The Hanshin Daishoten was scheduled to start at 15:35, only ten minutes before the Spring Stakes.
Generally speaking, unless there were contestants who had difficulty entering the gates or accidents like a horseshoe coming loose, ten minutes was enough to complete the gate preparations.
And after the inserted live broadcast featuring Gold Ship, the Horse Girl's words seemed to have encouraged the contestants besides Kitasan Black as well, and the loading process went quite smoothly.
At 15:45, the announcer began right on schedule.
"Alright, all Horse Girls have entered the gates.
"Now then, Nakayama Racecourse, G2 Spring Stakes, grass 1800 meters, clear weather, good track conditions...
"Start!"
The starting gates flew open with a bang.
Without the slightest hesitation, Kitasan Black, who had long been poised to launch, dipped her body sharply and drove off the ground with her rear left leg, bursting forward.
The next second, she caught something in the corner of her eye, and her brows quietly furrowed.
She was in stall number one this race, with her gate positioned at the very Inner Lane. All her opponents were in the Outer Lane.
The instant the gates opened, a Horse Girl with black long hair and pale blue earrings pressed in from beside her.
...Daiwa Miner? Looks like she wants to fight me for the Leading Position...
But that degree of veering wasn't enough to count as a foul, so...
Was this what they called trapping someone...?
As the analyses she had reviewed countless times raced through her mind, Kitasan Black's brows drew tighter and tighter.
From the instant they left the gates, she had sensed that number two, Daiwa Miner, had an unusual Stride Length and positioning.
She had done plenty of training on securing position while leading, and the Horse Girl she had run alongside