Uma Musume: It All Started When I Got Sent Flying Ten Meters

Chapter 67: A Slow Front Runner

The race had passed its opening phase, and the group of competitors entered the first corner. The live commentator reported the unfolding scene with faithful precision.

“An intense scramble right out of the gate—almost all the Umamusume are bunched together.”

“Most of the racers are targeting REAL STEEL and Danon Platina—those two must be under a lot of pressure.”

“REAL STEEL has broken free—she’s not surrounded!”

“Danon Platina is boxed in! She's currently stuck in the middle pack!”

“Now, what about the third most popular runner, Glorious Vocation...?”

“Wait! Susan Muse has taken the lead!”

“That’s right—Susan Muse is currently in first place!”

“Entering the first corner, the leader is still Susan Muse!”

“Kitasan Black!”

“Kitasan Black is moving up!”

“Susan Muse remains in first, with Kitasan Black in second!”

“Is she trying to take the lead? No—Susan Muse is accelerating!”

“One length... two lengths... she's now widened the gap to three lengths!”

“Susan Muse continues to lead, with Kitasan Black trailing in second!”

At this point, the analyst jumped in:

“Looks like she’s trying to replicate the tactics from her last two races.”

”Kitasan Black seems to be comfortable pacing herself behind the front-runner before making her move—this time, it looks like she’s picked Susan Muse as her target.”

”Hopefully, she can put on a strong performance just like before.”

Just as the broadcast cycled through play-by-play and commentary, the first 200 meters after the gates opened saw the Umamusume sprinting fiercely and constantly exchanging positions.

By the time they reached the first corner, the initial skirmish had mostly subsided. Susan Muse was blazing ahead, pulling about 7 to 8 meters clear of second-place Kitasan Black.

Behind them, the rest of the pack ran almost in a straight line, hugging the inside rail—more than a dozen Umamusume forming one long line.

Excited by this fierce contest, the crowd burst into cheers right as the race began.

But at the very front of the stands, Makoto's eyes were much calmer than most of the spectators around him.

The situation in the opening phase was exactly what he and Kitasan Black had analyzed beforehand. Kitasan Black executed the plan flawlessly, unfazed by the intense competition. She surged forward at the right moment as they entered the first corner, settling into her rhythm.

‘Now, as long as she can maintain this pace—’

Just as he was thinking this, he heard a thoughtful voice from beside him.

“Running behind... no, that’s not it. Kita-chan isn’t following someone else’s pace—she’s running at her own pace.”

Startled, Makoto turned to look at the speaker—Special Week—who had spoken those words with quiet conviction.

“...Her own pace?”

“Yeah, isn’t it kind of obvious?”

Nodding naturally, Special Week spoke with an unusual air of contemplation, different from her usual cheerful demeanor. She pointed at the racing pack speeding across the track.

“Most of the time, the one in front sets the pace, sure. But if someone has really strong rhythm awareness, they don’t need to care about who’s in front.”

“From what I can see, Kita-chan and the front-runner... it’s like
”

“‘You do your thing, and I’ll do mine.’”

“That’s probably what Kita-chan is thinking.”

“And look—if anything, the group behind is actually pacing themselves off Kita-chan, not the lead runner.”

“That’s amazing, really... this kind of ability... She might be on par with Seiun-chan.”

She nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly turned toward Makoto again with a sheepish smile, scratching her head and returning to her goofy self.

“Ah, I was just saying whatever came to mind! If I’m wrong, you won’t make fun of me, right, Makoto-san? Hehehe~”

...How could I make fun of you? I’m too busy being amazed.

Makoto was, in fact, truly impressed.

Unlike her previous races, this Spring Stakes was a G2 graded stakes event. The opponents—and their trainers—were several levels above in both experience and capability.

This time, unlike the previous two races, simply pacing behind another wouldn’t work at all. Every opponent had intricate strategies, and if Kitasan Black tried to copy old tactics blindly, she’d be completely overwhelmed.

Take the opening scramble, for example.

Makoto had seen it clearly. Just as he’d predicted, the moment the gates opened, Daicho Minor from Gate 2 immediately shifted over to press Kitasan Black.

It was undeniably a "pressing run"—not illegal, but clearly meant to stop her from comfortably settling into her preferred rhythm.

However, Daicho Minor lacked experience. She was likely over-focused on Kitasan Black, or perhaps lacked a broader sense of the race, failing to notice that Susan Muse from Gate 4 had gotten into a very strong position.

Then, as expected, the moment Susan Muse burst into the lead, Daicho Minor lost focus for just an instant.

And in that fleeting moment, Kitasan Black seized the opportunity and surged into second place.

That was exactly what Makoto had been emphasizing before the race: focus on doing what you’re best at.

And what Kitasan Black was best at was rhythm and stamina.

She excelled at Front Runner running style, no doubt about it.

But there's more nuance to these Front Runner running styles than just taking the lead. The real differentiator lies in pace control.

Because of differences in pace, not all Front Runner runners are created equal.

Among the well-known Front Runner types were High-Speed Front Runners like Silence Suzuka and Mihono Bourbon.

Their core tactic was to use their abundant stamina to create a significant lead early on, then regulate their pace through the mid to late stages to conserve enough energy for the final stretch. Sometimes they could even lead from start to finish—it was a very flexible strategy.

Then there were types like Sakura Bakushin O, Mejiro Ryan, Daitaku Helios, and Twin Turbo, who were also High-Speed Front Runners—but more accurately, they were Burst Front Runners.

These runners didn’t care what was happening behind them. As long as their stamina held, they’d just dash full-throttle from start to finish.

Those two styles were relatively rare. The more common Front Runners were like Katsuragi Ace, Ines Fujin, and Seiun Sky.

They led primarily for tactical positioning and preserved energy to defend against closing kicks in the final stretch.

Kitasan Black, however, was unlike any of them.

In Makoto’s view, the black-haired girl in his care specialized in a type of Front Running that was just as rare as Solo Front Runners or Burst Front Runners.

It was what he called—“Slow Front Runner.”

There’s no need to build a huge lead—being just barely in front was enough.

If you chase, I speed up.

If you don’t, I’ll just jog along comfortably in front.

I’ll conserve my energy and then go for a long-distance acceleration at the perfect moment—all the way to the finish.

That was Slow Front Runner.

This running style had three major challenges.

First: Decisiveness—in a split second, she needed to judge everything based on the sound of footsteps behind her: her opponent’s speed, the gap between them, how much of the race remained, and how much stamina she had left. She had to instantly decide whether to speed up.

Second: Rhythm sense—when being chased, she absolutely must not break her stride or tempo.

Third: and most important: Stamina.

Acceleration drains far more stamina than cruising. And multiple accelerations? Most Umamusume couldn’t handle it. That was the biggest reason why Slow Front Runner was so rare.

But as luck would have it, aside from still needing to sharpen her judgment, Kitasan Black already had top-tier rhythm and stamina for her generation.

Makoto hadn’t explained all of this to her in detail yet. But she had already grasped the fundamentals of Slow Front Runner.

In this Spring Stakes, Makoto’s plan was to have her solidify her mastery of this rare running style through real combat. Her maneuvering in the opening phase was all part of that strategy.

And what truly surprised him was that Special Week had figured out his entire strategy.

At a single glance.

But after a brief pause, he relaxed with a smile.