Cap had no intention of conserving her strength here.
So, after establishing her winning position, she accelerated again.
“Damn it!
Didn’t they say gray Uma Musume couldn’t run fast?
Why can’t I catch up to this guy from Kasamatsu!” More than ten lengths behind, Innocent Dino roared in her heart.
“Unbelievable!
Oguri Cap, who pulled away from the opposite straight, shows no fatigue after entering the final straight!
She’s even accelerating!” The live commentator also shrieked.
“Go!” Tamamo Cross shouted along.
Not just Tamamo Cross, many spectators in the stands, even those who initially didn’t favor Oguri Cap, were now cheering for her, seeing her massive lead.
“Faster!
Faster!” Oguri Cap continuously urged herself, her stride frequency increasing, her stride length widening.
The breath and sounds of her opponents completely disappeared, and the whole world seemed to be left with only her own breathing and footsteps — like the bell before victory.
On the final straight, Oguri Cap tore through the empty track like the wind, leaving only a trail of footprints.
“Oguri Cap crosses the finish line!”
“An incredible result!
Before the race, it was expected to be a close contest, but Oguri Cap from Kasamatsu overturned all expectations!” The live commentator clutched his head.
“No one before the race could have imagined such a result!
Oguri Cap!
The first Wakakoma Sho winner since Kasamatsu Tracen Academy was established!”
“1:27.4.” Tamamo Cross looked at the finishing time displayed on the board, her brows furrowed.
“This time, even in Central, is good enough to place in an untried race.”
“Phew—” Yugi let out a long breath.
“Next up should be the Hokkaido Yushun Himba.”
“This time, Oguri must have won by over 10 lengths against the second-place horse, right?” Berno Light bit her finger, muttering softly.
“Oguri, she’s really amazing.
As expected… she will definitely reach a stage I can’t even imagine.”
Yugi felt a premonition and opened his attribute viewer, preparing to see if there were any changes in Oguri Cap’s post-race attributes.
All the preceding attributes were exactly the same as before, until he scrolled to the last section, “Skills.”
Head-on Battle… Yugi focused his attention on this skill, and the skill’s description appeared in his mind.
“When in the front half of the pack, acceleration is increased.”
“This skill appeared after the race.” He shifted his gaze back to Oguri Cap, who was standing idly on the track.
“So skills are gained in actual races?”
Yugi was unsure how to use this skill or its effects, but he instinctively felt that its power was absolutely astonishing.
“I need to quickly figure out this skill system.” Yugi made a mental note of this.
===
Willing to honor the bet, Tamamo Cross, after Yugi brought Oguri Cap back, voluntarily offered to treat them to kishimen.
“It seems Norn Ace taught you well, Oguri Cap.
Your winning live performance this time was much better than last time.” Yugi was praising the gray Uma Musume he was training for her performance in the recent winning live.
Then he turned his head and met Tamamo Cross’s gaze.
“How about we skip it?
Last time, my colleague and I made a bet, and he also treated me to a meal, but he ended up spending 50,000 yen.”
“Uh—” Tamamo Cross also flinched at the amount, as she only had three Fukuzawa Yukichi bills in her wallet, still two short of 50,000.
“Then let’s exchange contact information.” Tamamo Cross hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.
“Anyway, I owe you this meal.
This summer, I’m going to Hokkaido to challenge a 1-win class race.
When I return from Hokkaido, I’ll definitely treat you to this meal.”
Yugi raised an eyebrow, secretly pondering, “She has three A-grades, just like Oguri Cap, but she’s only just escaped the maiden class in Central?”
He immediately corrected his misunderstanding.
“That’s not it.
According to what she said earlier, she seems to have been running on dirt and leading the race.
Her adaptability to both of these is very low, so it’s not surprising.” Yugi breathed a sigh of relief, then gave Tamamo Cross his home landline number.
“Okay, I’ve got it.” Tamamo Cross memorized it, nodded, and turned to look at Oguri Cap.
“Oguri Cap, remember my name, Tamamo Cross — I look forward to seeing you on the Central racecourse.”
“I will!” Oguri Cap’s tone was firm, meeting Tamamo Cross’s gaze without fear.
“I will challenge Central with Trainer and Berno Light-chan!”
“Good luck~” Tamamo Cross waved her hand, brushing past Oguri Cap.
“We definitely will.” This time, without Oguri Cap needing to answer, Yugi replied on her behalf.
“Next year, in the latter half, we definitely will.”
Tamamo Cross said nothing more, simply walking away alone.
She didn’t really believe Yugi’s “next year, in the latter half,” but Tamamo Cross vaguely felt that the future might indeed be as this trainer from the countryside had said.
Since he hadn’t taken advantage of Tamamo Cross, Yugi simply paid for the two Uma Musume to eat at a nearby restaurant.
Looking at the mountain of dishes in front of Oguri Cap, and then at the already green-faced waiter, Yugi felt no ripples in his heart — on the one hand, he was used to it, and on the other hand, he would receive 600,000 yen in prize money from today’s Wakakoma Sho, so the cost of this meal was completely acceptable.
Berno Light glanced at Oguri Cap, who was burying her head in her food, then met her trainer’s gaze.
