Gentildonna was not especially skilled at Front Running, but as the fourth Triple Tiara winner in racing history and an Umamusume with seven G1 victories, she had no difficulty understanding what Deep Impact meant.
And when she responded to Deep Impact, her tone was completely different from the teasing casualness she used with Orfevre. It was full of respect.
"I see. So she's using instantaneous bursts and stamina to make up for her shortcomings in acceleration and top speed?" After thinking it over, she asked tentatively.
Watching the situation unfold on the track, Deep Impact nodded and said with approval, "Exactly. For someone like you, accelerating doesn't cost much stamina, and your top speed is also very high."
"But for Kita-chan, if she wants to push her speed to the limit in a short amount of time, the best method is repeated bursts of acceleration."
"Sustaining speed and bursting repeatedly are two different things. The latter makes stamina consumption rise geometrically."
"If she uses that approach too early, she's very likely to lose speed by the middle stage."
Gentildonna showed a look of wholehearted understanding. But after nodding, she asked about something Deep Impact had not mentioned.
"Then what was going on with her Runaway in the St. Lite Kinen?"
At that, Deep Impact's gaze shifted from the track to Yasui Makoto off to the side, and a trace of admiration flashed through her eyes.
"That was tactics."
"Tactics...?"
Gentildonna froze for a moment, then thought rapidly for a few seconds, her eyes brightening.
"She took advantage of the fact that her opponents wouldn't expect her to go Runaway? If that was really the idea... then even if it's a very simple line of thinking, that kind of thing can indeed be quite effective at times."
"That's basically all there is to it once you spell it out, but..."
Smiling, Deep Impact nodded again.
"That's how tactics are. If they work, that's enough. If they fail, there's nothing more to say."
"And you can tell that Kita-chan didn't go Runaway in the St. Lite Kinen purely because of tactics. She also worked very hard to learn a lot of the techniques involved in it."
"As for what you asked at the start—whether she can really win by leading at this pace—actually..."
A light flashed in her eyes, and her tone gradually turned more serious.
"This is the running style that suits her best. At least, that's how it looks to me."
Hearing that, Gentildonna turned her gaze toward the very front of the field on the track and fell into thought once more.
Beside her and Deep Impact, Yasui Makoto and Tokai Teio were also rapidly discussing much the same thing.
"...I see. A slow Front Runner pace..."
Pinching her chin, Tokai Teio's expression tightened as she murmured, "I remember that after her debut race, you had Kita-chan use a similar style once before, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but back then she was still lacking in too many areas."
As was his habit, Yasui Makoto held his binoculars in hand without raising them, his eyes fixed tightly on Kitasan Black, who was still in front, as he spoke quickly:
"With this style, the opponents behind you are too close. Without enough technique, it's easy to get passed."
"Rhythm, the skill to switch strides, the ability to burst repeatedly, stamina distribution, handling positioning under all kinds of conditions, and an overall grasp of the race situation..."
"She needs all of that."
His tone had been growing more serious the longer he spoke, but at that point, satisfaction and relief gradually entered his voice.
"And now, even if she hasn't reached the absolute ideal yet, she's truly mastered most of it."
"More importantly, she's been performing brilliantly from the start of the race until now. Even in a situation that isn't the ideal one, she's still been brilliant!"
He was growing visibly excited.
"As long as she keeps it up—as long as she can hold this, then in this Arima Kinen..." He left the sentence unfinished, but his eyes burned ever more intensely as he looked at the track.
So it sounds like you already think she's got this in the bag.
Tokai Teio had originally wanted to say that. But seeing that beneath Yasui Makoto's excitement and exhilaration there still lingered a trace of tension and unease, she thought it over and decided not to say something that sounded half like a joke, even if she had meant it as reassurance.
Tokai Teio knew very well that for this Arima Kinen, Kitasan Black and Yasui Makoto had already given everything they had and done the very best they could.
The sweat shed on the training grounds during preparation, the study of their rivals, the countless simulations of different running styles and tactics...
Even just before the race, when she had gone to see Kitasan Black, that kouhai had still been standing around the sand table, thinking things through.
You could say that every single detail of this race had been carefully polished by the two of them.
And yet racing changed from one instant to the next. It was full of unknowns and variables. Until the very last moment, no one could be certain who victory would belong to. For her to make any kind of declaration right now really would sound like a joke.
More importantly, it wasn't only Kitasan Black and Yasui Makoto.
Every Umamusume and every trainer competing in the Arima Kinen at this very moment had given everything they had to this year-end spectacle without the slightest slackness.
If she hadn't been serving as student council president, then casually expressing her support for Kitasan Black would have been one thing.
But since she had taken on that responsibility, she had to watch her words in every setting and absolutely could not make careless statements.
Even so, deep down, she really did favor Kitasan Black.
That favoritism was not without reason. It was because Kitasan Black genuinely had the ability, because her relentless drive to improve was plain to see, and because she had been performing exceptionally well in this race up to now.
Tokai Teio could tell that from the moment the gates opened until now, every step Kitasan Black had taken, every breath she had drawn, had been controlled with impeccable precision.
If things continued in this direction, then so long as nothing unexpected happened next, this kouhai... had an extremely high chance of taking the win in one stroke.
And even if something unexpected really did happen, Tokai Teio still believed that if Kitasan Black adjusted her mindset quickly and responded calmly, she would still have an enormous chance of victory.
"Whatever you do, don't rush. You can do this... Kita-chan!"
Staring fixedly at the girl at the very front of the field, Tokai Teio clenched her fists without realizing it, her eyes full of concern and encouragement.
Then suddenly, her gaze froze, and her pupils contracted sharply.
At the same instant, the roar echoing through the racecourse was cut through by the commentator's cry of delight:
"THE FIELD IS ENTERING THE LEFT-HAND TURN... SH-SHE'S COMING!"
"SHE'S MAKING HER MOVE!"
"GOLD SHIP... IS MOVING!!"
In that instant, the gazes of more than a hundred thousand spectators seemed to be seized by an invisible hand. Perfectly in sync with Tokai Teio's own line of sight, they locked and narrowed all at once, focusing on that flash of crimson on the track.
The racecourse had already been boiling with noise, but under the catalyst of the commentator's delighted shout, the uproar surged to an entirely new level, wave after wave crashing across the venue.
On the track, like a beast suddenly awakening after a long sleep, Gold Ship accelerated.
Her steps, which until now had been unhurried, suddenly became rapid and forceful. Her heavy yet swift footfalls kicked up countless clods of turf and dirt, and under the sunlight they flashed gold like strings of golden sparks.
Those sparks were like a boulder hurled into a still lake, or a flame dropped onto a powder keg, instantly shattering the balance of the race and setting off panic and tension at the front.
Without exception, all fifteen opponents ahead of her felt the enormous pressure coming from the very back.