When running on the outer track, the final straight is 330 meters long.
Although it is much longer than the 140-meter final straight of certain racecourses, in Yugi’s opinion the Monbetsu Racecourse track is still not suitable for a Uma Musume using a late-charge strategy to stay in front and then fight from behind.
Because it is a right-handed track, Uma Musume from outer gates have an advantage after the start and can easily secure their desired position on the longer straight.
After 270 meters they enter the first bend, where the terrain is flat and the bend is not too sharp.
By the time they complete a lap and are about to enter the final straight, Uma Musume on the inner track will accelerate earlier to avoid being boxed in by opponents on the outer track.
Very few local Uma Musume can sustain a 330-meter high-intensity sprint, so the outer gates, which allow for more freedom in choosing acceleration routes, generally have an advantage.
The average temperature in Monbetsu in August is between 18℃ and 26℃.
According to the meteorological data for the past decade collected by Yugi, there are an average of 8 rainy days in August.
And because of the lower climate, the Monbetsu Racecourse track dries out very slowly once it rains.
This also means that he must prepare Oguri Cap to fight on a heavy dirt track.
“It’s a good thing I chose shoe and horseshoe styles suitable for rain and heavy tracks when I bought them; otherwise I’d have to allocate part of the budget for on-site procurement now.” Yugi secretly congratulated himself for not taking chances with Oguri Cap’s equipment purchases to save money earlier.
He collected more than just Monbetsu’s meteorological data.
Yugi also compiled data from 1800-meter races at Monbetsu Racecourse over the past decade, arriving at a conclusion that frustrated him — Uma Musume using front-running tactics had the highest win rate in historical data under these track conditions.
“But it’s impossible to let Oguri Cap lead.” Yugi had not forgotten Oguri Cap’s attributes, and facing Hokkaido’s first G3 major race he dared not let Oguri Cap take such a risk.
Yugi glanced at Silence Suzuka, who was curiously looking around beside him.
“If this track were turf, it would be very suitable for her.”
As soon as he thought this, he heard Silence Suzuka sigh.
“I really don’t like this kind of track.”
“Hm?” Yugi was startled and quickly asked, “The Monbetsu Racecourse track favors Uma Musume who use front-running tactics, but Miss Suzuka doesn’t like it?”
“As expected, Yugi-kun saw that I’m an escape Uma Musume.”
While Silence Suzuka pondered, she honestly explained, “Because I’m not good at right-handed tracks.
In tests at the academy, running the same distance on the same track, the time difference between left-handed and right-handed was very clear, so my trainer told me to focus on left-handed races in the future.”
This also means that for Silence Suzuka, in her future Twinkle Series career, the Takarazuka Kinen and Arima Kinen — these two Grand Prix races — would not be very compatible with her.
“But being slightly weaker on right-handed tracks doesn’t mean she can’t run them, right?” This question remained in Yugi’s heart; the young man chose not to speak further.
The lesson from West Coast Tracen Academy was simply too profound.
“Besides, Miss Tojo looks very serious, so it’s best if I don’t provoke her.” Yugi secretly reminded himself not to meddle.
So he showed a brilliant smile.
“Miss Tojo must have her reasons for saying so.
I believe Miss Suzuka will definitely become a G1 Uma Musume under her training in the future!”
“Then I’ll take Yugi-kun’s auspicious words.” Silence Suzuka’s gaze fell on the aisle tiles of Monbetsu Racecourse, and she responded softly.
Perhaps it was Yugi’s misconception, but he vaguely heard a hint of regret in Silence Suzuka’s tone.
===
After a tour of the Monbetsu Racecourse stands, Yugi and Silence Suzuka left.
Walking out of the racecourse, Yugi stretched his body and proactively said, “How about we just have breakfast here?
My treat.”
“I appreciate Yugi-kun’s kindness.” The chestnut-haired Uma Musume gently shook her head.
“But Sachiko-san’s inn provides breakfast.
