Chapter 19
At 12:50 PM, the warm late-winter sunlight of late January bathed Tokyo Racecourse, illuminating the horse girls as they entered the starting gates one after another.
In the grandstands facing the track, a young commentator's voice echoed over the heads of nearly 100,000 spectators.
"Next to enter is the third most popular horse girl in this race — Kitasan Black.
"She is a first-year student at Central Tracen Academy who is making her debut right after enrolling. Her high-spirited momentum is truly inspiring.
"Her trainer is also making his debut today, so this race is not only her debut, but his as well.
"What kind of performance will these two newcomers show us? Let's watch and see."
Then, an older voice joined from the broadcast:
"Judging from her training data, Kitasan Black has excellent strength and stamina.
"Compared to the top favorite, Mejiro Joie, and the second favorite, Eden, these are her clearest advantages.
"We hope she can make good use of them and deliver an exciting race."
Horse girl race commentary usually featured two commentators.
One handled live play-by-play and kept the atmosphere lively, while the other acted as a guest analyst providing concise commentary.
After the introductions, the already lively grandstands saw a small surge of excitement. Discussions and questions about who would win the race became clearly audible.
Standing at the front of the grandstands, next to Yasui Makoto, two similar-looking horse girls were quietly discussing as well.
"Sister, do you think Kitasan… can win her debut race?"
After Satono Diamond asked worriedly, her older sister Satono Crown frowned slightly.
"Something like that… even if you're the one asking, Diamond, I can't predict it."
The two sisters had come to cheer for their friend. Satono Crown had already cheered for her own friend in the previous race.
After that race ended, they went to the preparation room together to encourage Kitasan Black, then naturally followed Yasui Makoto to the grandstands.
After thinking for a moment, Satono Crown continued:
"Based on my experience, the top favorite, Mejiro Joie, does have a bigger advantage.
"She signed with her trainer last year and has been preparing for her debut for two or three months.
"I've seen her training at the academy — her performance in every area is very stable.
"If there are no external factors, her chances of winning… should be the highest, just like her popularity suggests."
After giving her assessment, she looked at her worried younger sister and comforted her:
"But you don't need to worry too much about Kitasan's performance.
"I believe her trainer has probably considered things more thoroughly than I have.
"Isn't that right, Trainer Yasui?"
She turned to Yasui Makoto.
Yasui Makoto was holding binoculars, the lenses naturally focused on his own horse girl — Kitasan Black.
Her breathing was steady, her complexion healthy, her warm-up was perfect, and her gate entry had gone smoothly.
After quickly assessing the situation, he finally looked at Satono Crown.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Crown.
"Yes, I did make specific arrangements for Kitasan based on the actual conditions of this race.
"However, the specific details…"
Before he could say that there probably wasn't time to explain right now, the commentator's voice grew louder over the speakers.
"Alright, all horse girls have entered the gates."
In an instant, ignoring politeness, Yasui Makoto raised his binoculars again.
Satono Crown also focused her gaze, and together with her still-worried sister, they looked toward the starting gates.
The commentator continued:
"Then, Tokyo Racecourse, grass 1800 meters, debut race…
"Start!"
Accompanied by the loud declaration, the 16 starting gates on the track burst open with a bang.
Sixteen figures shot forward like arrows, all instinctively rushing toward the inside lane.
Seeing the intense early battle for position, the grandstands instantly erupted. Tens of thousands of spectators burst into cheers in unison.
While confirming Kitasan Black's situation through his binoculars, Yasui Makoto secretly nodded in approval.
No matter the race, the inside lane was always shorter. Fighting for the inside position right from the start would undoubtedly provide a significant advantage.
When he used to learn from his father, he had visited local racecourses.
To be honest, the level there was noticeably lower than Central.
For example, many local horse girls had almost no awareness of fighting for position early on.
Even after training, the results weren't great — they only thought about position after the start, by which time it was already too late.
However, in this race, all participants were newcomers with no previous racing experience.
Yet every single one of them chose to fight for position right from the beginning. This quality was something local circuits simply couldn't match.
Kitasan Black's start was also excellent. She had perfectly followed his pre-race instructions.
The black-haired girl appeared to be fighting for the inside, but in reality, the moment she left the gate, she locked onto the horse in gate 6 and stuck closely behind her.
The commentator accurately reported the situation:
"Very clean starts, no mistakes.
"In the early battle for position, the top favorite Mejiro Joie is currently leading…
"Wait, Cosmic Hainer has overtaken her. Cosmic Hainer is now in front.
"Mejiro Joie is temporarily in second, followed by the second favorite, Eden.
"The two high-popularity horses are living up to expectations, showing excellent positioning awareness right from the start.
"The third favorite, Kitasan Black, is not joining the leading group.
"She is staying right behind Ih Turbo. Is she employing a shadowing tactic?"
The guest commentator added:
"Shadowing tactics are usually too complex for a debut race.
"Judging from Kitasan Black's training performance, her sense of rhythm is quite good. She's probably trying to adjust herself in real time by following her opponent's pace.
"It's a very smart choice — one of the most effective tactics for newcomers."
The main commentator continued:
"The field has passed the front grandstand and is entering the first turn.
"Positions remain unchanged for now. Cosmic Hainer, ranked 11th in popularity, is still leading.
"The 1st and 2nd favorites, Mejiro Joie and Eden, are right behind.
"Kitasan Black, ranked 3rd in popularity, is in a tracking position. It looks like her trainer has arranged a tracking strategy for her."
In the grandstands, both Satono Crown and Satono Diamond frowned slightly.
"Tracking… If I remember correctly, Kitasan…"
After exchanging a glance with her sister, Satono Crown looked at Yasui Makoto and hesitated.
"I remember some trainers saying that Kitasan might be better suited for leading or front-running…
"Tracking…
"Trainer Yasui, is this really suitable for Kitasan?"
Yasui Makoto lowered his binoculars for a moment and looked at the Satono sisters with a small smile.
"Indeed, I also think Kitasan is better suited for leading or front-running.
"However, since the pressure in a debut race isn't too high, locking her into one fixed strategy would kill too many possibilities. I thought it was worth trying something bolder.
"Also, haven't the trainers you've spoken with mentioned that in the first few races after debut, it's often better to run from a slightly further back position?"
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Bonus chapters
200 Stones - 1 chapter
400 Stones - 2 chapter
600 Stones - 3 chapters
And so on