As before, they had scheduled one group run-together training session in the morning and another in the evening.
The only slight disappointment was that Daiwa Scarlet had officially become an administrator, so she couldn't attend every training session like before. Vodka was the only one available to help with the evening session.
Fortunately, Daiwa Scarlet's help had already achieved the initial results they'd hoped for before the Condition Race. There was still room for further improvement, of course, but there was no need to rush.
Besides, practicing with opponents who used different running styles was better for adapting to both rivals and the race as a whole.
Vodka happened to be one of the best choices for that, so in a sense, this horse girl's assistance had come at just the right time.
Anjing Zhen didn't waste this precious opportunity. After the evening training session, he took advantage of the moment to review the race and explain the training plan to Kitasan Black at the Dance Hall.
"I mentioned before that in the Condition Race you just finished, you were the only horse girl who debuted this year, and one of only two with just a single Debut Race under her belt.
"You might not have fully understood what that meant before, but you should have realized by now: the difference between your opponents in those two races was huge."
"Mm-hmm! That's right."
Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly. "Especially when I ran behind Benten. It was much easier than the Debut Race.
"In the Debut Race, I followed the Trainer's instructions and started out running behind the opponent next to me.
"But soon I felt her rhythm was strange, so I switched to another opponent.
"It was the same after that. Everyone's rhythm felt all over the place, so I simply ran at my own pace.
"By then, I was right where the Trainer had told me to be, so I just surged ahead all at once and won."
Before Anjing Zhen could reply, Vodka, who had tagged along out of curiosity, blurted out in surprise, "Hey, seriously? I know you're amazing, Anjing-kun, but getting results like that with absolutely no experience coaching... isn't that a little ridiculous?"
"I guess... it's not that ridiculous?"
After thinking it over, Anjing Zhen smiled. "I've analyzed a lot of Debut Races, and they're all like that.
"A lot of horse girls perform brilliantly in training, but they don't necessarily show their full potential in a race.
"So when it comes to winning a race like that, the less they think about, the better.
"Little Kita happens to be pretty straightforward, so I gave her two simple tasks.
"She just had to find a suitable horse girl to follow by matching their rhythm. That was all she needed to think about most of the time.
"But I'd looked into the other horse girls in her Debut Race, and none of them had a better sense of rhythm than she did.
"By the time she figured that out for herself, it was almost time to sprint.
"Then she had even less to think about: give it everything she had and run to the finish. Her opponents couldn't react in time."
Kitasan Black looked enlightened.
"So that's how I won? It sounds so easy."
Vodka said nothing, but her thoughts had grown more complicated than before.
What Anjing Zhen had described sounded simple, almost easy.
But as one of the strongest active horse girls in her time, she knew how difficult it was to understand a race that thoroughly.
Especially before it even began.
Horse girls looked just like human girls, and many of their feelings were similar, but they were still a different species.
In general, horse girls were more simple-minded in their everyday lives. But when it came to racing, they were far more sensitive to their surroundings, and their feelings grew more complicated.
That was why accurately gauging both a horse girl's temperament and her opponents' had always been one of the industry's greatest challenges.
The preparations the night before, the quality of her sleep, her pre-race meal, the atmosphere at the track, her opponents' temperaments and compatibility, the weather, the temperature, the humidity, even the feel of the track...
All of it could affect how she performed.
If the effect was negative, the least it could do was make her resist racing.
Over the years, Vodka had seen that happen plenty of times.
Among her seniors, her peers, and her juniors, many horse girls had refused to enter the Starting Gate or even take part in a race because of discomfort—whether obvious or not.
If the Trainer couldn't calm them down, the horse girls might withdraw from the race altogether.
And even if they could be coaxed into the Starting Gate, their performance could still suffer to varying degrees, keeping them from showing their full potential.
She remembered that Symboli Rudolf's Shuka Sho had been just like that.
Before that race, the senior had a record of three wins and two second-place finishes. Her victories included the G1 Oaks, and she had been riding a wave of momentum.
But before the Shuka Sho, a flash of light had startled her. The senior lost all her racing form, suffered a crushing tenth-place defeat, and was later diagnosed with a fracture in her right leg. She had to take eight months off to recover.
Because of situations like this, Trainers who could read a horse girl's temperament in the heat of competition were, without exception, top-notch.
If they could also read their opponents and make that kind of assessment before the race, they deserved to be called world-class.
So how had Anjing-kun developed such sharp insight and judgment at his age? Surely it wasn't just because of what his family had taught him.
As Vodka marveled to herself, Anjing Zhen continued reviewing the race with Kitasan Black.
"...I mentioned Sato no Takarazuka in particular last race because of her impressive adaptability."
As he spoke, Anjing Zhen pointed out the analysis on his laptop for his horse girl to study.
"I told you before the race that her first three races were in Sapporo, then she went to Chukyo and Kyoto.
"Sapporo is in Hokkaido, Chukyo is in Nagoya, and Kyoto is in Kansai. The differences between those tracks speak for themselves."
"On top of that, her first three races were 1,800 meters, while the last two were 2,000 meters—mile and middle-distance races, respectively. Their running styles and tactics were quite different, too.
"Yet her results improved each time. That was more than enough to prove how adaptable she was.
"Of course, some of that came down to talent. She also debuted earlier and had more training, and the Satomi family must have invested plenty of resources in her.
"The opponents in your last race were a complicated bunch. Besides an adaptable horse girl like Sato no Takarazuka, some were used to 1,400-meter races and would unconsciously speed up their pace, while others had powerful Final Bursts.
"You'd only raced once, Little Kita. You didn't have enough experience to adapt to all those changes in the moment.
"That's why I had you follow Sato no Takarazuka until the middle of the race. After that, all you had to do was accelerate earlier than she did. It wouldn't be easy for her to close the gap and pass you.
"You should have felt that for yourself."
As Anjing Zhen explained, Kitasan Black kept nodding, her face bright with understanding.
By the end, she was practically buzzing with excitement.
"If that approach can win races, does that mean I can keep doing it in the future, Trainer?"
To her surprise, Anjing Zhen smiled and shook his head.
"It's not that simple, Little Kita.
"Strictly speaking, neither of your first two races was especially high-level. Your opponents were only relatively strong and experienced.
"The farther you go, the stronger your opponents will be.
"The ones you've beaten now will grow, too. It's entirely possible that one day they'll turn the tables and beat you.
"So letting your opponents dictate the pace can only catch them off guard once in a while. You must never rely on it as your main approach.
"Your next training goal is to gradually establish your running style and learn, little by little, to take the lead in the entire race yourself."
Before you continue