Uma Musume: Become a Legendary Trainer

Chapter 421 Steep Slope and Skipping Stones
“All the horse girls finished beautifully, and the battle for the front row started right away, and the first one to stand out was…

"Mebiru Aldan!

"One thing that was beyond our expectations before the race was that the first player to take the lead in this Arima Kinen race was the rarely-runner Mejiro Altan!"

It can be said that the situation at the beginning of the game surprised the commentators and the audience.

In previous competitions, Mejiro Aldan was definitely not the most eye-catching compared to other horse girls, whether in terms of final results or choice of tactical running style.

It's not that she wasn't evaluated in the pre-match predictions, but the guesses given were completely different from what they are now.

The possibility of running away can be said to be the lowest, and the more likely possibility is to go first. This is the conclusion reached by the commentators and guests.

However, faced with this kind of change, the commentator narrated the situation with a bit of surprise, and the guests quickly followed up with comments.

“It is indeed a bit unexpected, but it is not that Altan Mejiro has no experience in leading the release, and she has a certain degree of adaptability to leading the release.

“Also, in the Chrysanthemum Tour, although she had a stall, she was ahead of Oguruma at one point and approached Super Cove.

"Perhaps the 3000-meter race at the Kikukasho is a bit beyond Mejiro Altan's endurance, but if it is shortened to the 2500-meter race at the Arima Kinen, it would be a great tactic to seize the initiative, set the pace, and steer the situation in a direction that is favorable to him."

"It seems that Mejiro Altan has made careful preparations for the Arima Memorial."

After agreeing with the guest, the commentator turned to recounting the actual situation of the game at a rapid speed.

"Well, the contestants are about to pass the opening bend. First, let's confirm the most popular person in our competition...

“Oguruma is in the front, she’s probably in the fifth or sixth position!

“It seems that in this Arima Kinen, our Ogururo hat player is likely to choose to run first as predicted before the game!

“Going into the bend.

“The line got a little crowded.

"The position of the player Oguruma is a little clearer, she is now in fifth place.

“Half a length ahead of her was Super Cove.

“In the opening set of this match, the Super Bay player had not made any obvious moves. She seemed to be watching her long-time rival, close friend, and Oguruma.

“We are also close friends and this is the first time we meet on the field. The second most popular player in this game, Tamamo Cross, is at the back of the team.

“She should be trying to choose a different running method, or wait for an opportunity to act, this horse racing girl who is the most popular in the ancient horse year.

"The popularity of Inari Ichi, who was as good as Tamamo Juji, and who had a great performance in the Japan Cup, was left at the end as expected.

"Can you show the same powerful pursuit that attracted the world's attention in the Japan Cup, Inari?"

The atmosphere in the stadium became more and more heated as the commentator reported the actual situation one by one.

However, feeling the slightly "deserted" running position, on the field, the leading Mejiro Aldan was not affected by the excitement in the audience at all.

On the contrary, she was calmer than the "desolation" brought by the empty surroundings. Feeling the footsteps behind her, she thought quickly.

As expected, just as analyzed before the race, the Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse... is more special than any other race.

Although the race will be on the inside track, the fact that the starting point is rarely located on the outside track in the big reward race, especially the G1 big reward race, made most opponents take conservative choices.

So, from the start to the turn, which is 192 meters, the distance I am ahead is...

The ears that were blown down by the strong wind twitched slightly, and Aldan narrowed his eyes slightly.

About four and a half horse lengths.

A little more lead than expected.

But you can't relax.

There was still one and a half laps left, and the gentle curves were very helpful in preventing me from getting a little exhausted.

But in the end, with 310 meters of straight running and two uphill runs, it was difficult to offset the power disadvantage compared to Oguri, Inari and the others.

Moreover, there are six turns and the inside lane is obviously advantageous. In addition, everyone ran conservatively due to the special starting position...

There is a chance to increase the distance a little more!
With another half horse length, I would have at least two horse lengths of tolerance!

As long as they can maintain a three-length gap when entering the straight line, no matter whether it is Oguri or anyone else, they will have a chance to fight for the last foot...

Very small!

On the contrary, my chances of winning are greater!

The oncoming wind suddenly became stronger and clearer, and everything in Aldan's sight became more blurred.

