Chapter 65: Gold Ship Wants to Throw a Victory Party
With Special Week's encouragement still warming her heart, Kitasan Black turned and ran toward the starting gate, the last traces of nervousness in her chest already swept away.
Yesterday, when she'd arrived, she thought that with two victories under her belt, she wouldn't feel nervous about the upcoming Spring Stakes.
But the moment she set foot on the Nakayama Racecourse, she realized—just like at the Tokyo track—that subtle tension from the uncertainty of the race outcome had quietly crept back into her heart.
Thanks to her previous experience, it wasn't as overwhelming as her debut races.
At the very least, she hadn't made a mess of things like putting on her shoes backward or getting stuck in her jacket this time.
But that also meant… the little bit of tension that was still there didn't have an obvious outlet.
She had trained hard.
She'd earnestly sought advice from her senpai, reviewed her studies, and practiced running on the lawn at home every weekend.
She'd properly listened to the trainer's briefings, and she'd thoroughly understood the strategy and preparation.
And because of all that—she didn't know what else she could do to completely shake the nerves and step into the gate with perfect composure.
So really, she was deeply thankful to Special Week-senpai.
And of course, to everyone else. And to her trainer.
It was because of their support and encouragement that she'd come this far, step by step.
'Alright! I'm definitely going to win this Spring Stakes!'
With ambitious determination, Kitasan Black was the first to enter the gate. Standing inside, she silently pumped herself up.
'The rest should be lining up soon—and then the race would begin…'
As she thought that, she couldn't help glancing back in the direction she had come.
At that moment, a roar of cheers from the grandstands drew her attention, and she turned instinctively toward the sound, slightly confused.
'Huh? Has REAL STEEL entered the stage? That can't be right—she's number 6. Why are they getting loud now?'
From what Kitasan remembered, she herself was only ranked 5th in pre-race popularity. During the parade, there were cheers, but they clearly weren't as loud as those for fan-favorite REAL STEEL, who had the highest odds.
Not that she minded.
She understood early on that in the music world, the ones who deliver good performances, who sing good songs… those are the ones who become beloved, the ones whose concerts fill up every time.
And just yesterday, something Makoto had said made her realize—the world of umamusume is the same. She just hadn't noticed before.
She was working hard. Her Trainer was working hard. Her classmates, her rivals, and their trainers—all of them were doing their best, too.
So if someone had better results, or came from a more illustrious background, or had a famous trainer—of course they'd have more popularity. That was only natural.
Instead of being distracted by that, it was better to focus on the race ahead.
In the end, as an umamusume, whether it's popularity or performance—it all comes down to how far you can run on your own two legs.
Just as she turned her gaze back to the track, her ears twitched.
The cheers from the stands grew clearer, and the sound in the stadium began to converge into a single chant.
Even the other racers behind her had started exclaiming—calling out the same words.
Or rather, a single name.
Then came the broadcast announcement, voice trembling with excitement.
"Gold Ship!
"Attention, everyone! We're breaking in with an update from the Hanshin Racecourse!"
"In the G2 Hanshin Daishoten, 3000 meters on turf—the winner is—Gold Ship!!"
'Ah... Gold Ship-senpai…'
Kitasan Black stared at the broadcast, stunned for a moment. Then her face lit up with pure joy.
She did it! Trainer was right—Gold Ship-senpai really won the Hanshin Daishoten! That's amazing!
She was overwhelmed with happiness, even as a tinge of envy crept in.
'I'm so jealous of Scarlet-senpai and Vodka-senpai… they actually got to see it in person…'
Even while overjoyed, a soft wave of wistfulness washed over her.
Just then, like an auditory hallucination, a familiar voice echoed high above the Nakayama Racecourse.
"Yay~ Yay~ Hoohoo~ Shocked by the overwhelming majesty of Gold Ship-sama, huh? Hoohoohoohoo, well, of course you are!"
Huh?! Gold Ship-senpai is here…?
Wait—no, it's a live broadcast!
Only confused for a moment, Kitasan Black quickly realized that the voice was coming from the racecourse's giant screen and whipped her head around to look.
In the next second, the massive jumbotron—dozens of meters wide and towering stories high—displayed the tall figure of a silver-haired racehorse girl with a pair of brown earmuffs.
It was unmistakably Gold Ship.
On-screen, she had her arms raised, each hand flashing a peace sign, and was mimicking a giant crab, scuttling side to side while holding her "claws" in the air.
Her motions were completely crab-like—knees bent, hips low, arms out like pincers—as she moved left and right across the screen in front of the camera.
At the same time, a wave of laughter burst from the broadcast, echoed immediately by the crowd at Nakayama.
The race announcer tried to keep it together but was clearly stifling giggles.
"As always, Gold Ship-sama is absolutely full of life! And her strength—undeniable! She's completely silenced all the recent gloomy speculation!"
Then the expert commentator picked up the thread:
"That's right. Ever since last year's Takarazuka Kinen, there's been skepticism about Gold Ship's form and strength."
"Especially after the Sapporo Kinen, her results have been underwhelming."
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe clearly exposed her struggle with the foreign track conditions, and the doubters only grew louder."
"But today, with a clear 1¼ length victory in the Hanshin Daishoten, I think all that negativity has been blown away."
"She's heading next to the Tenno Sho (Spring), and I think it's fair to say she might give us a truly—"
It was obvious the commentator was about to shower her with praise—
—but he didn't get the chance.
Because on the big screen, Gold Ship suddenly stopped her crab-walking, slammed her hands on her hips, leaned forward, and glared right into the camera.
"Hey, hey! You can hear me, right?!"
No one knew exactly when she'd decided to take over the show, but there she was, dominating the screen.
"I dunno if this'll reach you or not—but who cares!"
"Kita, I'm just gonna assume you can hear me!"
"I already heard from Scarlet and Vodka—you've got a race today too! Same as me—Race 11!"
"I got my win first, so now it's your turn to go all out!"
"Go for it! I'll get the victory party ready for you!"
Through the stadium's audio system, her words were broadcast loud and clear—reaching the ears of everyone at the Nakayama track.
Upon hearing that, Kitasan Black—already fired up—felt her heart ignite even more.
She didn't care that Gold Ship couldn't actually hear her back. She raised a fist and shouted straight at the screen:
"Got it! I'll win this race, no matter what! You can count on me, Gold Ship-senpai!!"
On the other end of the broadcast, the announcers' voices came in, tinged with amusement and a bit of surprise.
"Kita… That's got to be Kitasan Black, one of today's Spring Stakes runners, right?"
"Seems like she and Gold Ship have quite a close bond."
"Let's hope she lives up to her senpai's expectations and gives us a great performance!"
The coverage quickly shifted back to the main event.
"And with that, the Hanshin Daishoten ends on a high note."
"Now, Spring Stakes runners—please prepare for entry."
"Under the guidance of our staff, proceed to the gate in an orderly fashion."
"Let's bring the same level of excitement to today's race here at Nakayama!"
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