After encouraging Kitasan Black, Yasui Makoto walked swiftly toward the commentary platform.
The drones were already airborne, positioned above the track from four different angles, their footage streaming clearly onto screens at the announcer's table.
To verify the drones' performance firsthand, Yasui didn't use binoculars this time. Instead, he carefully watched the live feed on the screens.
The instant the gates opened, he immediately furrowed his brows slightly, quietly taking a breath.
It wasn't unexpected—compared to her seasoned senpai, Kitasan was still far too inexperienced.
He saw it clearly: His Uma Musume had relied purely on instinct, immediately leaning inward at the start.
In a regular race, this wouldn't be wrong. With over a dozen competitors lining up horizontally after leaving the gates, claiming the inside track was often advantageous.
But in this practice race, with only four other competitors, the field was far more spacious. There was no need for Kitasan to immediately aim for the inner lane. Doing so had cost her precious time and stamina.
Kitasan hadn't realized this, but Daiwa Scarlet had.
In fact, not just Daiwa Scarlet—Vodka, Special Week, and Gold Ship all noticed instantly.
As Kitasan veered inward, the four senior Uma Musume charged directly forward without hesitation, quickly securing ideal positions.
In just that instant, Kitasan had already fallen behind in stamina efficiency.
Moreover, although she succeeded in taking the inner lane, she now found herself trapped in a very awkward position.
Directly ahead was Daiwa Scarlet, with Vodka slightly forward to her left, and Special Week close behind to her left as well.
These three senpai had unintentionally formed a subtle triangular formation, boxing Kitasan into a limited space.
If nothing changed, her performance in this situation would be severely restricted.
It wasn't intentional.
Thanks to their vast racing experience, the senpai instinctively took the positions best suited to their own running styles, even in a mere practice race.
While optimal for themselves, these choices indirectly hindered other racers—particularly Kitasan, whose lack of experience made her especially vulnerable.
Watching the situation unfold on the screen, Yasui quietly folded his arms, brows furrowing.
This is trouble, Kitasan. Before even thinking of winning, we'll have to find a way to overcome such a wide gap in experience…
Meanwhile, Tokai Teio continued her lively commentary.
"The field has passed through the first corner, concluding the initial positioning battle!"
"Daiwa Scarlet-san remains comfortably in the lead. Vodka-san follows closely behind, though Daiwa-san has slightly widened the gap!"
"In third place is Special Week-san, maintaining a comfortable outside position about four-wide from the rail."
"Kitasan Black-san is currently in fourth. Unfortunately, she didn't manage to secure her favored position early on and now sits farther back than usual."
"As expected, in the final spot is Gold Ship-san, calmly observing her opponents, seemingly waiting for the perfect moment to strike!"
Mejiro McQueen smoothly continued the analysis:
"Most of our participants have adopted their familiar running tactics. We've seen these positions in numerous middle-distance races before."
"Kitasan-san clearly needs more experience. Her current positioning is less than ideal; hopefully, she can recover and make adjustments as the race continues."
On the track, completely unaware of the commentary, Kitasan stared intently ahead, silently gritting her teeth.
Right at the gate opening, she'd understood immediately how different a practice race was from their usual drills.
During training, each exercise had a singular focus and a short distance. For instance, positioning drills typically lasted around 100 meters, during which she'd compete directly with her senpai to secure specific spots.
In those isolated scenarios, Kitasan had felt that perhaps, with enough effort, she might overcome her senpai.
But this practice race was entirely different.
There were multiple strategic considerations involved, and now her senpai were showcasing their full strength—experience included.
Precisely because of that experience, her senpai sprinted directly forward from the gates, unlike Kitasan's instinctive inward move.
With just five participants, the track felt wide open. There was none of the usual congestion, making her immediate inward maneuver completely unnecessary—she'd wasted precious time and stamina.
By the time she realized this mistake, she was already trapped inside.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka ran at a perfect distance and pace, subtly interlocking paths to form an invisible wall before her.
Unable to push through this wall, Kitasan clearly sensed herself failing to reach her usual speed. Her normally stable rhythm began faltering.
To make matters worse, Special Week had silently slid forward to her left, extending the invisible wall's width.
What should I do…? Do I really just stay trapped like this?
No, Kitasan! Stay calm and think clearly!
Unconsciously biting her lip again, she desperately tried to think of a way out.
Meanwhile, the stands erupted in waves of astonishment.
"Incredible! Our senpai are absolutely flawless!"
"Is this the true power of top-level Uma Musume?"
"My heart's pounding like crazy! I wanna run with senpai someday too!"
Amidst the excitement and envy of the watching Uma Musume, trainers observing the race quietly nodded, whispering thoughtfully among themselves or with their own assigned Uma Musume.
To have been admitted into Central Tracen Academy, whether as Uma Musume or trainers, meant possessing exceptional talent and insight.
All of them recognized the situation clearly. They saw the exquisite strategy and reactions of Daiwa Scarlet and the others and understood Kitasan's early misstep.
"Kitasan's still lacking experience after all…but honestly, if it were me out there, I probably wouldn't fare much better."
Crossing her arms, eyes fixed firmly on the track, Satono Crown frowned thoughtfully.
"I heard this practice race was only arranged a week ago, meaning those senpai barely had any preparation time."
"Aside from Gold Ship-senpai, Daiwa Scarlet-senpai and the others have hardly raced at all these past few years."
"And yet, despite that, their abilities are still this extraordinary…"
"As expected, becoming a G1-level Uma Musume is no simple matter…"
She unconsciously clenched her fists.
Beside her, Satono Diamond's concerned gaze drifted from the race toward her sister, sensing clearly the tension Crown felt.
Both members of the same Satono family, living side by side every day, Diamond fully understood what was weighing on her sister's mind.
These past few years, the public had widely praised the Satono family's rising status, claiming they were now nearly equal to established powerhouses like the Mejiro family.
Within their own family, many shared this confidence, openly calling themselves a "prominent Uma Musume clan."
However, some family members still maintained a clear-headed view, fully aware that, compared to a storied dynasty like the Mejiro family, Satono was still very, very far behind.