Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 579 The Rhythm of Control

As they rounded the bend, the Northern Black Horse secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She could feel the sweat on the back of her neck sliding down her spine into her winning outfit, but she still maintained the "three steps in, two steps out" rhythm that Yasui Makoto required.

She had already entered the first bend, followed by the curve and the second bend. The roar of the crowd continued, with shouts of "Northern Black Horse" crashing against her eardrums wave after wave, but they had already receded slightly as the dense support flags rolled like waves.

The track ahead has suddenly opened up.

Sensing his current state, the Northern Black Horse nodded secretly.

Great, a very smooth start, so what's next...?

"We're now entering the opening phase! The Northern Black Steed is taking control of the tempo!"

The commentator's voice calmed down slightly, and he turned to tactical analysis:
Instead of rushing ahead recklessly, she chose a "slow escape" tactic.

"This is her best style of play: using a steady cruising speed to wear down the opponent's patience while conserving energy to face the challenges of the second half of the race."

"Let's check the current status of the match."

"The one in the lead is the Northern Black Steed, which burst forth as soon as it left the gate, and it is currently in first place."

"Following closely behind is the only one in the world, while the inner path is California Shining. The two players seem to be targeting the Northern Black Horse, launching a fierce attack in the early game. However, they seem to have changed their tactics at this moment, sticking close behind the Northern Black Horse."

"Next up are Golden Star and Unyielding Steel. Northern Black Horse's lead is not fast, and its leading group is larger than in many races."

"And the much-anticipated Frostfall and Outbreak are leading the vanguard group, and they are very close to the leading racehorses."

"So, with popularity rivaling that of the Northern Black Horse, Rong Houzaijue is in the middle of the team, it seems that she has chosen a very classic first-race strategy for this race."

"Ahead of us is the elegant and refined Junyi, followed by the ginger-flavored liquor, then the seven-colored line and the Peruvian city, and then the night-blooming flower."

"The player who was left behind was Qigaolingran. It seems that the intensity of this Japan Cup is very high. Qigaolingran did not manage to get his familiar position. It seems that we need to consider chasing tactics."

"The whole team is very bloated, and they're now heading towards the second bend."

After the commentary subsided, many aspects of the broadcast became clear, and the large screen facing the audience showed the horse girls' condition from multiple angles, with one entire screen displaying a close-up of Kita Genko.

Looking at the screen opposite him, Yasui Makoto in the stands nodded slightly, having calmed down a bit from the excitement of the fierce battle to leave the gate: "Hmm... there are no problems so far. Soko, what's it like on your end?" He even managed to raise his voice slightly to ask.

"Well..."

Raising an eyebrow, Alice glanced at the racing teams on the track before looking down at her tablet and reporting the real-time data:

"The estimate is unprocessed, but it can still be used as a reference. The cadence is 7.2 steps per second, the estimated cruising speed is around 15.6 meters per second, and the heart rate is 168..."

"Kukuku, in short, judging from this situation, the condition can be described as perfect."

Upon hearing this, Yasui Makoto breathed a sigh of relief and then looked towards the arena.

"Xiao Bei...you must stay calm," he silently prayed to himself.

The Northern Black Horse was indeed stabilizing. If a suitable position wasn't secured in the early game, or if probing proved ineffective, the usual tactic was to return to one's most comfortable position. And from her perspective, the opponents behind her didn't seem inclined to continue their aggressive push.

According to the strategy developed during preparation, this is precisely an opportunity to adjust one's condition and conserve strength for subsequent confrontations, especially the final straight-line confrontation.

So she deliberately slowed down the force of her push-off, making the horseshoes land on the grass more lightly and reducing the impact on her knees.

After the speed improved, she couldn't help but nod in approval.

As she exited the gate, even though she wanted to remain absolutely calm, she could still sense an atmosphere of impending doom.

Looking in that direction, one could immediately see the only one in the world with a cold expression and the Golden Actress with burning eyes, and one could also guess that their goal was clear: to keep a close eye on the leader, which was themselves.

On the outside, California Shining grinned, revealing a belligerent and excited smile, and stretched his shoulders as if ready to charge.

Further out, Rong Houzai remained as quiet as if she were detached from the situation, with only her slightly rising and falling chest and focused eyes revealing her inner calculations, like a lurking hunter waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

Similarly, the thunderous roar and the frost, along with other familiar and old rivals, were also in position, creating a tense atmosphere throughout the gate area that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

But she forced herself to calm down, focused her attention, and paid attention to things that needed more attention.

Generally, big prizes like G1 are offered as the final event of the match day.

It's common knowledge that running on the inside lane is actually shorter and saves more energy. This means that in most cases, after the "torture" of the previous 10 races, the condition of the inside lane is "unbearable." Running on it will not only not save energy, but may even waste it.

However, not all big rewards are like this, such as today's Japan Cup match.

Whether it was due to some special treatment or in preparation for the Japan Cup, the staff took extra care in maintaining the track, even diligently adjusting its condition during breaks in the competition on match days.

In conclusion, the inner track turf was indeed as Eliseko had predicted. Even though it had been trampled by the previous ten races and the surface was somewhat soft, with occasional resistance as hooves sank into the mud, the overall condition was much "easier" than the heavy prizes she had run before. This was good news, especially for a runaway horse like her. The better the track condition, the more energy she could conserve, the more tactics she could implement in the middle of the race, and the more power she could unleash in the final straight.

Very good, then... Nodding secretly, the Northern Black Steed landed again, precisely cutting its landing point at the boundary between the grass and the soil.

The support here is stronger than in other parts of the track. Just as she felt the solidity from the ball of her foot and was about to switch to the other foot, her ears twitched and her eyes narrowed.

The only one in the world... Her gaze unconsciously shifted slightly backward.

In the Northern Black Steed's perception, the One Under Heaven behind him was clearly getting restless.

They began to accelerate slightly, attempting to close the gap.

The sound of her breathing became clearer and clearer, like an alarm being sounded in her ear.

Meanwhile, the Golden Actors maintained their third-place position, like lurking hunters, neither approaching nor distancing themselves, waiting for their opportunity.

At the same time, she heard the commentator's shouts.

"The only one under heaven has started to exert pressure! The gap between her and the Northern Black Steed has narrowed to just one horse length!"

The commentator's voice rose again:
"Golden Actors are still playing steadily, while California Shines from the outside... wait!"
"She's moved! She's moved! California Shining... is about to overtake from the outside!"

(End of this chapter)