Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 371 Better-than-expected Performance

If word got out that they were experimenting with touch-sensitive technology in G1 events, the entire industry would probably be stunned.

It's important to understand that for thousands of female horse racers, the ultimate goal of their careers isn't necessarily to win a Game 1 race, or even to win a big prize.

Rather, being able to step onto a stage like Chongping and let more people see their presence is perhaps enough.

Stripped of its immense popularity and glamorous performances, the real show is a brutal, survival-of-the-fittest competition. That's the truth.

Conversely, given this inherent nature, every female horse that can step onto the G1 stage, which symbolizes the highest honor, will do her utmost to ensure that everything in the race goes as expected, so as to maximize the chances of victory.

Therefore, apart from herself, Yasui Makoto who devised this strategy, and Anzu who only vaguely understood the general idea, no one else could have imagined Northern Genkoto's plan, not even the hundreds of thousands of on-site audience members and the millions of people watching the live broadcast.

However, even though no one expected such a shockingly bold decision, some people still noticed something was amiss when the game transitioned into the middle stages.

"The team has passed the 1000-meter marker, and the time is..."

The commentary coming from the radio this time was noticeably calmer than at the beginning, and even carried a sense of questioning, contemplation, and seeking opinions:

"1 minute 02.4 seconds, that's a rather slow pace. It seems the race is entirely led by the rider from the Northern Genju."

"This situation..."

Before the words were finished, the narrator's voice suddenly changed:
"Wait a minute," the Golden Performer lowered his posture slightly, as if he was about to sprint to gain position.

"Having just passed the 1000-meter marker, the Golden Dancer chose to accelerate and sprint. Was the pre-race instruction to cut into the inside lane here?"
"And the inner path is..."

"Dongbao Lone Wolf!"

"If it were Toho Lone Wolf, Golden Actors' entry might not have been so smooth."

"Moreover, in terms of position, behind Dongbao Lone Wolf is Gaoshang Junyi, which also occupies the inner side."

"Gao Shangjunyi is outstanding in long-distance races. With these two athletes on the field, no matter what tactics are used, it will be difficult for the Golden Artist to succeed!"

As the commentary began, the cheers and shouts from the stands erupted into a commotion.

Meanwhile, the game was relatively stable in the early stages, but became noticeably more intense in the middle stages.

After the team rushed down Yodo-no-Saka, on the outside, the Golden Performer, dressed in a dark red suit-style victory uniform, lowered his upper body and suddenly cut inward.

Two shallow furrows were plowed into the ground in the blink of an eye. The opponents on the inside almost all turned their faces to the side, and their wariness and surprise were clearly visible on the big screen.

Among them, facing the Golden Performer who was cutting in, Toho Lone Wolf in his deep purple decisive outfit twitched his ears violently, and the muscles on his face visibly tightened even more.

Without flinching, Dongbao Lone Wolf shifted slightly to the side, its tail swishing horizontally, leaving a visible brown afterimage in the air.

In that instant, she lurched forward slightly, and by sheer coincidence, she was positioned in the direction the Golden Performer was cutting in.

Such an obvious positioning, and a somewhat sharp, direct intimidation, caused the Golden Performer to momentarily hesitate.

Immediately afterwards, just as when she cut in diagonally, she leaned her upper body again.

This time, instead of cutting into the inner lane, she ran straight ahead along the outer edge of the Dongbao Lone Wolf track, until she was a little ahead of the latter.

During the clash between these two racehorse girls, the middle group experienced some positional changes.

To avoid being affected, almost all the female racehorses chose to slow down and give way, and only adjusted their pace and position after the battle between Golden Dinnerman and Toho Lone Wolf was over.

However, a blue and white figure rushed forward through the gap created by the golden actor and took the place where the latter had previously been.

Almost simultaneously with the commentator, in the stands, the player who had been intently watching the blue and white figure cheered:
"Well done! Sister Gao Shang! That's it! You seized the opportunity perfectly!" Standing beside Qiang Ji, Ji Feng crossed his arms and nodded approvingly.

"Not bad, it seems the previous special training wasn't in vain. If you can maintain this position, you'll be able to win in the end..."

She didn't finish speaking, but instead glanced subtly at Yasui Makoto and Alimee beside her.

Also noticing the changes in the team, Yasui Makoto frowned slightly, deep in thought.

After the cheers, Almond glanced nervously at the Northern Black Horse at the very front of the group.

Feeling that the confrontation behind them hadn't affected her seniors much, she looked curiously at Yasui Makoto:

"Trainer, how's the competition going? Senior Kobei should be following the instructions from before, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jifeng unconsciously pricked up his ears to the side.

Yasui Makoto paused for a moment, then nodded slightly and said:
"There are no problems. It can be said that it is as expected before the race. The runners are Xiao Bei, Ji Ling Maze and Rong Xun Zhang, while the leading group is led by Wan Lai Zheng Ming."

"And the 62.4-second 1000-meter time... was even more perfect than expected."

"It seems that Xiao Bei's performance on the spot was even better than I expected."

Almond didn't fully understand the pre-race instructions, but she was only concerned about the condition of the Northern Black Horse.

Hearing Yasui Makoto's certainty, she smiled with relief:
"I see... Then it seems like you have a very good chance of winning this match, senior?"

"We can have such high expectations."

Without any hesitation, Yasui Makoto nodded and said, "A pace of 16 meters per second is basically the same as the training level, which allows Kobe to conserve more energy."

"In this situation, whether it's the acceleration tactic on the second uphill or the final straight-line confrontation, she has enough room to handle it."

"but……"

Hearing the twist, Almond Eyes tensed up immediately: "But what...? Trainer, can you please not talk like that..."

Without answering immediately, Yasui Makoto examined the match situation again for a while, then smiled:
"It's nothing, but..."

"I was just thinking that if the Golden Actors' approach was a special tactic, it might have some impact on our plans."

"After all, I really don't understand why she needed to cut into the inner passage from that position before."

"But now it seems that she... was just affected by the slow pace that Xiao Bei brought."

Almond didn't understand this explanation, but she roughly understood that Yasui Makoto was originally a little worried about the Golden Performer, but now that she understood the reason, she no longer felt there was any problem.

Having listened attentively, Jifeng nodded knowingly in his heart.

Her judgment was the same as Yasui Makoto's; both believed that the Golden Actors' intervention was completely unnecessary.

Whether it's a long-distance race or any other race, there's no need to take a position once you enter the middle section of the course.

Because by this time the battle for the lead position has ended, the rhythm has been set, and the teams are often spread out and in a straight line, so taking a position requires a longer journey.

If the driving strategy requires positioning, the next corner is definitely a better choice.

(End of this chapter)