Uma Musume: Become a Legendary Trainer

Chapter 179 Yesen's adaptability to the competition field

After deciding to have a practice match, the atmosphere in Kitahara was basically no different from daily training.

So after arranging a practice match with Tony Bianca and the others, early the next morning, although the horse racing ladies were still a little uncomfortable with the time difference, they were ready as usual at the Yesen Stadium.

The venue for the practice match was determined to be the Yesen Stadium. Considering that Japanese horse girls had never run on such a venue before, Chairman Lifar arranged for Kitahara and the others to use the stadium at will until the end of the competition.

Those who have not yet debuted, such as Roman Oguri and Golden Journey, are also participating in this training.

Special Week, Good Opera, Dream Journey, Golden Master, and Big Shock, which are still in primary school and kindergarten, also stayed aside to study after a simple morning exercise.

"Oguruma and the others are already used to this kind of training. Oguruma and Journey, you don't have a trainer yet, and the training you are exposed to is also 'drill sergeant-style', but being exposed to it in advance will help your future development."

Looking at Oguri Roman and Golden Journey, Kitahara explained:
"Also, for this competition, President Ludo, I discussed with Chairman Lifar and we felt that since it was a practice match, it would be a good idea for you, the horse girls who have already begun to become authentic, to try to participate."

"Don't worry too much about the ranking or anything like that. The most important thing is the opportunity to learn. Just give your best in the competition when the time comes."

The training arrangements at Central Tresen College can be roughly divided into two categories.

One category is the female racehorses who have just enrolled or have not yet found a trainer. They are supervised by instructors arranged by the academy and receive some general basic training.

Most of the people that Roman Oguri and his classmates in Golden Journey are exposed to are of this kind.

The other type is targeted training conducted by trainers.

As for the content of the competition, as Kitahara said, this training match is a mixture of horse girls who are in the mature stage of their orthodoxy, such as Oguri Mamoru and Toni Bianca, as well as horse girls who have just entered the stage of orthodoxy, such as Oguri Roman and Golden Journey.

Judging from the strength, the latter is definitely not as good as the former, but being able to come into contact with world-class horse girls at a very early age and compete and train with them naturally has many obvious benefits.

The two little horse girls obviously understood this. Oguri Roman was so nervous that he couldn't speak and just nodded.

Huang Jinlüyou, who always acted like the eldest sister at home, nodded with a look of anxiety and nervousness on her face.

"Then I will arrange the tasks directly, and also sort out the arrangements for the next competition."

Seeing Oguri Roman and Golden Journey nod, Kitahara looked at Tamamo Cross and Inari Ichi and said in a deep voice:

"It's only June now, and there's still a month until Central College goes on holiday."

"So I said at the beginning that this 'European trip' is not tourism, but actually a short-term overseas exchange study."

"Tama, Inari, your next competitions are the Takarazuka Kinen at the end of June and the Takamatsunomiya Cup at the beginning of July."

“Although overseas training is conducted in different venues than usual, many abilities and techniques are universal.”

"Treat this training match as a competition and prepare seriously. In the middle of the month, you can return to China for half a month to adapt to the venue. There won't be any big problems with those two games."

Apart from this training match, the team has already confirmed two games, namely the Takarazuka Kinen in late June and the Takamatsunomiya Cup in early July.

Both games require fans to vote to decide whether to leave. Oguri, Kobayashi and Aldan have just participated in the Japanese Derby, so the intensity of participating in a practice match is not low.

So even though they had enough fan votes, they still skipped these two games.

The only ones who can participate are Tamamo Cross and Inari.

The two competitions are very close together and it is impossible to register for both at the same time.

With the strength of these two horse girls, both of them have the potential to win the championship. From a team perspective, it would be a waste of the opportunity to participate alone.

So Kitahara, Komiyama and Yusuhara discussed it and decided to draw lots to decide which race the two horse girls would participate in.

The final result was that Tamamo Cross won the Takarazuka Kinen and Inari Ichi won the Takamatsunomiya Cup.

Hearing Kitahara's arrangement, the two horse racing girls nodded in unison.

"Don't worry, uncle! We will do our best for the Takarazuka Memorial!"

"It's the Takamatsunomiya Cup. It's only 2000 meters. No problem!"

