Chapter 66: The Gate Incident
The Hanshin Daishoten started at 15:35, just ten minutes before the Spring Stakes.
Normally, as long as no runner has trouble entering the gate—or barring unexpected issues like a dislodged horseshoe—ten minutes is more than enough time for all preparations.
Even with the Gold Ship live broadcast inserted in the middle, her message seemed to do more than just inspire Kitasan Black—it fired up the entire field, and the gate loading went smoothly.
At 15:45 sharp, the live commentary resumed.
"All right, all Umamusumes are now in the gate.
"This is the Nakayama Racecourse, G2 Spring Stakes, 1800 meters on turf, sunny skies, and a good track condition…"
"Start!"
Bang!
The gates flew open.
Without a moment's hesitation, already primed and ready, Kitasan Black dropped her body low, and with a powerful push off her back left leg, burst out of the gate.
But in the very next second, something caught her eye—and her brow furrowed.
She was running out of Gate 1, the innermost position. All her opponents were on her outer flank.
And immediately upon launch, a dark-haired Umamusume with light blue earrings pushed in from the side.
'...Daicho Minor? Looks like she's trying to fight me for the front…'
'The pressure was subtle—not quite enough to be called a foul.'
'So… is this what they call "gate bullying"?'
Her mind worked quickly, racing through all the strategic scenarios she'd reviewed countless times in training.
The moment she left the gate, she sensed something peculiar about Daicho Minor's footwork and positioning.
In her training, gate-launch positioning drills were frequent, and her training partners included the likes of Daiwa Scarlet, a top-tier front-runner.
She had learned and practiced many techniques to seize a front position, including the move she had just used.
But Daicho Minor's move? It was something she'd almost never encountered, not even from Scarlet.
According to Twinkle Series rules, Umamusume are not allowed to drift diagonally on the straight at the start—it risks blocking others from advancing.
If someone behind doesn't react in time and crashes into the runner ahead, that's a 60 km/h collision of flesh and bone—which is no laughing matter.
She'd heard many cautionary tales from Makoto about such incidents.
Some were far back in time, like with Tamamo Cross, who had been involved in such an accident during her Classic year, resulting in long-lasting psychological trauma that prevented her from fully performing in races.
More recently, there was Mejiro McQueen, who in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), unintentionally interfered with another racer's path through a diagonal move. After review, the committee deemed it serious enough to demote her from first place to last.
That race marked the first-ever disqualification in a G1 race since the Twinkle Series had implemented the downgrade rule.
But Kitasan Black was certain—Daicho Minor was not violating any rules.
Her opponent's positioning was deliberately precise.
She hovered less than half a meter to the side—close enough to threaten, but with just enough buffer to avoid a foul.
She was slightly ahead—maybe a few centimeters to a dozen—just enough to pressure without directly cutting in.
More importantly, the first curve of the Spring Stakes came very early—not even 200 meters into the race. The early stretch had a slight arc, not a straightaway.
This meant that it was difficult to commit a diagonal foul in this phase, because the inner track naturally offered space to maneuver.
As a result, Kitasan Black's stride was affected.
Due to Daicho Minor's positioning, she was forced to make tiny, repeated adjustments, cutting closer and closer to the rail with each stride.
And with every step she took inward, Daicho Minor mirrored her, maintaining that same precise distance—as if deliberately engaging her.
Which only made Kitasan's frown deepen—but at the same time, she began to feel a surge of confidence and a strange excitement.
The confidence? It came from the fact that her Trainer had told her about this situation some time ago.
Not only that—Makoto had also told her how to respond to this situation.
With this kind of prior knowledge and mental preparation, Kitasan Black didn't feel the least bit flustered by Daicho Minor's tactics.
On the contrary, she was confident she could handle it.
The feeling of excitement, on the other hand, came from the strength of her opponent.
Her previous races had only been Pre-Opens and Opens; this was her first time competing in a G2 graded stakes.
She had already heard—both in class and from Makoto—that there was a big difference between graded stakes and ordinary ones.
Back then, she had often wondered:
"What would I think, and what would I do, if I actually ran into a powerful opponent in a big race?"
And now, standing in the middle of one, she found her answer:
She had only two feelings.
Awe and excitement.
As expected of a graded stakes-level opponent… they're really strong.
But being able to compete against someone like this… it's amazing!
In an instant, a thrill like a shiver surged from her chest through her whole body.
Kitasan Black couldn't help but glance out the corner of her eye at the rest of her opponents on the outside.
At the same time, she subtly and quietly slowed her pace—just a little.
The other runners, still far away, didn't notice her shift in posture or footwork.
But Daicho Minor—right next to her—noticed clearly.
And she couldn't help but be baffled and shocked.
What the heck? Why... why isn't she in a hurry at all?
That was strange. Her trainer had clearly told her to watch out for REAL STEEL and Danon Platina, but Kitasan Black was also someone she needed to be careful of...
So why wasn't she showing any sense of urgency?
Isn't she a runner who's good at pace chasing and then launching a comeback in the final stretch?
Why would she give up the chance to break out ahead of the pack so easily?
Is she not planning to use that tactic today?
But her finishing speed isn't that strong, especially running from the inside...
So how does she expect to win?
As she wrestled with this confusion, Daicho Minor didn't forget to pay attention to her other rivals.
She was running from Gate 2, just outside of Kitasan Black.
That position had both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was that it offered better access to the inner rail, saving energy; the disadvantage was the risk of getting boxed in by the pack.
Still, when she launched out of the gate, she had already noted that the other runners were clearly more focused on Gates 6 and 8.
Those two gates had a significant advantage.
Being in the middle of the pack gave them more flexibility to either cut inside or move wide. Their tactical options were greater, and they could seize an early advantage more easily.
Even more importantly, Gate 6 belonged to the most popular runner in the field, REAL STEEL, famous for her explosive final sprints.
And Gate 8 held the second most popular runner, Danon Platina, who had not only G1 wins but was almost unmatched among her generation.
Both of them had drawn excellent positions, so it was only natural that everyone's attention was fixed on them.
Because of that, almost all the outside runners were tied up jockeying around STEEL and Platina, leaving no one to worry about the inner track.
'Perfect. In that case, once the early phase ends, I'll be able to follow our trainer's plan and seize the best front running position…'
Just as Daicho Minor thought this and began to shift focus back to Kitasan Black on the inside, something suddenly flashed in her left-side peripheral vision.
A short-haired figure with light brown hair burst forward at high speed.
So fast! That's…
Susan Muse!
Of course! Of course she's the one leading this race!
Perfect. Everything is going just as the trainer predicted.
That means… the spot right behind Susan Muse should be mine—
"—Huh?!"
Just as she was about to accelerate, Daicho Minor suddenly let out a shocked gasp.
Her eyes went wide.
At that exact moment—right after spotting Susan Muse charging ahead from the left—a black-haired, short-cut runner on her right suddenly exploded into motion, zipping past her in the blink of an eye.
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