Wouldn’t it be better to save some money?”
Yugi realized the problem and secretly thought, “If Silence Suzuka’s appetite is like Oguri Cap’s, then I was indeed treading on dangerous ground just now.”
He rubbed his cheeks.
“Right, then please Silence—”
“You don’t have to call me by my full name.” Silence Suzuka smiled, interrupting Yugi.
“Then please Miss Suzuka, lead the way.” Yugi readily changed his address for the chestnut-haired Uma Musume.
“Okay.” Silence Suzuka, with a smile, turned around and started jogging.
Yugi followed without hesitation… At the hot spring inn, after Oguri Cap woke up and washed, she originally wanted to run around the inn to warm up.
But noticing that the Uma Musume from Central had also woken up and had the same intention, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, Oguri Cap chose not to run laps around the inn for her morning exercise.
Instead, she walked a little further, arriving at a public park two kilometers from the inn.
“I’ll do some simple warm-up exercises here, then go back to the inn for breakfast.”
Berno Light was still sound asleep in the guest room, so Oguri Cap didn’t have a training partner.
Therefore, she only did some basic training and quickly finished her morning exercise for the day.
“But speaking of which, isn’t the trainer awake either?” She was surprised.
“Is it because it’s summer vacation now, so he’s become lazy?
Otherwise, according to how it was at the academy, the trainer should wake up earlier than me.”
On the way back to the hot spring inn, Yugi and the now familiar Silence Suzuka ran and chatted.
However, he wisely limited the topic of conversation to Kasamatsu and Hokkaido, completely avoiding any mention of Central Tracen Academy.
Yugi didn’t want to offend Tojo Hana — first, it wasn’t necessary, and second, they would be staying at the inn for two months, seeing each other constantly.
If things became awkward now, it would be difficult later.
Most importantly, he wanted Tojo Hana to agree to send a Uma Musume she was training to accompany Oguri Cap for one or two serious chasing practice sessions.
“Of course, the prerequisite is that her team has a Uma Musume good at dirt tracks; otherwise the training effect would probably be mediocre.” He thought.
Yugi’s encounter with Silence Suzuka during her morning exercise this morning was purely accidental.
Trying to build a good relationship with her was partly because Silence Suzuka was very beautiful, but also had more considerations —
“This is an inn run by Silence Suzuka’s relatives.
Perhaps Tojo Hana’s team came here for a training camp on Silence Suzuka’s suggestion.
So Silence Suzuka must hold a significant position in Tojo Hana’s heart, and building a good relationship with her might have a surprising effect when communicating with Tojo Hana.”
In short, apart from some genuine feelings, Yugi was mostly thinking about “preparing Oguri Cap better for the Hokkaido Yushun Himba.”
But as he was about to return to the inn, he heard a familiar voice, full of doubt —
“Trainer, this is…?”
Yugi turned his head in the direction of the voice, and looking closely, Oguri Cap stood there, frowning deeply.
Silence Suzuka also stopped after hearing the voice and turned around.
“This is Oguri Cap, the Uma Musume I’m in charge of.” Yugi first introduced Oguri Cap to Silence Suzuka, then turned back to greet Oguri Cap.
“Oguri Cap, good morning~ This Central Uma Musume and I happened to choose the same morning exercise route, so we decided to head back together.”
After hearing her trainer’s explanation, Oguri Cap inexplicably found her mood much improved.
However, her expression remained blank.
“So that’s it… I just finished my morning exercise too and was about to go back to the inn for breakfast.”
“What about Berno Light?” Yugi scanned the surroundings.
“Didn’t she come out with you?”
“After I woke up and washed, Berno Light was still sound asleep.
I figured she’s not a Uma Musume anymore, so I just didn’t wake her.” Oguri Cap scratched her head.
“Trainer, let’s go back together.”
“Mmm!” Yugi couldn’t refuse Oguri Cap’s suggestion.