After hearing their assurances, Kitahara and other trainers all smiled knowingly, and even the somewhat nervous Oguri Roman and Golden Journey felt a little relieved.

"...Sister Tama and Sister Inari are so confident..."

Oguri Roman couldn't help but praise in a low voice with admiration, and although Golden Journey didn't say anything, the look he gave Tamamo Cross and Inari Ichi was full of admiration.

"Very good, keep it up like this."

Nodding in praise, Kitahara looked at Oguruma, Super Cove, and Mejiro Aldan.

Compared to Tamamono Cross and Inari Ichi, Oguruma and her friends' classic battle line arrangement is much simpler.

With their current performance, even if they do not participate in the preliminary battle of the Chrysanthemum Award, the number of their fans is enough to guarantee them the opportunity to leave first, especially Oguruma.

Oguruma can now be said to be one of the most famous horse racing girls in Japan, especially after winning the Japan Derby without a loss. Countless fans are looking forward to her recreating the legend symbolized by Rudo and winning the title of "Undefeated Triple Crown".

To put it in an exaggerated way, if she does nothing now and just waits for the Chrysanthemum Viewing Festival, her number of fans will be enough for her to leave as the most popular person.

Of course, Kitahara would definitely not arrange it this way.

He has already decided that even if there are enough fans, he will still arrange corresponding competitions for these three horse girls.

"After this overseas exchange, the semester will soon be over, which means we will have a training camp from July to August."

Looking at Oguruma and the others, Kitahara said in a deep voice: "The current training arrangements under consideration can be considered in Europe and Japan."

"Both places have their own advantages and disadvantages. I will discuss with Xiao Gongshan and the others which one to choose."

"No matter where you choose to hold your training camp, your first important event in the second half of the year will undoubtedly be the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Tournament."

"This year's chrysanthemum viewing event is scheduled for November 11, which is two months away from the end of August when the training camp ends."

"During this period, you can participate in the Daily Crown, St. Leger Memorial and Kobe Shimbun Cup in early October."

The arrangement of team events is usually made by trainers like Kitahara based on the status of Oguruma and the others, after analyzing data and information such as the opponent's situation, and then making some drafts and discussing and finalizing them with the latter.

Oguruma and the others basically had no objections, and this time was no exception.

However, a surprised voice suddenly came from the horse racing girl who was listening in.

"Hey, wait a minute."

The Sirius symbol showed a surprised expression, "I can understand the Saint Legge Memorial and Kobe Shimbun Cup."

"These two games are the prelude to the Chrysanthemum Appreciation. If you want Oguruma and the others to participate, it will 100% ensure that they will be the first to leave. That's fine."

"But the Daily Crown..."

Her eyes began to wander between Little Chestnut Hat, Little Bay, and Aldan's face.

"This is a competition that does not limit classic and ancient horse years."

"More importantly, this is the 'outpost' of the G1 front that all the old horses will consider in the second half of the year."

"Are you sure you want these three classic years to participate?"

Sirius' words startled all the members in training, and then Luduo, who was also listening, sighed symbolically and came over to pat the former on the shoulder.

"It may be a little embarrassing for you to say this, but..."

Luduo shrugged and looked at Xiaokuimao, Xiaohaiwan and Aldan with some emotion, "Xiaokuimao and the others are indeed in the classic year."

“Normally, there is a certain gap between the horse girls of the Classic Year and the Old Year, and that’s true.”

"But, these three...are you sure they are the same as the regular Classic Year?"

"Or to put it bluntly, if I asked you to compete with them now, are you sure you can win, Sirius?"

"Uh……"

The Sirius symbol choked.

...Hey, Luduo, you're not making her feel a little embarrassed, this is really embarrassing...

Kitahara smiled bitterly to himself.

As Sirius said, letting Oguruma and the others participate in the St. Legacy Memorial Cup and the Kobe Shimbun Cup is a very regular event arrangement for the classic front.

Both races are G2, one at Zhongshan Stadium, 2200 meters on grass, and the other at Hanshin Stadium, 2400 meters on grass. The top three will have priority to go to the Chrysanthemum Viewing Competition.

Although the daily crown is also G2, it has a very special meaning.

Sirius Symbol just described this game as "the first battle on the G1 front", which is indeed the case.

