Lead the Entire Match Yourself

Just as before, two sets of side-by-side training sessions were scheduled for the early morning and evening.

It was a slight pity that Daiwa Scarlet had now officially become an administrator and could no longer attend every training session as she once did; only Vodka was available to help with the evening sessions.

Fortunately, before the Condition Race, Daiwa Scarlet's assistance had already achieved the preliminary expectations. While there was naturally room for further improvement, there was no need to rush those matters.

Moreover, regarding adaptability to opponents and the overall flow of a race, it was better to practice with opponents who possessed different running styles.

Vodka happened to be one of the best choices for this, so in a sense, this Horse Girl's helping hand could be said to have solved an urgent need.

Anjing Zhen did not waste this precious opportunity. After the evening special training concluded, he took the chance to begin a training breakdown and race review with Kitasan Black in the dance hall.

"As I mentioned to you, in the Condition Race that just ended, you were the only one who debuted this year, and one of only two Horse Girls with the experience of just a single debut race."

"You might not have felt it concretely before, but you should realize by now that the gap between the opponents in those two races was actually quite large."

"Mm-hmm! That's exactly right."

Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly. "Especially when running with Sato no Takarazuka, it felt much easier than the debut race."

"During the debut race, I followed the Trainer's instructions and started by running alongside the opponent next to me."

"I quickly felt that her rhythm was very strange, so I switched to another opponent."

"It was the same afterward; I felt everyone's rhythm was very chaotic, so I simply ran at my own pace."

"It just so happened that at that moment, I reached the position the Trainer mentioned, so I just made a dash for it in one breath, and then I won."

Hearing this, before Anjing Zhen could speak, Vodka, who had followed along out of curiosity, was somewhat surprised.

"Hey, hey, for real? Although I know you're very capable, Anjing-kun, to be able to achieve this level without any prior coaching experience... isn't that a bit too absurd?"

"I suppose... it's not exactly absurd, is it?"

After a moment of thought, Anjing Zhen smiled. "I've compared a large number of debut races, and these novice events are all like this."

"Many Horse Girls are outstanding during training, but they don't necessarily display their full strength when it comes to the actual race."

"So, to win these kinds of races, the less you think, the better."

"It just so happens that Little Kita is quite simple-minded, so I gave her two simple tasks."

"Find a suitable target to follow based on rhythm; for most of the time, she only needed to consider that."

"However, I investigated the opponents from her debut race, and none of them had a better sense of rhythm than she did."

"By the time she discovered this herself, it was almost time for the final sprint."

"At that point, what she needed to consider became even simpler: just give it her Full Effort and sprint to the end. Her opponents wouldn't be able to react in time."

Kitasan Black had a sudden realization.

"So that's how I won? It feels so simple."

Vodka didn't speak, but her thoughts were more complex than before.

What Anjing Zhen described as simple sounded easy enough.

Yet, as one of the strongest active runners in her time, she knew exactly how difficult it was to master a race to that degree.

Especially before the race even began.

Horse Girls looked the same as human girls, and many of their psychological traits were similar, but they were, after all, a different species.

Relatively speaking, a Horse Girl's daily thoughts were simpler, but when it came to racing, they were much more sensitive to the outside world, and their corresponding psychology was far more complex.

Therefore, how to accurately grasp the psychology of both one's assigned Horse Girl and the race opponents had always been a major challenge in the industry.

Preparations on the night before, sleep quality, pre-race diet, the atmosphere of the venue, the temperament and compatibility of opponents, the weather, temperature, humidity, and even the texture of the track...

All of these would affect the state of the race.

If the impact was negative, the best-case scenario was resistance to racing.

Over the years, Vodka had seen this situation more than once.

Whether it was seniors, peers, or juniors, many Horse Girls had refused to enter the starting gate or even refused to participate in a race due to obvious or subtle discomfort.

If the trainer failed to soothe them at this moment, the Horse Girls might even withdraw from the race entirely.

Furthermore, if they weren't soothed properly, even if they were forced into the gate, their state during the race would decline to varying degrees, failing to bring out their full potential.

She remembered that Symboli Rudolf's Shuka Sho had been exactly like that.

Before that race, this senior's record was three wins and two seconds, including the G1 Oaks, and she was truly in Imposing Momentum.

As a result, she was startled by camera flashes before the Shuka Sho, lost her racing state entirely, not only suffered a crushing defeat by finishing 10th, but was also diagnosed with a fractured right foot after the race, forcing her into an eight-month recovery period.

Because of such situations, trainers who could accurately grasp a Horse Girl's temperament in practice could be said, without exception, to be of top-tier standard.

If one could even grasp the condition of the opponents and achieve this before the race, it would be no exaggeration to call them super-elite.

So, at Anjing-kun's age... just how did he develop this kind of insight and judgment? It couldn't just be the teachings from his family, right?

While Vodka marveled inwardly, Anjing Zhen continued to review the previous race with Kitasan Black.

"...The reason I specifically mentioned Sato no Takarazuka in the last race was because of her outstanding adaptability."

As he said this, Anjing Zhen gestured for his Horse Girl to pay attention to the analytical data on his laptop.

"I mentioned to you before the race that she had competed in three races at Sapporo, followed by Chukyo and Kyoto.

"Sapporo is in Hokkaido, Chukyo is in Nagoya, and Kyoto is also in Kansai; you can imagine how significant the differences in track conditions are."

"Beyond that, her first three races were at 1800 meters, while the last two were at 2000 meters—a mix of mile and middle-distance races—which meant there were considerable differences in running style and tactics as well.

"Yet, her race results improved every single time, which is sufficient proof of her adaptability.

"While talent certainly plays a role, it is also because she debuted earlier and has undergone more training, and the Satomi family likely poured a great deal of resources into her.

"The competition in the last race was quite complex; besides runners with excellent adaptability like Sato no Takarazuka, there were those accustomed to 1400 meters who would unconsciously push the pace, and others with a powerful Final Burst.

"Little Kita, you only have one race of experience, which is nowhere near enough to handle such complex changes in race dynamics on the fly.

"That is why I told you to follow Sato no Takarazuka until the middle stage; as long as you initiate your acceleration earlier than she does, it won't be easy for her to close the gap and overtake you.

"You should have realized this by now."

As Anjing Zhen explained, Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly, her face full of realization.

Hearing the conclusion, she said with some excitement:

"Since this method can win races, does that mean I can keep doing it in the future, Trainer?"

Then, to her surprise, Anjing Zhen shook his head with a smile.

"It isn't that simple, Little Kita.

"Strictly speaking, the level of your two races so far hasn't been very high, and your opponents' strength and experience were only relatively outstanding.

"As you progress, your opponents will only become stronger.

"The rivals you have defeated now will also grow, and it is not impossible for them to turn the tables and defeat you in the future.

"Therefore, handing the pace over to your opponent can only be an occasional surprise tactic; it must never be relied upon as a definitive strategy.

"Your training goal moving forward is to gradually establish your own running style and slowly learn to lead the entire race yourself."