Silence Suzuka also didn’t raise any objections — in fact, after first spotting Oguri Cap, she had secretly been evaluating this local gray Uma Musume in her heart.
The conclusion also surprised Silence Suzuka: “I didn’t feel like she was weaker than the dirt Uma Musume at the academy… I even felt she was much stronger.”
She put away the surprise in her heart and muttered to herself, “This is normal.
After all, if she wasn’t strong enough, Yugi-kun wouldn’t have chosen to make the economically challenging expedition to Hokkaido for a local Uma Musume.”
Coming back to her senses, Silence Suzuka smiled and nodded at Oguri Cap, as if to greet her.
Oguri Cap only nodded in response, not speaking.
Only Yugi, caught in the middle, suddenly felt pressure from both sides.
He simply slowed his pace, walked over to Oguri Cap, and prepared to discuss the training program for the day with the Uma Musume he was in charge of.
“Although I know you really dislike it, Oguri Cap, swimming is still your main subject for this period,” Yugi said, and Oguri Cap’s expression immediately darkened.
He noticed the gray Uma Musume’s change in expression but had no intention of changing his mind.
“At least until this Thursday, Oguri Cap, you’ll have to train at the swimming pool near the hotel.”
“I will try my best,” Oguri Cap no longer refused, just nodded seriously, showing a completely affirmative attitude.
“After Thursday, I will start arranging dirt training for you,” Yugi immediately “returned the favor,” promising a plan that made Oguri Cap happy.
“So happy about training?” Silence Suzuka glanced at the two behind her, and her heart couldn’t help but envy the gray Uma Musume.
“That’s so nice… not having to think about all sorts of things during training, just leaving everything to her trainer is enough.”
“I want that too,” she pursed her lips, but she also knew it was impossible.
===
After breakfast, Yugi took Oguri Cap back to the guest room first — Berno Light, who had just woken up, had just finished washing up and was about to go eat breakfast.
He and Oguri Cap sat opposite each other on the tatami, with a low table between them on which lay Yugi’s newly bought notebook.
He twirled a pen in one hand and said to the gray Uma Musume he was in charge of training, “The endpoint of my morning exercise today was Monbetsu Racecourse.”
“The reason I went there was because I wanted to verify on-site whether the information I compiled was accurate,” Yugi said, shrugging helplessly.
“Unfortunately, the information didn’t lie.”
“Trainer…” Seeing Yugi’s expression, Oguri Cap knew that the trainer was probably about to deliver some bad news.
“The most advantageous tactic at Monbetsu Racecourse is leading, and the best gate is the outer gate,” Yugi paused. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“The gate position is just luck, and as for tactics, since this challenge is an 1800-meter dirt race, it won’t be as simple as just charging forward like in Kasamatsu or Nagoya.”
“So this time, I demand that you, Oguri Cap, resolutely execute an aggressive front-running tactic.
No matter what gate you’re assigned, immediately move forward after the start, aim for the leading Uma Musume, and follow her.”
Yugi clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.
“Although I’ve never explained it to you, I believe you, Oguri Cap, have also noticed that during a race, if there’s another Uma Musume a few meters ahead, it’s much easier to run.”
“Yes,” Oguri Cap nodded repeatedly.
“I had that feeling during my debut race, and I thought it was just my imagination.”
“That’s not an illusion.” Yugi then explained the basic knowledge of aerodynamics to Oguri Cap in easy-to-understand language, teaching her what drafting was — in short, following behind an opponent to reduce wind resistance and decrease stamina consumption.
Oguri Cap suddenly understood after hearing Yugi’s explanation.
Although she didn’t understand these things before, relying on her innate racing talent, she would unconsciously draft during races.
After this, Yugi didn’t do any detailed analysis, only telling Oguri Cap what kind of training she needed to do in the swimming pool these days.
Swimming itself can improve cardiopulmonary capacity, and by utilizing water pressure it can also achieve some training that is difficult to do on land.
Because of the presence of Uma Musume, the swimming pool in Biratori Town was equipped with many training facilities.
