While Kitasan Black and Almond Eye ran back over, Yasui Makoto rapidly sorted through Almond Eye's performance.
In this 1,800-meter partner run, Almond Eye's final time was 2:24.1.
Converted, that put her average speed at roughly 14.5 meters per second.
Compared to Kitasan Black, that result was clearly far inferior, and the key issue was, without a doubt, her mistakes in running style and strategy.
But if he broke down Almond Eye's run in detail, there were still plenty of points worthy of praise.
For example, after falling behind at the start, she had not completely lost her rhythm. Instead, she quickly adjusted, relied on her tenacious willpower, and gradually raised her speed as she chased the figure ahead.
For an Umamusume, the ability to recover quickly after an unfavorable start and rework her running rhythm was extremely important. It was enough to show her strong mentality and adaptability.
Once she got into her groove, her resistance to interference was also good. She kept her attention firmly locked on the target ahead, accelerating and chasing without distraction.
Although her breathing grew rapid from the high-intensity exercise, it remained steady throughout, and her stride never became chaotic or hesitant because of outside interference.
All of this showed a focus and composure beyond her age and experience.
Especially when she reached the final 600 meters. In the first 200 meters of that section, she produced quite a respectable burst of speed, roughly 17 meters per second.
If that speed were measured against active Umamusume, there was still a certain gap, but it was already very close.
Take Kitasan Black as an example. Among her final 600-meter data since debuting, her most eye-catching performance had been 17.5 meters per second in her debut race, while her overall final 600-meter level had stabilized at 17.1 meters per second.
Compared that way, it was enough to show that the level Almond Eye displayed during her final spurt already had the potential to close in on Kitasan Black.
What was even more precious was that she had achieved this under a completely mistaken tactical strategy.
She had fallen behind at the start, blindly accelerated in pursuit the entire way, failed to distribute her stamina properly, thrown her rhythm into chaos, and lost speed extremely quickly after entering the final straight.
Even so, before she completely lost speed, she had still been able to rely on the little stamina she had left to display an extremely powerful final-spurt speed.
That undoubtedly showed her talent and potential, and it also let Yasui Makoto see all kinds of possibilities.
As long as she could be refined through tactical guidance and stamina-distribution training from here on, then given enough time, Almond Eye would certainly shine brilliantly on the racecourse.
As he sorted through the information, the two Umamusume had already slowed down and run over to him.
Almond Eye's face was full of dejection. Her head hung low, her chest rose and fell violently, and she gulped down air in rough breaths. Sweat slid continuously down her cheeks, soaking the front of her clothes.
Clearly, the result of this partner run had frustrated her deeply, and her chest churned with unwillingness.
Yet after only a short while, she lifted her head. A fierce light had reignited in her eyes as she said loudly,
"Trainer, I want to run again! I didn't do well this time. If I run again, I'll definitely catch up to Kita-senpai!"
Her voice carried a firmness that allowed no doubt, and that small body seemed to contain endless strength.
Hearing that, Yasui Makoto and Kitasan Black could not help exchanging a smile. The same images surfaced in both of their minds.
In previous partner runs and practice races, Kitasan Black had gone through similar experiences.
Back then, when she faced powerful senpais such as Daiwa Scarlet, her heart had likewise been filled with the desire to catch up.
Every time she fell behind, she would stubbornly clench her fists and swear that next time, she would absolutely overtake them.
Now, Almond Eye looked practically like a copy of the Kitasan Black from back then.
Kitasan Black stepped forward and gently patted Almond Eye on the shoulder, encouraging her.
"That's the spirit, Almond-chan! You'll definitely be able to surpass me!"
Her eyes were full of warmth and expectation, as if she were seeing her former self, newly debuted and brimming with fighting spirit.
Yasui Makoto nodded slightly as well and smiled at Almond Eye.
"That fighting spirit is good. But before you try again, let's analyze the problems from this run together first. That way, we can improve the right things, and you'll definitely run better next time."
He knew very well that Almond Eye's refusal to lose was the key to success, while proper guidance and planning would allow her to grow faster.
"So don't rush yet. Let's go over this partner run together first."
Yasui Makoto cleared his throat and began speaking methodically.
"Almond Eye, you made a major mistake during the starting phase of this partner run."
"You cared too much about my gaze, which split your attention, delayed your launch, and made your push-off insufficient. In an official race, that would be extremely fatal."
"And you blindly accelerated in pursuit the whole way without distributing your stamina properly."
"You need to understand that speed, leg power, and stamina consumption are proportional. With a way of running like that, even if you raise your speed early on, you'll inevitably lose speed later because your stamina can't hold out."
"Just like this time. Over the final 300 to 500 meters, your speed clearly dropped."
Then he looked toward Kitasan Black, affirmation in his eyes.
"Kita-chan, your overall performance this time was very stable. You carried out the planned controlled lead strategy very well."
"However, this was your first time serving as a practice partner, so there's still room for improvement when it comes to interfering with and guiding Almond Eye."
"For example, when she accelerates to chase you, you can adjust your speed appropriately and put some pressure on her, forcing her to adapt to different rhythms and learn how to maintain her own rhythm and stamina distribution amid change."
"This kind of practice-partner task requires you to pay attention to Almond Eye's condition at all times and, according to my instructions, precisely carry out actions like shadowing interference and forcing her to fight for position. That's how we'll train her ability to respond in a complex race environment."
Kitasan Black had long since gotten used to this style of guidance from Yasui Makoto. By the time he had spoken the first few sentences, she had already taken out her carrot ballpoint pen and little notebook.
After that, she listened with full focus, nodding from time to time and occasionally asking a question or two.
At first, Almond Eye was still somewhat listless because of her failure in the partner run, but as Yasui Makoto analyzed her mistakes in depth, her attention was gradually drawn in.
When she heard that she had made so many errors in the start, rhythm control, and stamina distribution, she could not help murmuring in surprise,
"Huh? So... I really made that many mistakes..."
As she said that, the impatience and frustration in her eyes faded a little, replaced by intense focus and a thirst to learn.
She stared at Yasui Makoto, occasionally glancing at Kitasan Black's notes, eager to absorb experience from his explanation and make up for her own shortcomings.
"...So, from here until the mock race begins, Almond Eye, your training focus will be on adjusting your start and pacing rhythm."
After analyzing everything, Yasui Makoto looked at the two Umamusume listening seriously and concluded with an earnest expression.
"The start concerns the opening of the race. A good start lets you occupy an advantage in the early stages."
"Pacing rhythm is even more crucial. It determines whether you can maintain good condition throughout the entire race and bring out your best performance."
"We'll continue practicing a few more sets of partner runs like this. After that, I'll apply to borrow the gate and some other tools so we can simulate official races and do more training."
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