Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 401: A Major Difference Has Been Created

As Yi Lutong muttered to himself, Golden Ship stroked his chin, tilted his head, and stared at the starting line on the track, equally puzzled, and muttered to himself:
"Strange... That shouldn't be the case. Xiao Bei... doesn't seem to use the escape route much?"

"Not used much?"

After a brief pause, Yi Lutong frowned and said, "I know a little about Beifang Xuanju's matches. Her preferred tactic... is probably a slow escape?"

“It was indeed a slow escape,” the golden ship nodded in affirmation.
"Xiao Bei's overall strength is definitely G1 level, but there are many opponents who are stronger than her in terms of acceleration and sustained burst of power."

"If she were to run like a regular runner, her speed in the final stages would easily put her at a disadvantage. Using a slow run would ensure that she doesn't 'walk' as much and would also make it easier to allocate her energy."

"So, in terms of a great escape... are you planning to rely on your superior endurance to suppress the enemy throughout? But..."

Finally, as she muttered a guess to herself, her tone became worried:

"Not to mention those two guys, Master and Festival, the other opponents won't let you have it so easy either, Xiao Bei..."

Listening to the Golden Ship's analysis, Yi Lutong nodded silently while still puzzled.

"Walking" is a colloquial term referring to the slowing down of a fleeing horse at the end of the race due to exhaustion.

The escape horse needs to create enough distance in the early and mid-game. During this period, the cruising speed is much higher than other running methods, and the stamina consumption will be correspondingly higher, so the stamina in the end will naturally be much less.

Generally speaking, due to their physical disadvantage, the speed of the fleeing horse in the final game will be about 5% to 10% lower than that of the opponent, which translates to a difference of about 1 second in time.

At this point, if a horse lacks resilience and sufficient coping skills, it is almost impossible for it to win the race.

A drop of about 1 second is a significant difference of more than 10 meters. This is why this running style looks very exciting, but very few racehorses and trainers actually use it in races, because the odds of winning are actually very low.

From the perspective of energy allocation, slow escape can reduce energy consumption in the early and mid-game, so that the disadvantage in speed at the end game is within 5%.

If you have excellent rhythm and the necessary resilience and skills, slow escape is actually one of the most likely ways to win.

The reason why this running method is less common than conventional escape methods or mass escapes is that it is difficult to possess the rhythm ability, corresponding qualities and skills at the same time.

Given this, the Northern Black Steed, despite having a more familiar and advantageous running method, has taken an extremely risky step by choosing to flee, which is quite puzzling.

Not only were Yilutong and Golden Ship puzzled, but most of the other female racehorses and trainers watching the race also looked confused.

On the track, judging by his senses that he had already pulled ahead by more than five horse lengths, the Northern Black Steed did not feel any ease whatsoever.

It was confirmed before the match that the stadium had been renovated in preparation for the Japanese derby in a few days, and the moisture content was not as high as during practice.

However, despite being called a training match, the pressure was significantly greater than in other training methods.

The pursuit from behind hadn't gotten urgent yet, but the sound of footsteps stomping on the mud was constant.

A heavy, muffled sound mixed with the sound of the wind rushed into her ears, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end uncontrollably.

Under this pressure, the grass stems covered in mud underfoot felt like waterlogged ropes, and the resistance to stepping on them seemed to be increasing step by step.

Despite the pressure, she remained calm.

As instructed before the race, the distance we've created, while not yet significant, is already quite ideal. A five-foot span is 12.5 meters, which is a considerable gap in most races.

Being so far behind, and with no interference tactics yet deployed from the rear, it means the opponents haven't reacted yet, or are still figuring out whether their current tactic is a full-scale escape.

These reactions and judgments probably don't take too much time, but by the time they get the answers, the time difference is enough for her to widen the gap in the pre-planned opening.

Once that step is completed, the intended goal of this competition can be said to have been half achieved.

Making these analyses at lightning speed, and with his eyes fixed on the front, he caught the dark brown track beginning to curve inward. Northern Black Horse's tense nerves jolted, and his whole body shuddered as if electrocuted.

"Right now!"

As she silently shouted to herself, scenes from her special training flashed through her mind, and she intensified the exertion of every muscle in her body.

The arm swing frequency increased instantly, with the elbows brushing against the waist and creating a whooshing sound, yet the rhythm remained extremely stable, with each swing precisely coordinated with the equally accelerated pace.

The moment the right shoulder thrusts forward, the left foot slams heavily onto the ground.

Mud mixed with grass clippings splashed out in a fan shape, but before being splashed, my right foot lifted just in time, avoiding the mud and grass clippings as I stepped forward.

With such rapid acceleration, the track beneath my feet seemed to have suddenly changed material. Every step felt like stepping on semi-solid resin. Although the resistance increased sharply, it felt inexplicably more solid than before.

This is the result of every special training session that followed.

With its pupils fixed on the ever-approaching tangent of the bend, the Northern Black Horse could sense that with each touch of its feet, the angle between the balls of its feet and the ground hovered around 15 degrees.

This is one of the key points of the special training. Maintaining this footwork in heavy terrain can not only minimize the impact of mud and other external objects, but also ensure the stability of core strength to the greatest extent.

The next step in dealing with curves, in addition to the basic training from day after day, is to transform the S-shaped slalom training in special training into the change of direction techniques required in actual combat.

Recalling the feeling of the special training, she reflexively tensed her waist and abdomen, imagining her hind legs shooting out like a bowstring or a spring, and suddenly rushed into the first bend.

As the Northern Black Horse cut into the bend with a series of crescent-shaped footprints, it gradually widened the gap.

Six horses' bodies... seven horses' bodies... eight horses' bodies...

As she emerged from the bend, trailing a large amount of mud behind her, she perceived herself as having smoothly widened the gap between herself and the second-place runner by a full ten horse lengths.

Even with such a smooth situation, she did not relax, but remained tense from beginning to end.

Without looking back, she relied on the sounds she heard to assess the situation behind her. While tense, she couldn't help but feel puzzled:

"That's strange. It's understandable that the others didn't react, but why didn't the seniors... give chase?"

"Even without any pursuit, without the slightest interference, are they just letting me run like this...?"
"If that's the case, then the 'scenario simulation' we planned before the competition... won't be able to be completed..."

At this thought, a sense of worry arose in her heart.

(End of this chapter)