"Oh! It's Altan Mejiro again!

"At the moment of entering the first corner, Mejiro Altan accelerated!
“Although the speed increase is not obvious, the gap should be gradually increasing!
"Could it be that after the world-class pursuit in the Japan Cup, this Arima Kinen will be a world-class escape?!"

The commentator's surprised voice caused an uproar among the audience and also led to changes in the Uma Musume team on the field.

It was visible to the naked eye that some horse girls showed signs of speeding up due to the changes made by Mejiro Aldan.

Some of them quickly increased their speed and gradually moved forward.

Some of them speeded up for a while and then slowed down and maintained their original state.

Some are simply indifferent.

Viewing hall.

"Go ahead... Is this the strategy you arranged for Oguruma, Kitahara?"

"Well... not really, I should say... Hey? Luduo? Where did you go just now?"

"Hey, Luduo, are you back from fishing?"

"What kind of slacking off... Just giving the juniors some simple encouragement, but..."

It’s just that it seems like I’m being encouraged or motivated instead.

Luduo did not say the second half of the sentence, but just looked at the distance between Kitahara and Maruzenski in front of the French window, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.

Then he looked towards Kitahara.

"You said it doesn't count as going first, is this what you mean?"

"Ah, that's right."

Although he was a little curious about where Luduo had just gone, his mind was more on the game. Kitahara responded and soon looked back at the court a little nervously.

Then he explained in a deep voice.

"For Oguruma and the others, the meaning of forcing them to run in different ways, such as escaping, leading, lagging, and chasing, is no longer as great as it was when they first debuted.

“The concept of running method is just a classification used for the convenience of entry, and it is also an explanation that is easier for us trainers who don’t run in person to understand.

“Actually, you don’t need to worry too much.

“It’s a bit irresponsible to say that if a position makes you feel comfortable running, you should grab that position and run there.

"This is especially true for Oguruma, who is a practical genius." But it's not like she doesn't understand any theories or techniques.

"Look."

Pointing to the silver-gray figure in front of the field, Kitahara said solemnly: "I have consciously tested Oguri many times, especially in the special training in the past month.

“If there is no specific consideration, her position will be a little further out. This is because she is more accustomed to overtaking on the outside.

“But now, with your experience you should be able to see that although her current position is still some distance away from the inner road, it can just avoid being blocked inside.

“Because the Arima Kinen has more turns, her position will be more shielded from the wind and caught in the slipstream than other G1s.

“It can be said that she has now integrated many fine skills and outstanding on-court intuition to a peak level even though she is not good at thinking.”

The "you" that Kitahara mentioned are naturally referring to Maruzensky and Rudolf.

Both horse girls have experienced G1, and Rudo has even raced at the Arima Kinen more than once. It's immediately clear that Oguri's positioning level is exactly the same as Kitahara said, which is quite outstanding.

“It is indeed a very good position. If I were running in Arima Kinen, I might not be that confident in the same situation.”

Maruzenski agreed and looked at Kitahara with a smile, "But, Kitahara definitely deserves some credit for this, so please give me your guidance in my future competitions."

...Maruzen, you would never consider running in such a "backward" position, right...?
Besides, what you want to say most should be the latter sentence, right...?
Unconsciously, complaining in his heart, Luduo took a half step sideways without making any sound, putting some distance between himself and Kitahara and Maruzenski.

At the same time, she pinched her chin and stared at the arena thoughtfully.

The first turn in the Zhongshan race is about 300 meters long. If Oguruma can maintain his current position, he will undoubtedly have a great advantage by saving energy from wind and wake turbulence, as well as keeping a distance that makes it difficult for him to be blocked.

However, this kind of long curve itself tests cornering skills more than a straight line due to inertia and centrifugal force. If you are not careful, you will expend more energy than your opponents.

This kind of track is more like racing against yourself than competing with your opponents.

And after another 300 meters, it’s the first uphill…

Can you hold on, Little Chestnut?
Luduo's symbolic attention gradually became completely focused on Little Chestnut Hat. Soon, her eyes fixed and she spoke in a low voice uncontrollably.

“Here it comes…!
"The first lap... the steep slope of Zhongshan."

Similar to Luduo, Kitahara and Maruzenski also stopped the topic they had been discussing and stared at the racing teams on the straight track near the audience seats.

