"It seems McQueen who has dominated the Tenno Sho for three consecutive years doesn't have much of an advantage in this race. In fact, she is finding it increasingly difficult compared to her previous races."
Sakura Baimu frowned slightly. She stared at McQueen who was in fourth place in the arena and spoke in a deep voice.
"Huh? Why is that? Shouldn't you become more familiar with the competition the more you participate?"
Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black looked up at Sakura Baimu and asked with some confusion.
"Because McQueen's reputation was so great that she was seen as a thorn in the side by many of her rivals."
With a serious expression and furrowed brows, Teio explained to the two junior members who had just joined the team.
"Teio is right. Look at the positions of Tannhauser and Biwa Hayahide. They took positions on the left and right in front of McQueen in the early stages, which made it difficult for her to accelerate through them. She could very well be sandwiched like that until the end of the match."
"How is this even possible? Isn't this kind of targeting a foul?"
Upon hearing Sakura Baimu's words, Satono Diamond's face immediately turned extremely anxious.
"It's allowed by the rules. After all, they were just ahead of McQueen," Tokai Teio said.
"Then what should we do? Is Miss McQueen destined to be stuck in fourth place like this?" Satono Diamond asked again.
"If it were someone of similar skill level like Umamusume, they might really be blocked from overtaking indefinitely..."
Sakura Baimu chuckled softly, her eyes showing a hint of interest.
"Biwa Hayahide is indeed a formidable Umamusume capable of maintaining this advantage until the very end, but as for McQueen's left-hand man, Matikanetannhauser…"
She didn't say what came next, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.
That is, there is still a gap between Matikane Tannhauser's and Biwa Hayahide's abilities.
Upon hearing Sakura Baimu's explanation, Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black visibly breathed a sigh of relief, calming themselves down as they continued watching the match.
--
Having undergone Spartan-style training under Sakura Baimu, Mejiro McQueen's abilities far surpassed those of Umamusume in the same grade. She was no less formidable than Mihono Bourbon, who was in the higher division.
Her beautiful light purple hair and ponytail swayed in the air as she ran quickly.
Having learned from her previous race experience, she did not follow the pace of the leader, Mihono Bourbon, nor did she pay much attention to Tannhauser and Biwa Hayahide on her left and right sides.
Instead, she is conserving her energy at a similarly strong pace, waiting for a late-game surge.
About 400 meters from the starting point, the 4-meter uphill section before the first corner is the first challenge for Umamusume and her team. Matikanetannhauser in third place expended extra energy in order to get ahead of Mejiro McQueen at the start of the race.
Now, she is starting to feel a little strained when going uphill.
"Mihono Bourbon in the lead reached the uphill section. Her speed was not affected at all as she quickly climbed the high slope of the four meters."
"Biwa Hayahide, in second place, climbed the hill at the same unhurried pace. Is this the true strength of BNW?"
"However! Matikane Tannhauser oo the left of Mejiro McQueen experienced a drop in speed, but she quickly regained her rhythm and made it through the uphill to prepare for the corner."
"Was it because she used up too much energy fighting for position at the beginning? I'm a little worried about whether she can keep going until the finish line."
The commentator's tone carried a hint of worry, and the Canopus players watching from below the stage all showed varying degrees of anxiety upon hearing this.
With striking dark blue twin ponytails and despite being in the stands but wearing her racing outfit, Twin Turbo raised her arms and shouted towards the arena.
"Go for it!! Show your sportsmanship, getting third place is a victory!!!"
--
While Matikanetannhauser may not be as strong as Biwa Hayahide, as a member of Canopus, she is still a formidable Umamusume.
The momentum she gained at the start gave her some leeway, and she recovered some energy on the downhill section after the bend, maintaining her position in third place ahead of Mejiro McQueen throughout.
"Maintaining the lead is Mihono Bourbon whose speed did not change much. She's the first one to step onto the grass of the second track. With this, the race officially entered the middle stage."
Unlike other races that only require one lap, the 3200-meter race requires two laps around Kyoto Racecourse, and you can only reach the finish line on your second run.
As they stepped onto the lawn, symbolizing the arrival of the mid-game, the Umamusumes in the rear began to exert their strength.
"They're speeding up! They're speeding up! BNW member Narita Taishin is speeding up!"
"She quickly surpassed four Umamusumes and moved into sixth place."
"And she's closing the gap with fifth place; it looks like she'll soon overtake her! Is this the true strength of BNW?! Is there any chance for a BNW member to take a top-two finish again this time?"
BNW is an abbreviation of the initials of the names of three members of the same team, Umamusume.
B stands for Biwa Hayahide, N stands for Narita Taishin, and W stands for Winning Ticket.
BNW's three Umamusumes are incredibly strong, and it's common for them to sweep the top three spots in matches.
It is a team with considerable strength and popularity.
"After completing the first round, the second round of uphill running will be a test of the physical strength of all Umamusume runners. If you don't have enough endurance and strength, you will likely be eliminated here."
Sakura Baimu slowly explained to Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond beside her.
"Matikanetannhauser expended a lot of energy in the early stages to block McQueen's position. Don't think that just being ahead of McQueen is enough. Under the pressure from 'the strongest long-distance runner' Umamusume, maintaining the lead is not an easy task."
As soon as Sakura Baimu finished speaking, everyone saw that Tannhauser who had stepped onto the uphill lawn had once again noticeably slowed down. Her expression showed that she was struggling more and more.
"Mihono Bourbon has climbed the hill and entered the corner, as has Biwa Hayahide, but Matikanetannhauser has briefly lost speed. Is she about to lose third place?"
"It seems that changing one's running pace over a 3200-meter distance is still a very difficult task for Tannhauser, who is currently taking on a side job."
As soon as the narrator finished speaking, a collective gasp of surprise rang out from the audience in the hall.
Because they saw that Mejiro McQueen, who was in fourth place, suddenly accelerated and overtook Matikanetannhauser the moment she lost speed.
"She's overtaken! Mejiro McQueen has seized upon Tannhauser's momentary lapse in concentration, overtaking her on the slope and securing third place!"