This 1800-meter grass race was held in Tokyo in early October, just three weeks before the Emperor's autumn viewing event.

Under normal circumstances, except for those horse girls who aim to watch the Emperor's autumn viewing, the rest of the horse girls will choose this race as a "warm-up" for all G1 events in the second half of the year.

In other words, those strong players who have the ability to participate in the G1 in the second half of the year will consider this G2 event, and the actual situation in previous years has been the same.

This results in the fact that although the "Daily Crown" is only G2 in level, the actual battle situation is no different from G1. In fact, because the horse girls who plan to go away to the Emperor to enjoy the autumn scenery avoid fighting, the intensity of the battle is often even higher than that of G1.

The "Daily Crown" is therefore also nicknamed "Super G2".

But these are general situations. For some "special" horse girls, there is no need to consider this.

For example, the chestnut hat.

In history, Oguri was unable to participate in the Classic Triple Crown and had to register for some of the Old Horse Year events as a classic year.

The first game in the second half of that year was the Daily Crown.

In that daily crown, there were the Dana Female Corner who broke the Zhongshan track mile record, the Emperor Spring Runner-up Free Run, the Legendary Emperor who had won 2 games, the Brave Viking who won 7 games in 5 games, and the Derby Horse Sirius Symbol...

These old horses, who are considered strong in G1 events, were the opponents of Oguruma in that Daily Crown.

Among a group of battle-hardened G1 seniors, Ogurimao won the record-breaking championship.

In fact, just winning the championship in a classic year against so many old horse opponents is actually outrageous enough.

What's even more outrageous is that three weeks later, Oguruma participated in the Emperor's Autumn Viewing Ceremony. Although he lost to Tamamo Cross, he still won the second place.

so……

"Well, Little Chestnut and the others are indeed a little unusual."

After tactfully acknowledging the Ludo symbol, Kitahara scratched his cheek, looked at the Ogurt Hat, and then looked at the Sirius symbol.

“The current consideration is that Little Bay and Aldan will participate in the St. Leger Memorial and Kobe Shimbun Cups.”

"Little Chestnut Hat participates in the Daily Crown."

"For an important competition like the Chrysanthemum Festival, it is necessary to have three to four months of training in the early stages. This will help improve adaptability and prevent your form from being affected by too many competitions."

"But we certainly can't not participate in any competitions."

"So, some games of moderate intensity are a good choice."

"The Daily Crown is indeed too much for a normal classic year, but the Ogurt Hat... should be just right."

“For the other two games, there is actually a possibility of insufficient warm-up. In this regard, I will consider appropriately increasing the training intensity of Little Bay and Aldan.”

"In short, we won't use the battle training method. At most, we will have more practice matches like we are doing now."

At the end, Kitahara shook his head.

"Little Kurimao is going to participate in the Daily Crown...hiss——"

It was very obvious that after Kitahara finished his explanation, the Sirius symbol took a breath, his expression became serious, and his eyes were a little excited.

"Ha, although it's a bit embarrassing to admit this, but Oguruma is truly a powerful opponent that cannot be ignored..."

"Oh? So have you ever thought about participating in this training match?"

Hearing Sirius' words, Luduo smiled, "Before you said you were just a pilot, just keep training."

"You are competing against me in the Daily Crown in this training match. Are you sure you don't want to adapt to the situation in advance?"

At this point, Luduo's tone was full of encouragement and ridicule.

"Oh? Sirius is going to participate in the Daily Crown as well?"

Xiao Li Mao was also a little excited, "Then let's have a training match together!"

"I will definitely participate. I've already said that the warm-up for G1 in the second half of the year will definitely be the Daily Crown."

Scratching his head in response, the Sirius symbol sighed, "Alas, I originally wanted to treat this as a trip, but..."

"Now that it has come to this, how can I not participate?"

"You guys start training first, I'll go back and change into sportswear!" As he said that, the Sirius symbol, who was still wearing casual clothes, waved his hand, turned around and ran towards the dormitory.

...How decisive! If the Sirius symbol participates in the competition, Yesen College...

Kitahara pondered secretly.

This competition is called "training". In fact, if we don't take into account those who have adapted in advance, such as Roman Oguri and Golden Journey, the strength of the remaining contestants is almost the same as in a real competition.

