After carefully positioning the four figurines on the sand table, Yasui reached forward, simulating the initial moments of the race as he explained:
"If you all break cleanly from the gate, you and Lia Fail will naturally hold an advantage due to your central positions."
"But—"
Rather than continuing as usual, Yasui paused deliberately, glancing at Kitasan Black.
"The opening phase of the Arima Kinen differs somewhat from most other G1 races. Do you remember why?"
As always, Kitasan had a carrot-shaped pen in one hand and her notebook—filled with training notes and personal insights—in the other.
"Yep! I remember!"
The moment Yasui finished speaking, her hand shot up confidently.
"Even though the Arima Kinen uses Nakayama's inner track, the start point is actually on the outer track."
"It's roughly 73 meters from the outer-track start to the inner course. Because the inner and outer tracks merge there, that section's more spacious than usual for a G1."
"Given the race's typical early pace, it takes about six seconds after the break to reach that merging point."
"So the ideal moment to secure a favorable position before entering the main section is roughly six seconds after leaving the gate."
"And, compared to being caught on the outside, the inner path is always advantageous."
Yasui nodded approvingly.
For Kitasan Black, the one thing she still truly lacked compared to her Arima Kinen competitors was race experience.
Not physical development—that difference could easily be bridged through training. Especially since her natural physique was extraordinary; her workload already surpassed many of her contemporaries and even rivaled some senior runners.
But experience was different. Training could never fully replicate actual race conditions. Each additional race run meant more experience gained—a gap impossible to fully close through practice alone.
Fortunately, even if direct experience couldn't be replicated, it could at least be approximated.
Throughout their Arima Kinen preparations, Kitasan spent significant time observing rivals alongside Yasui. During this period, he'd meticulously explained many details he normally would have glossed over.
Beyond that, he'd woven more in-depth tactical lectures into her everyday training, far beyond what most trainers typically shared with their runners.
To his pleasant surprise, Kitasan not only grasped these deeper lessons but absorbed most of them without trouble. Even where her understanding wasn't perfect, she still gained valuable insights.
Her current grasp of these concepts was more than enough—it had given her a deeper, richer perspective on racing, herself, her opponents, and overall race strategy.
"Exactly. And knowing all that, we can craft precise responses."
As he spoke, Yasui slid forward the figurines representing Sounds of Earth and Gold Actor, placing them at the positions Kitasan had described.
"From Sounds of Earth's past three races and recent training sessions, her stride frequency stays around 120 in the initial 300 meters. However, to accelerate around corners, she boosts her cadence by about 5% to 10%."
"Two or three such bursts are within her capability."
"But considering the Arima Kinen shares the same six-corner layout as the Kikuka Sho—and that Sounds of Earth isn't the strongest front-runner here—she'll likely attempt only one serious effort to seize the lead."
"On the other hand, Gold Actor is a seasoned front-runner, so the battle on the inner side will probably end very quickly."
Again, he paused deliberately, glancing meaningfully at Kitasan.
Catching Yasui's look, she nodded thoughtfully, leaning over the sand table. After a brief moment, she nudged forward the figurines representing herself, Lia Fail, and Marialite.
"Lia Fail…usually prefers sudden bursts when entering turns. She doesn't do it every race or every training session, but still…"
She paused briefly, deliberating. "It'd be risky to stay too close to her early on."
"So until at least the second turn, I should keep about a 1.5-length gap, horizontally or vertically."
"As for Marialite-senpai…"
She glanced at the figurine placed furthest out on the sand table, shaking her head slightly.
"The Arima Kinen track is quite uniform, and the disadvantage of the outer gate is pretty significant."
"I'm not sure if she'll risk spending extra energy early to cut inward…"
With uncertainty creeping in, she turned toward Yasui.
"I'll have to adapt on the spot for that one, Trainer."
Far from disappointed, Yasui nodded approvingly. Truthfully, he too wasn't certain whether Marialite would take such risks.
This kind of uncertainty wasn't unique to the Arima Kinen—it was inherent to every race.
On the unpredictable side, entrants could suddenly withdraw due to illness or accidents on race day. Some might even refuse to load into the gate, leading to abrupt cancellations.
Then there were inherent uncertainties, like gate assignments determined by random draws only one or two weeks before the event. Until the gates opened, no one could truly predict the initial positions precisely.
Faced with these unknowns, even the most experienced trainers could only do their utmost to anticipate all possibilities—just as Yasui and Kitasan were doing now.
Of course, few Umamusume participated in preparations as thoroughly as Kitasan. Understanding these uncertainties better than her rivals would undeniably give her an advantage on race day.
"Great work, Kita-chan. Your analysis was excellent. Let's quickly review the other scenarios for the opening phase before moving on."
Smiling warmly at Kitasan's delighted expression, Yasui steadily guided her through the rest of their simulation.
This method certainly took longer, since Yasui had intentionally involved Kitasan more actively this time. But considering this was the year-end G1—one of the premier races of the season—they had more than enough time to spare.
After finishing their strategic review, they double-checked everything together: the race outfit, umashoes, energy bars—all were ready. Yasui offered some final brief encouragement, then left Kitasan alone for her final preparations.
Only after stepping outside and hearing the preparation room door close behind him did he quietly exhale, releasing a long-held breath.
He was nervous.
The Arima Kinen wasn't just another G1—it was a legendary race, a stage that had witnessed countless extraordinary feats. As the final turf G1 of the year, it carried immense expectations and dreams. Every Umamusume who stood at its gates aimed to write her own chapter of glory.
And every trainer poured their heart and soul into its preparations.
Throughout their recent training—indeed, ever since arriving at the course yesterday—he and Kitasan had carefully avoided mentioning one particular thing:
This Arima Kinen wasn't just Kitasan Black's first major challenge against the senior generation, marking her first true step onto a larger stage.
It was also the farewell race of their dear friend—Gold Ship.
---
T/N: AHHH GOLDSHIPPPPPPPPP
T/N2: yeah no excuse this time :sob: WAIT NO I WAS STARTING NEW TLS SO HA! yeah sorrrey heres the 4 chapters!
bonus chaps
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