Chapter 59
To be honest, Yasui Makoto usually wouldn't describe any horse girl as "having problems," but the horse girls from the Golden Family…
It wasn't that they had problems. It was more like each one had bigger problems than the last.
For example, trying to bite an opponent's tail during a race, refusing to enter the gate out of a tantrum, arguing with someone in the parade ring, or trying to chase down their trainer after the race…
Yet despite each one having more issues than the last, they were also stronger than the last.
Take the two who retired a few years ago. One won the Classic Triple Crown and was one of only seven Triple Crown horse girls in history.
The other didn't stand out as much on the Classic trail but still had a G1 win in the Takarazuka Kinen, plus a second-place finish in the European G1 Arc de Triomphe.
For Japanese horse girls, second place in the Arc was already a top-tier overseas achievement.
And Gold Ship had perfectly inherited the Golden Family's golden spirit.
It was said she never participated in normal training. While other horse girls were busy running, she was busy playing chess, cards, solving Rubik's cubes, or doing special training like "smashing a watermelon with one finger."
Yet up to now, she had won two Classic G1s, the Satsuki Sho and the Kikuka Sho plus major G1s like the Takarazuka Kinen and the Arima Kinen, and she had even taken back-to-back wins in the Takarazuka Kinen.
With that kind of record, it was no exaggeration to call her one of the strongest active horse girls.
Yasui Makoto had naturally analyzed Gold Ship's races and training in detail.
The conclusion he reached was…
He couldn't understand it, couldn't learn it, and had given up. Whoever tried to copy her was doomed.
And now that he realized his own horse girl knew Gold Ship, he had only one thought.
He absolutely could not let Kita-chan get infected by that weird horse girl.
After a brief headache, he noticed the three horse girls still staring at him in shock. Yasui Makoto cleared his throat.
"The reason I guessed it… is actually pretty simple."
He turned his phone around and explained.
"From the way you two were talking, I figured the horse girl Daiwa and Vodka knew probably wasn't an ordinary one.
Of course that was just a guess, but when Vodka said she was 'a bit too famous,' that made it certain.
On the 22nd at Hanshin Racecourse, there are twelve races. The main event is obviously the G2 Hanshin Daishoten in the second-to-last slot.
Just looking at that race, the most famous horse is definitely Gold Ship, the five-time G1 winner and two-time Takarazuka champion.
Plus the race promotion is centered around her, her photo is the first thing you see on the homepage.
So of course I guessed her first.
I just didn't expect to get it right on the first try."
After the explanation, seeing the three horse girls looking enlightened, Yasui Makoto thought for a moment and asked.
"So you already knew her before?"
"Yeah, that Gold Ship girl… how should I put it? She's very special."
Daiwa Scarlet nodded and smiled.
"She has outstanding talent, and her grades were… interestingly good, so she enrolled early.
"But she never liked school or the training the trainers arranged, and she matured later than most. Even though she's a senior, she might end up racing against Kita-chan soon."
Yasui Makoto nodded thoughtfully.
He might not understand Gold Ship's training and racing style, but the data on her physical condition and ability was still clear.
This year was her third year as an older horse. Most horse girls start to decline around this time, but Gold Ship's numbers remained very stable.
The only noticeable drop was around last year's Arc de Triomphe, and even then it was only in race performance, her training data was still excellent.
From the public information, after this Hanshin Daishoten she was scheduled for the Tenno Sho (Spring), then the Takarazuka Kinen.
Compared to her past results, the Tenno Sho (Spring) might be a bit tough for her.
But if she won the Takarazuka Kinen for the third time on her home track, it would be an impressive three-peat.
If she did well in those two G1s, her second-half schedule would be easy to predict.
She would either go overseas again for the Arc de Triomphe like last year, or take the "Autumn Triple Crown" route of Tenno Sho (Autumn), Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen. Of course three straight G1s would be very demanding, so choosing two out of three was also possible.
If Kitasan Black did well in the Classic Triple Crown, there was a real chance they would meet Gold Ship in the year-end Arima Kinen.
Speaking of Arima and Takarazuka, this year's Takarazuka…
Just as he started thinking about it, Kitasan Black suddenly spoke up in surprise.
"Eh? There are other seniors I know coming to cheer for me at the race?"
Her ears twitched excitedly and her tail swished back and forth as she clenched her fists in anticipation.
"Who is it? Daiwa-senpai? Vodka-senpai?"
"Hehe, we can't tell you that."
Daiwa Scarlet shook her head with a smile and exchanged a look with Vodka. Once again acting mysterious, she said:
"We already promised her it would be a little surprise for you, so we can't spoil it.
Anyway, it's been so many years. Some of us graduated, some went overseas, some started working. We haven't had a good get-together in a long time.
This weekend happens to be both your race day and Gold Ship's, so we thought we could use the chance to call everyone together.
So Kita-chan, just look forward to it!"
"I see…"
Kitasan Black's ears drooped slightly in disappointment for a moment, but she quickly perked up again.
"Mhm! I'll look forward to it! I'll make sure I don't disappoint any of the seniors in this race!"
…
On the afternoon of March 21st, at the Central Academy branch near Nakayama Racecourse.
Unlike the previous two races at Tokyo Racecourse, Nakayama Racecourse was located in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, about 40–50 kilometers from Central Tracen Academy.
That distance wasn't far by shinkansen or subway. Including travel time to the station, the round trip took only about an hour.
However, horse girls with races were usually arranged to stay overnight at the nearby academy branch the day before.
They could book a hotel themselves or arrive on race day, but that required approval from both the horse girl's family and trainer.
This arrangement was for adaptation.
Many horse girls didn't perform at their full training level when they first arrived at a new track.
Adaptation ability varied by individual physique. The healthier the horse girl, the easier it was for her to adjust to a new environment. It was also a hidden test.
There were eleven Central Racecourses across Japan — Tokyo, Kyoto, Hanshin, Nakayama, Chukyo, Oi, Sapporo, Hakodate, Niigata, Kokura, and Matsunami. Each had different track surfaces, grass quality, slopes, and climates.
Kitasan Black might not race at every single one in the future, but she definitely wouldn't only race at one track.
So even though his horse girl had an outstanding physique and had traveled a lot as a child, for the sake of caution and long-term planning, Yasui Makoto had applied for overnight dormitory accommodation through the academy.
Just like on race day, the branch campus was noticeably quiet today, with many rooms empty.
In addition to the room arranged for Kitasan Black, Yasui Makoto had also been given dormitory access and a temporary office.