“Trainer, is it time to prepare for the Hokkaido Yushun Himba now?”
“Yes.” Yugi picked up a sweet shrimp, put it in his mouth, and replied indistinctly, “Next, I need you to prepare horseshoes for Oguri Cap that adapt to different track conditions, prepare a few spare pairs of shoes, and help me organize what we need to bring to Hokkaido.”
“As for race data and such, I’ll organize that myself.” He continued after swallowing.
“If all goes well, once you finish those tasks, Berno Light, we’ll depart from Kasamatsu.”
“So early?
The race is at the end of August, isn’t it?” Berno Light was stunned, not quite understanding why Yugi was in such a hurry to leave.
“Going early allows for better acclimatization,” Yugi said, turning to look at Oguri Cap.
“And we can also visit Oguri Cap’s home and talk with her mother.”
Oguri Cap quickly looked up when she heard her trainer mention her.
“Hm?”
“Going to Oguri’s home?!” Berno Light became excited.
“I want to go too!”
“Of course I’ll take you.” Yugi rolled his eyes.
“This trip to Hokkaido, all of us are going.
I won’t leave you in Kasamatsu.”
“Going home…” Oguri Cap was surprised, even her chewing speed slowed down.
She really hadn’t expected the trainer to suggest this idea.
“Yes, Oguri Cap hasn’t been home for almost half a year, has she?” The young man raised an eyebrow and continued.
“Since we’re going to Hokkaido this time, Oguri Cap must want to go home and see, right?”
“And I remember Oguri Cap saying it, right?
That her family’s living conditions aren’t very good.” Yugi tapped the table.
“If we win the Hokkaido Yushun Himba, that prize money will be enough for Oguri Cap’s mother to move to Kasamatsu and get a better house.”
“Get a better house…” Oguri Cap repeated, her eyes lighting up.
Seeing Oguri Cap’s expression, Yugi was confident that he wouldn’t need to offer her any more encouragement.
“With this alone, Oguri Cap will definitely be in her best form for this trip to Hokkaido,” he muttered to himself.
After sending Oguri Cap and Berno Light back to the academy, Yugi planned to leave work early today.
Anyway, staying at the academy would just mean writing post-race reports, and he felt more comfortable writing them at home.
As for training… no trainer would actually demand daily training from the Uma Musume they’re responsible for when she’s just raced today, right?
After earnestly reminding Oguri Cap several times not to do her morning run tomorrow but to wait for him to come to work and arrange her recovery training, and also giving Berno Light an advance as activity funds, he drove leisurely back to his apartment.
However, although he said he was leaving work early, Yugi actually didn’t end his day’s work after returning home.
He took a shower, rested on the sofa for a while, then sat back down at his desk to write the post-race report for Oguri Cap’s Wakakoma Sho today.
After objectively describing the gray Uma Musume’s performance at the Nagoya Racecourse today, Yugi seemingly casually added a sentence: “In this race, Oguri Cap showed excellent speed talent, and perhaps next year she can try challenging Central’s turf stakes races.”
And when it came to the strengths and weaknesses section, just like in the previous report, Yugi wrote extensively in the strengths column, while only a simple sentence was written for weaknesses.
“Insufficient understanding of the opponent’s strength, and slight hesitation in timing the acceleration.”
===
After finishing the report, Yugi checked the time and saw it was already past 10 PM.
He decided to take another bath and then go to bed.
He smoothly entered the dream world, where he would continue to ride Oguri Cap in a race today.
Unlike the real world, the Oguri Cap in the dream world was still dutifully staying in Kasamatsu, competing with her generation of rivals.
To be precise, with Yugi’s riding assistance, it was currently just Oguri Cap unilaterally “bullying” her generation of rivals.
Today was no different.
This time, Oguri Cap was participating in a standard race at Kasamatsu Racecourse, limited to debut-year participants.
For Yugi, this type of race was already figured out — enter the gate properly, start aggressively, get into a good leading position, endure until the turn, accelerate forward and drift slightly outward, come to the front in the final straight, and finish the race in one go.
In his opinion, today would likely be much the same.
“Fujimasa March is here today too.” While riding Oguri Cap and waiting in the waiting area to enter the gate, Yugi was not surprised to see Hara Tatsuo and his partner, Fujimasa March.
“I didn’t see them in the previous two races, so I thought they were completely avoiding me and Oguri Cap,” he muttered to himself.
“But now that we’ve met again, he’ll definitely be wary of my outside rush, right?”
So, today Yugi planned to change his approach… After a smooth start, Hara Tatsuo focused a lot of attention on Yugi and Oguri Cap.
The confrontation in their debut race had taught him a profound lesson, and this time he absolutely did not want to repeat the mistake.
However, this time Yugi no longer followed behind Fujimasa March.
Instead, he chose to run alongside her, head-to-head.
“Oguri Cap is much sturdier than Fujimasa March.
If we really collide during the run, it definitely won’t be my side that suffers.” This time, Yugi was aiming to create a confrontation for Oguri Cap.
Hara Tatsuo also noticed the uncharacteristically behaving Yugi and Oguri Cap.