With her thoughts still racing, Kitasan Black finished her jogging warm-up. Without much rest, she soon arrived at the prepared starting gates alongside her opponents for the first training race.
Just like the entry list, the gate numbers had been randomly assigned. Kitasan Black had drawn Gate 2, close to the inner lane.
In Gate 1 on her inside was Deep Impact, who was overseeing the entire special training session. In the gate on her other side was Nakayama Celebration, one of the seniors she had interacted with most during the training.
Having gone through so much training and so many Major Races, Kitasan Black had never felt much pressure from a mere training race. Now that familiar seniors stood on both sides of her, she felt even more at ease and quickly focused on the track ahead of the gates.
The Japanese Derby was only a few days away. The track had already been renovated, and its moisture level was visibly less severe than when she had first arrived.
But after all this special training, Kitasan Black knew well that even if the track did not look especially wet, it was still a Heavy Track. She could not judge its condition by moisture alone.
Moreover, every race she had entered in the past had been the final event, meaning the track had already endured the impact of ten races.
It would feel far worse underfoot than it did during training.
By comparison, this track, which had yet to suffer the ravages of actual racing, could be considered to be in good condition from a certain perspective.
Still, the track condition alone was not enough to determine what she should do after leaving the Start Gate.
Thinking that, Kitasan Black's gaze swiftly swept from side to side.
She had spent