A Great Victory

Seeing the confusion in the eyes of the Satono Sisters, Anjing Zhen knew they did not understand what he had just said.

He smiled slightly without offering an explanation, then raised his binoculars once more to focus on his own Black Haired Girl.

Front-running, Lead, Mid-pack, and Late-kick; these are the four mainstream running styles in racing.

Front-running, also known as leading, requires seizing the lead position from the very start and maintaining first place from beginning to end, keeping the overall pace firmly in one's own hands.

Lead requires sticking closely to the front-running Horse Girl, using the opponent's rhythm to adjust one's own state, and overtaking in the final stretch.

Mid-pack positions are further back, making it easier to use the opponents in front to block wind resistance, thereby conserving stamina through the low-pressure pocket before beginning to exert force at the Final Turn.

Late-kick positions are at the very back, requiring an earlier start to exert force than any other position; generally, one must begin accelerating at the third turn, and for those with greater stamina, starting from the middle section is not impossible.

Beyond these, there are even more granular classifications such as Great Escape, Free-Style Lead, Free-Style Mid-pack, and Great Late-kick.

All running styles are the same in that they must be adjusted according to the actual circumstances of the Horse Girl and the race.

Generally speaking, many trainers determine a Horse Girl's running style around the time of her Debut Race, and Anjing Zhen had already determined the two most suitable for Kitasan Black.

Great Escape and Front-running.

Following those, there is Free-Style Lead, which is the ability to switch proficiently between leading and following.

This judgment was based not only on his years of study and contemplation but also on the experience passed down by his father.

The same holds true for tactics.

The pressure of a Debut Race is low, making it the most suitable time to confirm certain possibilities.

While training can certainly confirm things, it is ultimately different from a race, and conclusions drawn from actual combat are clearly more precise.

As subsequent races become increasingly important, once such an opportunity is missed, it will not come again.

Furthermore, his father had also taught him a trick regarding temperament.

Horse Girls have an extremely strong competitive spirit and, when first encountering racing, cannot help but want to run at the front.

However, looking at all races as a whole, falling behind is inevitable; no Horse Girl can remain in first place at all times, and sometimes one must even fall behind tactically.

Without sufficient experience, if they follow their instincts and are suddenly overtaken, a Horse Girl is easily prone to panic.

The intensity of the first few races after debut is not high, making it the perfect time to run further back and accumulate precious experience in handling pressure.

Only veteran trainers with sufficient experience possess such insights, and his father had heard this from a predecessor as well.

Of course, there are risks involved.

When positioned further back, one will face intentional or unintentional obstruction from opponents in front during the overtaking phase.

Lacking practical experience, novice Horse Girls often do not know how to handle this, failing to pick up speed at critical moments and getting blocked from breaking through.

Anjing Zhen was not worried about this.

Daring to use the Debut Race as a practice ground for Kitasan Black, he naturally possessed sufficient certainty and confidence.

This Black Haired Girl of his was a standard late-blooming Horse Girl.

The flip side of her inability to control her power was that she did not dare to run at full strength.

Her body had not yet instinctively developed to a sufficient degree, and to avoid being injured by her own talent, she would unconsciously avoid exerting her limit.

Most trainers encountering this situation would consider avoiding full effort.

Anjing Zhen was the same, but he had provided a more ingenious method.

Initiating the sprint early, spreading her power and explosive force over a longer distance.

This not only avoids the physical burden brought on by full effort but also ensures that she is constantly accelerating throughout the remainder of the race, making her very difficult to block.

This is a tactic chosen only by many seasoned trainers and experienced Horse Girls, and it certainly requires many conditions to be met.

However, the most important condition was one that Kitasan Black had just happened to grasp.

That is rhythm.

During a month of training, this Black Haired Girl of his had undergone Rhythm Training every single day.

Now, when she runs, she carries a musical cadence with her.

Prelude, verse, chorus, interlude, climax, and coda.

The music performed by a girl whose career has just begun can hardly be called perfect.

But in this minor piece called a Debut Race, it was already enough.

Reviewing the entire plan while staring intently through the binoculars, he noticed the sign marking the third turn flash by, and as the Black Haired Girl familiarly and subtly lowered her posture, Anjing Zhen's mouth curled up involuntarily.

...The interlude has passed; it is time to enter the climax.

Let everyone take a good look, Little Kita.

Let them see...

Just what kind of extraordinary Horse Girl you are.

As the race gradually approached its final phase, the commentator's voice grew increasingly high-pitched.

"500 meters to the Finish Line, and the lead has long since been taken by Mickey Joy!

"As expected of the crowd favorite!

"Cosmic Haven is still a move behind, having fallen back during the Middle Section struggle.

"However, she hasn't fallen too far behind, trailing Mickey Joy by only a Half Horse Length.

"Running Side by Side with her is Eden, and both are striving to chase down Mickey Joy!

"The top three are clearly ahead, with a full 3 Horse Lengths separating them from fourth place!

"400 meters remaining, it seems the champion will be decided among these three!"

A Horse Length is a specialized racing term, said to be the length of the outstretched arms of the first statue of the Three Goddesses in this world, specifically 2.5 meters.

A Half Horse Length is roughly over a meter; this gap is indeed not too large, and the second and third place Horse Girls are so close to the leader that it seems a little extra effort could bridge the gap.

The distance gap further back, however, is very apparent.

The void of over 7 meters is like a chasm, seemingly cutting off any possibility of victory for the follow-up runners.

The audience erupted into the most enthusiastic cheers since the start, and the commentator's voice was equally excited.

"They have reached the straightaway directly in front of the spectator stands, and the three leaders are still locked in a struggle at the front, while behind them..."

The commentator suddenly paused.

Immediately followed by an exclamation of disbelief.

"Kitasan Black!

"Kitasan Black is charging up!

"300 meters to the Finish Line!

"But! But!

"Kitasan Black has caught up!

"200 meters!

"She has overtaken Cosmic Haven and Eden!

"Closing in on Mickey Joy!

"She has overtaken Mickey Joy!

"Kitasan Black is now in the lead!

"Kitasan Black has completed the comeback!

"The current leader is Kitasan Black!

"Can Mickey Joy overtake her back?!

"100 meters!

"Mickey Joy is accelerating with all her might! Mickey Joy is accelerating with all her might!

"But!

"Kitasan Black is still in the lead!

"She's losing speed! Mickey Joy seems to be losing speed!

"But Kitasan Black is still sprinting!

"After a 1700-meter race, she is still sprinting!

"50 meters!

"Crossing the line!

"1 and a half Horse Lengths!

"A late surge!

"She overtook everyone to take first place in one breath!

"Brilliant!

"Absolutely brilliant!

"A truly brilliant comeback!

"Let us congratulate Kitasan Black!"

For a brief moment, as the crowd realized along with the commentator that Kitasan Black had surged forward, the cheers in the stadium dipped by a few degrees.

It was not because they thought the race was not exciting.

On the contrary, after a moment of distraction due to the surprise, the cheers from the crowd became even more fanatical.

After a burst of frenzy, the cheering dipped again for a moment, replaced by good-natured laughter that echoed across the Tokyo Racecourse.

Because after crossing the Finish Line in one breath and running nearly a hundred meters further, the newly crowned Black Haired Girl performed a flying tackle, slamming into the ground to form a large "木" shape.