Sirius Symbol's record on paper is certainly not perfect, but like Oguruma, she is also a Japanese Derby horse girl. Her strength is also one in a thousand. She defeated thousands of opponents to win this title that year.

In addition, she has more competition experience and is more familiar with the European arena. If she really participates in the competition, she will be an extremely strong opponent.

In order to ensure that the competition environment is suitable for both Japan and the UK, in principle, corresponding adjustments must be made on both sides.

"Don't worry, Kitahara. I will communicate with Chairman Lifar about Sirius' situation."

What Beiyuan could think of, Luduo could also think of. Seeing the former lost in thought, she quickly guessed what he was thinking.

"There will be no problem with the players' arrangement, and instead of worrying about your opponents, you should train Oguruma and the others well."

Raising his chin towards the nearby Yesen track, Lu Duo said in a solemn voice, "The training match is not that rigorous, and there is not much time to prepare."

"Only one week."

"Honestly speaking, with such a short time, I think Oguruma and the others have little chance of winning."

"We can try our best to adapt to the special track in Ye Sen. At least it will make it harder for Tony, Bianca and the others to win."

"So, based on Yongshi's usual training habits, you..."

She suddenly shook her head, revealing a deep look, "No, it's us here at Umamusume Japan that can also obtain enough data on our opponents in the Japan Cup..."

What Luduo said symbolically was another reason why Beiyuan agreed to this competition.

Only when you know both yourself and your opponent can you have a better chance of winning. Apart from Kitahara, Japan’s current understanding of the world’s top horse racing girls can be said to be “zero”.

This is not an exaggeration at all. Just like Japan in another world, the attitude of the Japanese horse racing girls world towards the outside world is almost the same as "closing the country to the outside world".

"Imported horse girls" and "foreign horse girls" are prohibited from participating in the eight major races. The only event open to the outside world is the Japan Cup. Most of the knowledge of international events and horse girls is the personal behavior of trainers, and there are less than 10 overseas expeditions...

Under all circumstances, Japan's understanding of the world can indeed be said to be "zero".

But it’s different abroad. In order to participate in the Japan Cup, Toni Bianca, Moonlight Crazy, and their trainers even learned Japanese, which shows how well prepared they are.

This information gap, coupled with the difference in strength, has resulted in the fact that out of the eight Japan Cups held since its inception, only two champions, Katsuragi Ace and Rudo Symbol, were Japanese horse girls, while the rest of the champions were all foreign horse girls.

Kitahara didn't know what the other trainers were thinking, but since he had decided to let Oguruma and the others participate in the Japan Cup, he would use the data analysis that Eisei was already good at to study everything thoroughly without his opponents knowing.

"...You're right. The event schedule has just been completed. So..."

Nodding symbolically to Luduo, he turned to look at Oguruma and the others. Kitahara habitually held the stopwatch in front of his chest with one hand and waved the recording board with the other.

"First, the most basic one, according to the training match schedule of 2423 meters, all members will do 10 sets of regular running."

2423 meters is the distance of the British Derby and the entire distance of the Epsom race.

There are no restrictions for regular parallel running, and all trainees run freely from the starting point to the finish line. This is regular parallel running.

Since there are no restrictions during the parallel running process, the horse racing girls can choose any running tactics, and the situation of one parallel running may be completely different from the next, so the basic parameters of the running conditions on the track can be obtained.

Afterwards, Kitahara and other trainers will classify these parameters, combine the observed situations and the horse girls’ own feedback, and obtain most of the data at different positions on the field and in different states of the horse girls, so as to target the next step of training and adjust the actual running methods and tactics.

This is a common method used by general trainers, and the Yongshi team has long since upgraded it, using various instruments throughout the stadium to accurately record the entire track conditions to seconds and centimeters.

...The problem is, I didn't expect to start training so soon...

From the training assisted by various technologies, he instantly returned to the "original level". Together with Komiyayama and Yusuhara, he wrote down a large amount of data previously recorded by instruments, and Kitahara smiled bitterly.

I thought it would take a day or two, but the various equipment hasn’t been airlifted here yet…

This was a small oversight on this "European trip". At the invitation of Tony Bianca, the training and practice matches were held a day or two earlier than Kitahara expected, which made the trainer's tasks much heavier during today's training.

