In Yasui Makoto's view, these two Uma Musume were the opponents who demanded the most attention.
Furen Steel's Final Speed was formidable. In the final 600 meters of her Debut Race, she had blazed through in 33.3 seconds—a blistering pace.
In the G2 Kyodo Tsushin Hai, her previous race, quite a few of her opponents had excelled at Final Speed, yet she had still won.
By comparison, although second-favorite Noda Gold's Final Speed was commendable, it had not reached the top level in this race.
The problem was that this Uma Musume had won the Asahi Cup last year.
It was a G1 Race, and one of the few G1 races before the Classic Circuit. It carried the significance of determining the strongest newcomer, and its participants were all Uma Musume who had performed exceptionally well in training and their Debut Races. Its value was self-evident.
Having gone through a race like that, Noda Gold might be lacking in other areas, but her race experience was unquestionably the best in the field.
The appearance of opponents like this was also the greatest difference between Major Races and OP-level or Pre-OP-level races.
To set foot in the Shining Series, especially at the central level, meant that every Uma Musume's overall ability had already placed her at the forefront of her generation.
And being able to enter a Major Race meant that, while excelling in every fundamental aspect, she also possessed a strong point capable of overcoming her enemies.
At this level of competition, one could either defeat the opponent's strong point head-on.
Or one could play to one's strengths and avoid one's weaknesses, using one's own strong point to stand toe-to-toe with the opponent.
Or one could devise a sufficiently meticulous strategy and find a way to prevent the opponent from