Recaps

Anjing Zhen prepared Kitasan Black for the Satsuki Sho, where she narrowly defeated Duramente, then began training her for the Japanese Derby. The group traveled to Kyoto to support Gold Ship at the Tenno Sho Spring.

• Anjing Zhen guided Kitasan Black through demanding special training, completed her Victory Outfit preparations, and reassured her before the Satsuki Sho.
• Kitasan Black took the lead in the Satsuki Sho, used her practiced tactics to build a sizable advantage, and held off Duramente in a photo finish.
• Kitasan Black celebrated her victory, while Anjing Zhen worried that Duramente had entered the Domain unusually early and decided not to rush Kitasan Black's training.
• Kitasan Black met the Snowdrift Chairwoman, invited Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen to help her prepare for the Japanese Derby, and joined a celebration at her family home.
• Anjing Zhen demonstrated Extreme Skills and began teaching Kitasan Black Wall Running as preparation for the Derby's uphill course.
• Kitasan Black decided to visit the struggling Koushou Hayate, while Tokai Teio persuaded Deep Impact to join a training race with Kitasan Black.
• Anjing Zhen traveled with Kitasan Black and their companions to Kyoto to watch Gold Ship's Tenno Sho Spring, where the group gathered to cheer her on.
• The Horse Girls discussed the Tenno Sho Spring's contenders and track strategy in the Paddock, while Anzu and Kitasan Black resolved to keep improving.

Gold Ship won the Tenno Sho Spring as Anjing Zhen prepared Kitasan Black for the Japanese Derby. Kitasan Black finished second to Duramente in a record-breaking race, reconciled herself to the loss, and began endurance training for the Kikuka Sho at Mount Mitou.

• Gold Ship overcame her gate trouble, charged up the outside, and won the Tenno Sho Spring before celebrating with the elderly man and the black-haired Horse Girl.
• Koushou Hayate left to visit her elder sister, while Anjing Zhen resumed Kitasan Black's wall-running practice and explained how it could prepare her for the Japanese Derby's slopes.
• Anjing Zhen arranged a practice race with Grass Wonder's help, and Deep Impact and Gold Artisan challenged Kitasan Black, disrupting her rhythm before she renewed her pursuit.
• After the race, Deep Impact discussed the Japanese Derby's demands with Kitasan Black, and Anjing Zhen used simulated falling to help her face the fear associated with the Zone.
• Kitasan Black kept her own rhythm in the Japanese Derby, took the lead on an uphill stretch, and was caught by Duramente in the final 100 meters.
• Duramente won the Derby in a record-breaking time, and Kitasan Black accepted second place before promising Duramente that she would keep competing.
• Anjing Zhen visited Kitasan Black after the race, and she hugged him from behind and asked whether they would keep racing together.
• Anjing Zhen took Kitasan Black to Mount Mitou to train for the Kikuka Sho and planned for them to carry their mountain bikes uphill before riding them down.

Anjing Zhen expanded Kitasan Black’s training with help from Silent Suzuka and Rice Shower, while the Summer Dream Trophy showed her the skill and endurance of veteran racers. The arc ended with Kitasan Black and Duramente renewing their rivalry and a medical examination uncovering a dangerous condition in Duramente.

• Anjing Zhen put Kitasan Black through overload training and brought Silent Suzuka and Rice Shower to help develop her racing, including techniques for a stronger start.
• Kitasan Black learned that the Saint Lite Kinen would prepare her for the Kikuka Sho, while Anjing Zhen urged her to broaden her front-running tactics rather than commit to one style.
• Kitasan Black watched the Summer Dream Trophy with her companions and studied Seiun Sky, Special Week, Grass Wonder, and the other veterans as they fought through a fast, shifting race.
• El Condor Pasa won the Summer Dream Trophy ahead of Grass Wonder and Special Week, and the runners celebrated together afterward.
• Anjing Zhen realized he had become personally invested in helping Kitasan Black reach her limits, then resolved to prepare for Duramente’s possible injury and help the two race again.
• Duramente refused Sister Symboli’s request to return home, and Kitasan Black proposed that they honor their promise by racing in the Kikuka Sho and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
• Kitasan Black and Duramente discussed what drove them to race, then joined Almond Eye for comprehensive medical examinations.
• Anjing Zhen and Symboli Rudolf reviewed Duramente’s results and found crystalline inflammation that could lead to serious consequences, including fractures, if it remained uncontrolled.

As Duramente faced months of rest and Kitasan Black prepared for the Saint Lite Kinen, Anjing Zhen helped Kitasan confront worries about her friends and refine her racing. Kitasan won the Saint Lite Kinen with a Great Escape, then began preparing for the Kikuka Sho with Sakura King’s advice.

• Symboli Rudolf asked Agnes Tachyon to help persuade Duramente to rest, while Agnes reviewed Kitasan Black’s examination and agreed to study her training logs under Anjing Zhen’s conditions.
• Anjing Zhen learned that Almond Eye’s parents would not change their racing plans yet, then considered the Arima Kinen as a chance for Kitasan Black to prove herself.
• Kitasan Black encouraged Anjing Zhen over his worries about Little Anzu and vowed to win the Saint Lite Kinen, Kikuka Sho, and Arima Kinen.
• Ribbon Keiko and Tsubasa Hayate challenged Kitasan Black before the Saint Lite Kinen, and Anjing Zhen urged Kitasan to accept Ribbon’s challenge and win decisively.
• Kitasan Black used a Great Escape at the Saint Lite Kinen, held off Ribbon Keiko’s late chase, and won after hearing Ribbon’s voice.
• Duramente continued upper-body training despite her injury, while Satono Crown withdrew from the Kikuka Sho after her family judged her long-distance ability insufficient.
• Kitasan Black shared her concern with Satono Crown and then worked with Anjing Zhen on a Kikuka Sho strategy that combined Slow Escape with Great Escape techniques.
• Anjing Zhen took Kitasan Black to meet Sakura King, who praised her ambition to pursue middle- and long-distance races and trained beside her, displaying speed Kitasan could not match.