Especially in the absence of instrument support, Kitahara and others are still able to analyze most of the training situations based on their basic skills.

Kyoko Miyamura and Shining Glory were in an awkward situation. In medicine and technology, accuracy to the second or centimeter was not enough. It required at least milliseconds and micrometers.

That level of accuracy is beyond the reach of the naked eye, and without the ability to make accurate judgments, the conclusions drawn from these two aspects are likely to be wrong.

Therefore, the chief doctor and chief technician of the Yongshi team could only rely on what they had seen and heard on a daily basis to help Kitahara and the others, and organize the records that were filled with all kinds of data and sketches.

It doesn’t take much time to complete 10 sets of regular parallel running. In practice, this distance will take about 3 minutes to complete.

The training is not that intense, but at the speed of the horse racing girls, 5 to 7 minutes is enough to complete a set.

An hour later, exhausted Oguruma and the others began their intermission. Special Zhou, Good Opera and others who had been watching and learning from them also had work to do.

They were responsible for delivering towels, energy drinks, etc. that had been prepared long ago.

On the other hand, in Beiyuan, a heated discussion and even debate began.

"Brother, your starting record is not correct, right? Why is the variance you calculated different from mine?"

“你考虑到上坡没？叶森赛场1又1/2起点到1里2化朗这个位置是个持续的上坡，由于距离很长不太能看出来，所以起跑记录参照以往数据进行方差计算后是我这个才对。”

"Wait, is there a slope there?"

"I told you it's not obvious. It's usually hard to see, especially since there's an arc with a radius of more than 500 meters from the starting point to the end of the prologue, which will also affect visual judgment."

"...Then how did you know there was an uphill slope there, Senior Brother?"

"It's very simple. Just run a lap... Wait, last night I asked you to take some time to run a lap at the Yesen Stadium. Didn't you run?"

After arguing with Komiyayama, Kitahara was stunned, feeling that he had discovered a blind spot, and couldn't help but laugh and cry.

"This... I didn't run away, but it's not like I forgot. Xiaoyu couldn't sleep due to jet lag last night and came to chat with me..."

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Komiya-san became somewhat dissatisfied.

"But, logically speaking, Yesen College should have all the data on the track, right?"

She looked in the direction of the academy and pouted, "But I asked President Lifar before, and the information she provided only described the situation on the field, without any specific data."

"…This situation is not a problem of Yesen College."

Beiyuan sighed, "But apart from Yongshi, there are not many colleges that specifically model the stadium."

"This is purely geographical research, and we ourselves slowly compiled the data through a new and brilliant survey."

"Don't even mention the Yesen race. There are so many races in Japan, and we only sorted out the data of the ones that Oguruma and the others ran in."

This can also be regarded as a problem of the overall backwardness of technology in this timeline. The concept of data modeling is considered cutting-edge in most fields, and its specific applications are based on various high-end technologies.

It is used to analyze various situations of horse racing girls and data of competition venues. In fact, these are only placed in the Olympics in another world and are not at all in horse racing.

"In short, we had relevant instruments to assist us, so these calculations were very simple, but the instruments are still in the sky..."

Pointing to the eastern sky helplessly, Kitahara shook his head helplessly, "I can just make do with it for now and 'hand-pick' various data. We should be able to get our usual instruments by the afternoon."

"Okay, Komiya-san, do you still have any questions? Or Yusuhara, what about you?"

"I... I'll take a look at the rest of your data first, and let Brother Yuhara speak first..."

Fearing that there might be another mistake in his calculation, Komiya-san retreated a little.

"As for me, I ran across this track with Inari last night."

Yuyuan said something off topic, "She also had trouble sleeping due to jet lag, so I brought her along for a run."

"I just checked it, and most of my calculations are not significantly different from Brother Kitahara's."

"This is where the doubts come from."

As he spoke, he pulled out two sheets of paper from the pile of papers on the ground in front of them and placed them in front of everyone.

The contents of the two pictures are very consistent, both are the end of the "U"-shaped track of the Yesen racing field.

On the almost straight track at the end, there were various stick figures drawn on them, with various arrows extending from their bodies, and the names of Oguruma and the others were marked behind the arrows.