At the same time, the commentary, which had calmed down a bit due to the relatively gentle competition among the Umamusume team during the turn, now became slightly excited.

“First time going uphill!
“I was conserving my strength in the corners, and there was no competition on the straight before the finish line for the first time.

"So, facing the steep slope of the Zhongshan venue, will the competition conditions remain the same?!"

For a moment, the atmosphere in the stadium became tense, and everyone was staring at the first horse girl who rushed up the ramp.

Uh... huh, is this the steep slope of Zhongshan during the real competition...?
Still in first place, Mejiro Aldan gritted his teeth slightly.

Due to the uniqueness of the Zhongshan race track, the inner circle is relatively short, the curves are sharp, and it is a "sharp turn" type of track. Everyone has to do their best to use their skills when cornering, which slows down to a certain extent.

Combined with being in the lead and sticking to the inside lane, this really saved me a lot of energy and restored a lot of strength in the bends.

but……

I ran the steep slope of Zhongshan during special training, but in the actual competition... I still felt that the load was a bit too much...

If we want to continue to maintain our leading advantage, it seems to be much more difficult than the ideal situation...

and so……

Suddenly, the familiar, sudden, short and rapid footsteps from behind made Mubai Aldan involuntarily turn his head slightly and glance over.

really……

On this kind of road, you can still make the most of your strengths, Little Bay...

What Mubai Aldan saw in his peripheral vision was the super small bay.

It was very obvious that Super Little Bay had been relatively close to the middle of the advance team before, but at this moment, it had changed its pace at the moment of going uphill and rushed up quickly and swiftly.

But compared to the swiftness and ease it looked, Super Bay was frowning a little, just like Mejiro Aldan.

"Yodo-no-Saka"... "Heart Killer"...

I didn’t expect that even though I had run the “Yodo-no-Zaka” with a height difference of more than 4 meters during the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Race, and I had trained for this “heart-killing” section of the Zhongshan Race Course before, there was still such a big difference in the actual running…

The height here is only half of Yodo-no-Zaka...

But with a steeper slope, would the feeling during the actual race be so different...?
In Xiao Haiwan's eyes, it was just a steep slope of more than two meters, but now it gave him the oppressive feeling of a wall.

No, maybe it’s not just because the slope of Zhongshan Steep is too steep.

No matter how steep it is, we have faced it during special training.

So, the real sense of oppression...

Coincidentally, Super Bay also looked to the outside behind him with his peripheral vision.

She only saw a long silver-gray hair fluttering in the wind like a cloak.

Without looking at his face, she knew very well that perhaps only her good friend and rival, Oguruma, could rush up in such an incredible way on the track, on such a steep slope, with an extremely low posture almost leaning over the ground.

Is it the same as during special training, practice, and chrysanthemum viewing?

Thinking of this, Super Bay quickly withdrew his gaze, adjusted his breathing habitually, and stepped more forcefully on the steep slope.

Little Sorrel Hat was unaware of the sight of the small bay ahead.

In her eyes, the steep slope did not look like a wall, but like a line.

Just like when she was training with Toni Bianca, Saratani, and other strong horse girls.

“…I’m actually curious, why…do you run so low?

"Oh, it's a habit you've developed since childhood... Have you ever considered that, facing this kind of steep slope, you can actually... 'stick' to it?
"Well, I'm not asking you to stick to the slope, you should stand up first...

"Have you ever seen a plane take off? Or... have you ever played a game like Float?
"Oh, by the way, the Japanese term for this is 打水块. Have you ever seen 打水块?

“It’s easy once you’ve seen it.

"Look at this steep slope. The higher your posture is, the more energy you'll have to spend. Your low posture is actually quite advantageous.

“But there is a special technique, I’m not sure if it will work for you, you can try it.

“Imagine the ramp is the water, and you are the stone skipping on the water.

"Then throw yourself up like this, rub it up, whoosh—

"Drift over this steep slope in one go.

"Interesting...? You can think of it however you want. Anyway, if you are interested, you can give it a try."

His mind involuntarily recalled the advice of the horse racing ladies, especially the scene where one palm was flat and the other palm quickly passed by, and Xiao Limao couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

Hmmm…it was an easy run.

(End of this chapter)