It was just a matter of spending money.
After selling his family home, Yugi held a large sum of money.
However, considering that the Japanese yen had been appreciating steadily over the past few years, even reaching a level where 1 US dollar could only be exchanged for 120 Japanese yen, the young man, feeling vaguely uneasy, chose not to convert the US dollars he held into Japanese yen.
He had checked!
Two years ago, before multiple countries signed the Plaza Accord, 1 US dollar could be exchanged for 250 Japanese yen!
Yugi was not an economics major and didn’t understand what the US government was doing, but he didn’t believe that those black-hearted capitalists would give welfare to Japan.
“It’s better to keep the US dollars.” With this thought, after the money from the house sale arrived in his account, Yugi only withdrew a very small portion, exchanging it for an eight-figure sum in Japanese yen.
So now he could generously let Oguri Cap eat her fill — that being said, Yugi still hoped that this money could be used more to provide better training effects for Oguri Cap… After Berno Light returned, Yugi had Berno Light and Oguri Cap pack up and prepare to go to the swimming pool.
“What about Trainer?” Berno Light asked curiously.
“If we go to the swimming pool, what will Trainer do?”
Yugi got up from the tatami and tugged at his collar.
“I’m going to soak in the hot spring!”
“How cunning!!” Berno Light widened her eyes and cried out.
Oguri Cap also pouted.
“Anyway, you two need to be back for lunch, and then you can rest in the afternoon,” Yugi didn’t plan to give Oguri Cap a heavy training load.
“Okay,” Oguri Cap nodded, indicating she understood.
Seeing this, Yugi turned and walked back to his bedroom.
He wasn’t lying; after the two Uma Musume left, Yugi indeed planned to soak in the hot spring exclusive to this guest room.
“Otherwise, walking past their bedroom wrapped in a towel feels strange.” After hearing the guest room door close, the young man took his toiletries, preparing to wash himself in the bathroom first.
After his morning exercise he had been sweating profusely and had long wanted to take a shower.
This was also something that had to be done before soaking in the hot spring… After washing himself, Yugi, holding a small towel, slowly stepped into the hot spring exclusive to the guest room.
He didn’t sit down immediately, but rather walked slowly along the edge of the pool, arriving at the west side of the pool, leaning against the bamboo wall, and slowly sat down.
“Hiss—” As soon as he sat down, Yugi gasped, then shot up like a spring onion from dry ground.
It wasn’t because there was any foreign object in the hot spring pool that poked him, but because the temperature of the hot spring was much hotter than he expected.
Other places were fine, but such a scalding sensation on sensitive areas was indeed a bit uncomfortable.
“Hoo—” He let out a long breath after standing up, muttering, “It’s much more comfortable with the wind blowing like this.”
Then Yugi sat back down again.
This time, much more cautious, he wasn’t scalded again.
Leaning against the wall, Yugi squinted, looking at the boundless clear sky of Hokkaido, and his mood immediately brightened considerably.
“From this perspective, coming to Hokkaido for the summer vacation was indeed the right choice,” he murmured to himself.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yugi heard the sound of water from behind him — it was clear that the hot spring pool on the other side of the wall also had a visitor.
The only people staying at the Biratori Onsen Yukara this summer, besides Yugi and his group of three, were that team from Central.
In other words, behind this wall there was a high probability that an Uma Musume from Central Tracen Academy was preparing to enjoy the hot spring alone.
Yugi could already imagine the scene in his mind, the chestnut hair “carrot” head with a towel on top, taking small steps carefully moving towards the corner of the hot spring, the rising steam in the hot spring condensing into water droplets on her hair, then dripping down with the call of gravity on…
“STOP!
Wait a minute!” He urgently halted the rude fantasy in his mind.
“No matter what, Miss Suzuka is out of the question, right?”
After all, that chestnut-haired Uma Musume was truly unremarkable fantasizing about her only brought a sense of guilt.