Behind the name are strings of data, and after the data are draft-like formulas and results.

"When I tried running with Inari last night, I found that the end of the track here is consistent with the description given by Chairman Lifar."

Turning the pen in his hand upside down and tapping two pieces of paper, Yuhara pondered:
"From the big U-turn into the straight road behind, it is indeed a continuous downhill for half a mile."

"The data above shows that Inari and Oguruma are very close to previous data. The difference, I think, is in their adaptability to the pasture."

"We will discuss the grassland issue later. The focus is on the last 50 meters or so."

He tapped the pen at the end of the track on the paper.

"It's just like what the information says, there's a very abrupt uphill slope here."

"There has never been such a steep slope in a race in Japan. Even in Tokyo, the uphill slope is not this close to the finish line."

"Oguruma and the others were obviously used to using this kind of ups and downs as a warm-up for the final sprint, so their speed was not as high as it could be at this time."

"This caused their finishing time, or the data of the last three waves, to show a cliff fluctuation here."

"I think this situation will probably affect their performance in the actual competition."

Hearing this, Beiyuan did not respond immediately, but fell into silence.

It's not that what Yuhara said was wrong. The situation he described was exactly the same as Kitahara's analysis, and the paper he took out for explanation was exactly what the two of them had recorded and calculated.

The key point is that this "special" track condition caused performance problems for Oguruma and others, which Kitahara believes is actually everywhere.

The Epsom Stadium can be said to be the stadium with the longest history, and the Epsom Derby held here is also the oldest derby, bar none.

Because the name "Derby" came from Yesen, it originated from the new event decided by "Sir Derby" in 1779.

However, since this venue is only open for competitions in spring and summer, there are actually very few horse girls and trainers who have experience in related venues.

The very rare "U"-shaped track will cause all kinds of misjudgment for horse racing girls who are used to running on "circular" tracks. In fact, if the error that Komiyayama just mentioned is placed on a "circular" track, the data will appear to be normal.

Trainers will make such misjudgments, and horse girls will certainly make them too, and this is reflected in the data.

In addition to the entire track, similar situations occur in basically every section of the track.

The start is from the far end of the "U", and at the beginning there is a continuous uphill road, which is not seen in Japanese competitions.

Japanese competition venues are generally artificial venues, and the terrain may have short ups and downs, but there will never be a continuous uphill slope that lasts half the venue.

This kind of site can only be found in natural environment.

Such continuous uphill climbs will make the horse girl mistakenly think that it is flat ground, resulting in insufficient use of strength and unknowingly reducing her speed.

After such an uphill climb, it is not a downhill climb, but rather a "highland behind the slope", and a "highland with a big turn".

This is the famous "Tatar Salty Bend" in the Yesen race course. Its characteristic is that it is located at the highest point of the race course. The bend is very wide, and the front half is a flat "highland", while the second half will turn and go downhill.

The "Tartar Salty Bend" is rare not only in Japan but also in the whole of Europe. It only appears in Britain where most of the stadiums are converted from castles.

In fact, Kitahara has not yet analyzed the specific results of the impact this part of the venue will have on Oguruma and the others, but judging from the data, it is certain that their performance is different from the past.

After going downhill on the big bend, it is still downhill, which is what Yusuhara just mentioned as "continuous downhill".

This section has a similar uphill impact to the start, but is more pronounced because it is completely straight.

Generally speaking, when going downhill, Uma Musume is affected by gravity and her speed will be faster than other situations, which means that adjustments such as switching positions require more strength and better skills.

Oguruma and the others have undergone "ultra-high-speed lane change" training, which can play a certain role here, but further training is definitely needed for its specific application.

Finally, there is the abrupt uphill slope before the finish line.

For Japanese horse racing girls, it is easy to misjudge this uphill slope as "the sprint to the finish line will be done later, there is no rush now", resulting in a significant drop in speed.

...So, even though it's just a training match, if you really want to run well, there's a lot to do...

Analyzing secretly, Kitahara began to have a headache.

If they can’t run at a sufficient level, Tony Bianca and the others probably won’t give their full strength.

If that's the case, what's the point of knowing yourself and your enemy...

Recently, due to the influence of cold air, I will take a short break and start 8K
Everyone should pay attention to their health and don't catch a cold



(End of this chapter)