Breaking from the gate, competing for positions, managing cruising pace, timing accelerations…
Reviewing the entire strategy, Yasui Makoto found no obvious flaws. In fact, it had been the absolute best Kitasan Black could manage at this stage.
Yet despite all that, Cheval Grand had nearly overtaken her at the finish line.
Inexperience had certainly played a role.
With more real-race experience, Yasui might have developed more efficient training routines or crafted more precise race tactics.
This result also highlighted that their training and competition plans needed to progress to the next level.
After three months of steady effort and her ongoing honkaku-ka growth, Kitasan Black had improved significantly across the board.
Her current training approach was no longer sufficient. Changes had to be made to keep pace with upcoming challenges.
Yasui had considered optimizing her training methods from the very start, with various backup plans already prepared. All that remained now was to tailor these plans to Kitasan's current abilities and needs.
But Kitasan Black's remarkable social connections had recently inspired Yasui to think even further.
He mulled over these thoughts during his tour of the mansion, eventually deciding to have a quick talk with her during the evening banquet.
...
That night, to celebrate Kitasan Black's victory at the Spring Stakes, Kitajima Saburou arranged an extravagant banquet.
Aside from Yasui Makoto, Daiwa Scarlet, and the other Uma Musume, most guests were Kitasan Black's family members.
Only then did Yasui realize how large her extended family was—starting from Kitajima himself, there were about thirty or forty people in total.
Also attending were about ten of Kitajima's disciples and protégés.
With dozens of guests—many proficient singers and dancers—the banquet was lively. Several performances had been prepared in advance, and the Uma Musume themselves also performed a few songs, further enlivening the atmosphere.
Returning to their seats after performing, the Uma Musume began reminiscing about their Winner's Stage moments.
"It's been a while since I performed in front of so many people. I hope I did okay?" Special Week, the last to sing, asked with a bright smile.
Before anyone else could reply, Gold Ship spoke up mischievously.
"Of course you did, Spe-chan! You didn't seem rusty at all. Even if you were, it was still better than your very first performance."
Special Week froze, embarrassment spreading across her face. Covering half her face shyly with her hand, she whispered sharply:
"Hey, Gold Ship! That was so long ago—why do you still remember that?"
"Because staring blankly at the sky in a daze during your Winner's Stage was just way too memorable, not to mention—mmff…"
Halfway through recalling her friend's embarrassing debut, Gold Ship's mouth was stuffed with a piece of crispy, golden tempura.
Dropping her chopsticks with an amused sigh, Vodka laughed good-naturedly.
"Come on, Gold Ship. Even dinner can't shut you up, huh?"
"Exactly! And weren't you even worse during your first Winner's Stage? You treated it like a comedy show!"
Daiwa Scarlet chimed in playfully, following Vodka's lead. Then she glanced at Special Week, smoothly changing the topic.
"By the way, Spe-chan-senpai, when I asked if you had time to come to Tokyo, I didn't expect you to agree so readily. Did you specifically come to cheer for Kita-chan?"
"Of course! Actually, I have you guys to thank for telling me about it."
Special Week glanced sheepishly at Kitasan Black.
"I feel a bit guilty as a senpai—I didn't even know Kita-chan had debuted. Without your phone call, I might have missed all her early races and only seen her at the Satsuki Sho."
"Oh, please don't say that, senpai!"
Kitasan Black hurriedly waved her hands. "I was already really happy that you came to cheer for me."
"And you must be pretty busy normally, right? It's totally understandable that debut races slipped your mind—I don't always watch them either."
"You're so thoughtful, Kita-chan. Actually…" Special Week scratched her cheek, chuckling bashfully. "Honestly, I'm not all that busy back in Hokkaido."
She paused, thinking for a moment. "But apart from coming specially to support Kita-chan, I actually have another reason for coming."
The Uma Musume at the table blinked, surprised, until Daiwa Scarlet quickly realized:
"Another reason… Oh! It's the Dream Trophy, isn't it?"
"Yes! Exactly. URA Association called me last year, asking if I'd consider participating in this year's Summer Dream Trophy League."
Special Week nodded cheerfully. "I was still hesitant back then, since they didn't mention this year's arrangements clearly."
"But then you guys called me about Kita-chan's race, so I decided I might as well agree."
"This way, I could come support Kita-chan and also start preparing earlier at the Academy."
"Oh, and I can help Kita-chan train as well."
She clenched her fist enthusiastically. "After all, Kita-chan's next races are the Classic Triple Crown—I should have plenty of experience to share about those!"
Hearing this, Daiwa Scarlet and the others nodded approvingly, while Kitasan Black and Yasui Makoto exchanged puzzled looks.
"Dream Trophy… What's that again?" Kitasan Black scratched her head, trying to recall. "I think Crown-chan mentioned it before, but…what exactly is it?"
"You could think of it as an all-star invitational for the Twinkle Series," Yasui explained, recovering quickly from his surprise.
"Simply put, every year the URA Association hosts two Dream Trophies—one in summer and one in winter. They invite famous retired Uma Musume to compete."
While explaining, Yasui's mind began racing.
During his earlier tour of the mansion with Kitajima, he had already considered a new training approach:
Practice races.
These were an enhanced form of paired running, designed specifically to simulate race conditions.
Pair running wasn't simply casual training; it had precise goals.
For example, chase drills trained Uma Musume to master positioning and tactical adjustments, preparing them to swiftly react to changing circumstances in real races.
Typically, a "practice partner" would run ahead at a designated pace, while the trainee followed, adjusting her pace and technique according to trainer commands at specific intervals and positions.
Each session consisted of multiple rounds, with varying instructions each time, building adaptability and honing responsiveness.
Practice races had similar goals but required executing multiple, more complex instructions throughout the entire run—for example, taking specific positions right out of the gate, overtaking within predetermined distances, and achieving target sprint speeds and lengths.
This comprehensive approach rapidly improved race adaptability.
Yasui was keenly aware of one common advantage all of Kitasan Black's Satsuki Sho opponents shared:
They had all debuted last year, gaining substantially more race experience and specialized training. Their cumulative experience surpassed hers significantly.
Practice races, therefore, were the most efficient way for Kitasan to close this gap within the next month.