On the day of the Gazi Derby, the Ankara Hippodrome was packed to the brim. The Gazi Derby was the 6th race of the day, and the previous races had already taken place. The 22 Umamusume who would run in the Gazi Derby emerged from the paddock. Grand Ekinoks was the favorite of this race right now, and the moment she stepped out of the paddock, cheers began to rise for her.
Though she was a little panicked by the cheering, she managed to put on a good front. In other words, she was still the favorite, and even on social media, her name was everywhere.
"Trainer! I never thought it would be this crowded. I'm incredibly excited."
Right now we were at the end of the tunnel, and I had never seen Grand Ekinoks this excited before. At that moment, I thought back to the first time I saw her. Most likely, no one had ever thought she would take part in this race. Her back pains and slight hunch were still there, but they weren't even a problem anymore.
"Think of this as just a normal race. At least until the race starts, think of it that way."
After giving her my final advice, she noticed Cannon and walked over to her, waving at me. I was close enough to hear the beginning of their conversation.
"Did you finally confess to him?"
"Cannon!"
"Don't get mad, red hood. Besides, I'm not going to let you win this race."
I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation because they walked away, but I couldn't help coughing. I left the tunnel and walked over to the outer barriers, the closest spot where I could watch the race. The spectators were cheering at the top of their lungs. I could barely even hear the announcer's voice.
As Grand Ekinoks adjusted her hooded cloak, several umamusume gathered around her. These umamusume would most likely follow her throughout the race, and they didn't even feel the need to hide their intentions.
As the umamusume began to settle into their starting brackets, the cheering and murmuring started to die down. When almost every Umamusume had entered, it came to a complete stop, and I could hear the announcer's words more clearly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the last umamusume, Elixir, has also taken her place. There are now only seconds left before this important race begins!"
Before the race started, I couldn't help looking around. Trainers like me and some umamusume had come right up to the barriers to follow this race, and among the crowd, I saw a familiar face.
"I heard you were injured, but I didn't think it would be this serious."
That person was, of course, none other than Koşturan. She was wearing a simple white dress. She had crutches in both hands, and her left leg was completely wrapped in bandages.
"Équinoxe's trainer."
As she looked at me with an indifferent expression, I heard the familiar sound of the doors opening and immediately turned my face toward the track. Along with that, I heard the announcer say:
"AND THE GAZİ DERBY HAS BEGUN!"
All 22 Umamusume managed to exit the gates immediately. None of them were delayed.
"Do you think she can win?"
I didn't even think about how to answer Koşturan's question.
"By the nature of racing, no one has any guarantees. And that includes Grand Ekinoks."
Among the umamusume who quickly passed the first 200 meters, I spotted Grand Ekinoks right away. She was in the very middle of the pack, with five Umamusume lined up in front of her like a wall.
The situation behind her was similar.
"Just as I thought."
Grand Ekinoks was running with so many umamusume for the first time. The primary reason so many talented umamusume lose the Gazi Derby is this very number factor.
No matter how successful you are, if you aren't eager to run at the front, you'll face a wall of flesh in front of you, and without breaking through that wall, winning the Gazi Derby is impossible.
"As the first 400 meters are completed, Esosino, the current leader of the race, is trying to widen the gap. Grand Ekinoks, the favorite of the race, is following from the middle of the pack. In front of her is Shining Wolf, who generally prefers to run at the front."
This was a 2400-meter chess game, and among the 22 players playing this game, I could do nothing but hope that Grand Ekinoks would win.