Kitasan Black was incredibly fast; she quickly climbed from eighth to third place.
Furthermore, the gap between the second-place Umamusume and the leader was rapidly closing thanks to Kitasan Black's superior speed.
"Kitasan Black has overtaken another! By the end of the third turn, she had successfully moved from eighth to second!"
"Is this the strength of a Central Umamusume? So strong! Kitasan Black is only two lengths behind Little Kitten in first place."
"She's overtaken!"
Gasps of surprise rang out at the Chukyo Racecourse.
The gasps weren't just from the surrounding spectators; the Umamusumes on the track also gasped.
They hadn't expected this tactic they had devised to suppress Kitasan Black.
Kitasan Black had broken through their defenses so easily.
Kitasan Black didn't use any fancy techniques at all; she simply relied on her exceptional leg strength to forcefully overcome her disadvantage on the curves.
"She... she's running so fast all of a sudden; her stamina should run out quickly. Then we'll still have a chance!"
Today, Lucky watched Kitasan Black, who had already surged into the final corner and taken the lead, and kept reassuring herself.
She wasn't alone in this sentiment among many Umamusumes.
Many Umamusumes couldn't accept that Kitasan Black, a newcomer, could be so far ahead of them.
They had heard that the Central Circuit races were not at the same level as the Regional Circuits.
But they hadn't imagined the gap would be this large.
"It's okay, it's okay, there's another steep hill after the corner. She definitely won't be able to handle that hill... She hasn't slowed down yet; she'll definitely have a hard time on the hill later."
Angel Descendant thought to herself, glancing at Kitasan Black who had already completed the final corner.
At Chukyo Racecourse, about 300 meters from the finish line after the final corner, there was a steep hill with an elevation change of 2 meters and a straightaway of 100 meters.
It's twice as steep as the Kyoto Racecourse at Tenno Sho in the spring.
However, what they didn't know was that this steep slope is the same as the Hanshin Racecourse at the Takarazuka Kinen.
While preparing for Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio's Takarazuka Kinen, Sakura Baimu had taught all the Umamusumes on her team how to climb hills.
"Kitasan Black, 400 meter cleared, she's reached the steep hill."
"She doesn't seem to be slowing down."
"Kitasan Black's pace isn't slowing at all; is that really okay?"
The commentator's words were barely out of her mouth when the audience gasped in unison again.
They noticed that Kitasan Black's stride had suddenly changed as she reached the steep hill.
Although there was a slight decrease in speed, the magnitude of her slowdown was even smaller than that of many Umamusumes competing in the G1 Takamatsu Kinen at Nakai Racecourse.
"Kitasan Black changed her hill running method, and although her speed decreased slightly, judging from her expression, her heart wasn't under much pressure!"
"It seems her hill running posture is the key; as expected of a Central Umamusume, she didn't panic at all even when facing such a steep slope."
"Kitasan Black has reached the top! That was an incredible climb!"
"Last 200 meters!"
"Little Kitten and the rest of the runners are all making their way up the steep climb."
"Their speed drop is significant; are they still adjusting to the steep climb?"
"Kitasan Black has already pulled far ahead of Little Kitten in second place."
"Kitasan Black, her pace is undiminished."
"Kitasan Black, now, the gap is huge—"
"Crossed the finish line!"
"Kitasan Black has demonstrated her impressive mid-range strength, remaining completely composed even when facing a blocked path at the start."
"She calmly sought her opportunity to break through, seizing the moment as she entered the corner, overtaking from the outside and securing victory with a unique climbing style!"
"Incredible! Who would have thought this was only her second race since her debut!"
Clearly, this commentator is the type who knows how to get the audience excited.
After Kitasan Black crossed the finish line, she gave a high-pitched, incredibly excited recap.
And successfully stirred the emotions of the audience, prompting many local residents of Toyoake City to cheer for Kitasan Black, this outstanding Umamusume.
Those Umamusumes who had originally planned to suppress Kitasan Black stood behind the finish line, falling silent.
The gap was too vast; they were simply not on the same level.
"Forget it, I'll just stick to local competitions from now on. So these are the terrifying Central Umamusumes? I was even thinking of going there next year..."
Little Kitten, in second place, smirked, finally realizing the difference between herself and the Central Umamusumes.
After the competition, it was Kitasan Black's turn to shine as the winner.
With her outstanding singing voice, Kitasan Black once again won cheers from the audience.
Sakura Baimu, standing below the stage, listened to Kitasan Black's singing and couldn't help but think to herself.
"Isn't she singing quite well? Then why does she always hit those weird high notes when she speaks?"
Kitasan Black always liked to draw out her notes and hit high notes when she spoke.
Every time Sakura Baimu heard Kitasan Black hit those high notes, only one thought remained in her mind—
What the heck was that noise?
"It's a little disappointing that she didn't break the record. Typical of local Umamusumes, just like Kasamatsu's, they love to pull stunts during matches."
Sakura Baimu recalled the scene from the match earlier, when several Umamusumes ganged up on Kitasan Black, a feeling of nostalgia welled up inside her.
The Winning Live ended successfully, and Sakura Baimu and Kitasan Black returned to Tokyo that evening.
After delivering the energetic Umamusume, who was ecstatic after winning her second career match, to Fuji Kiseki, the head of the dormitory, Sakura Baimu prepared to head home.
However, Sakura Baimu didn't expect that her phone would ring the moment she left the Ritto dormitory.
Sakura Baimu took out her phone, and her eyes suddenly narrowed.
The caller ID showed Maruzensky.