Honestly, Yasui Makoto wouldn’t normally describe an Uma Musume as “problematic,” but the Golden Family was truly something else…
It wasn’t that they had problems exactly—it was that each member was even stranger than the last.
For example, one had tried biting her opponents’ tails during a race, another refused to enter the gate when throwing a tantrum, another argued openly in the paddock, and yet another tried hunting down her trainer after losing…
Yet, paradoxically, the more troublesome they were, the stronger they tended to become.
Two members who had retired a few years ago perfectly demonstrated this:
One had won the Classic Triple Crown, becoming one of only seven Triple Crown Uma Musume in history.
The other, though not exceptional in the classics, had secured victory in a prestigious G1 like the Takarazuka Kinen, and even achieved second place in Europe’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe—an incredibly prestigious accomplishment for any Japanese Uma Musume.
As for Gold Ship, she perfectly inherited her family’s legendary “Golden Spirit.”
Rumor had it that she never participated in regular training. While other Uma Musume were busy running, she’d be off playing chess, cards, solving Rubik’s cubes, or practicing strange exercises like “smashing watermelons with a single finger.”
Yet, despite all this, she’d already clinched victories in classic G1 races like the Satsuki Sho and Kikuka Sho, as well as prestigious races such as the Arima Kinen and two consecutive wins at the Takarazuka Kinen.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her one of the strongest active racers.
Naturally, Yasui Makoto had carefully analyzed her training and racing patterns, ultimately reaching a single conclusion:
Can’t understand her. Can’t replicate her. Give up now. Anyone who tries is doomed.
Now that he’d discovered his own Uma Musume was acquainted with Gold Ship, Yasui had only one thought:
I absolutely cannot let Kita-chan get influenced by someone that bizarre.
After briefly nursing his headache, Yasui noticed the three Uma Musume still staring at him in shock, and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“The reason I guessed…is actually quite simple.”
He flipped over his phone and explained:
“My feeling was that any friend of Daiwa-senpai and Vodka-senpai wouldn’t be an ordinary Uma Musume. Of course, that’s a bit biased, but Vodka mentioned she was too famous. That narrowed things down.”
“On the 22nd at Hanshin, the highlight is clearly the 11th race—the G2 Hanshin Daishoten.”
“Just looking at that race, the most famous entrant is undoubtedly Gold Ship, with five G1 victories and consecutive Takarazuka wins. The promotional materials even feature her prominently on the homepage.”
“So naturally, she was my first guess.”
“I just didn’t think I’d get it right on the first try.”
After hearing his explanation, the three Uma Musume nodded in sudden understanding. Yasui paused for a moment before asking curiously:
“Have you all known her for long?”
“Oh yeah, Golshi…how to put it? She’s unique, for sure.” Daiwa Scarlet chuckled, nodding slightly.
“Her talent is incredible, and her academic results were also strangely good, so she entered school early.”
“But she’s always disliked the training provided by the school or assigned trainers, and she reached honkaku-ka a bit later. So even though she’s technically your senpai, she might end up racing alongside Kita-chan.”
Yasui nodded thoughtfully.
Though he couldn’t understand Gold Ship’s training methods or race strategies, her physical data and raw capabilities were unquestionable.
This was her third year in the senior division. Most Uma Musume’s performance would have started to decline at this point, yet Gold Ship’s condition remained surprisingly stable.
The main noticeable decline had happened around last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and even then, only her race-day performances had dropped slightly—her training stats remained strong.
According to publicly available data, after this weekend’s Hanshin Daishoten, her next races were scheduled as the Tenno Sho (Spring), followed by the Takarazuka Kinen.
Comparing her past performances, the Tenno Sho (Spring) might present a significant challenge. But considering her two consecutive Takarazuka Kinen victories, a third consecutive win wouldn’t be surprising.
If she performed well in these two G1 races, predicting her autumn schedule was simple enough.
She’d either pursue another attempt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe overseas, like last year, or tackle the demanding domestic autumn triple of Tenno Sho (Autumn), Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen—or perhaps pick two out of those three due to the difficulty of consecutive G1 runs.
If Kitasan Black’s Triple Crown results turned out well, she might genuinely encounter Gold Ship at the year-end Arima Kinen.
Speaking of Arima and Takarazuka, wasn’t there a famous edition of Takarazuka this year in my previous life?
Just as Yasui began recalling those details, a curious voice from Kitasan caught his attention.
“Eh? Another senpai I know is coming to cheer me on?”
Confused yet excited, Kitasan Black clenched her fists in anticipation, ears flickering rapidly and tail swishing eagerly behind her.
“Who is it, Daiwa-senpai, Vodka-senpai?”
“Hehehe, we can’t tell you that!” Daiwa Scarlet exchanged another knowing glance with Vodka, shaking her head playfully.
“We already agreed with her to keep it a little surprise, so obviously we can’t spoil it now.”
“Anyway, it’s been so long since we all graduated. Some went abroad, others got jobs—it’s been forever since we last gathered.”
“With you and Golshi both racing this weekend, Vodka and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together again.”
“So just look forward to it, okay, Kita-chan?”
“Oh, okay…” Kitasan drooped her ears slightly in disappointment before quickly perking up again. “Mm! I’ll look forward to it! I promise not to disappoint my senpai during my race!”
…
Afternoon, March 21, Central Academy branch near Nakayama Racecourse.
Unlike her previous two races at Tokyo Racecourse, Nakayama Racecourse was located east of Tokyo’s 23 wards, in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture—around forty to fifty kilometers from Central Tracen Academy’s main campus.
Such a distance was manageable by shinkansen or subway, taking less than an hour including transit. However, Uma Musume typically traveled to a nearby branch campus a day early, staying overnight under academy supervision.
Booking a hotel independently or traveling directly on race day was possible but required approval from both the trainer and the Uma Musume’s family.
This arrangement was primarily about adaptability.
Many Uma Musume initially struggled to adjust to unfamiliar racecourses, which could negatively impact their performance. Individual adaptability varied greatly, often correlating closely with general physical health, making this subtle challenge an implicit test as well.
Tokyo, Kyoto, Hanshin, Nakayama, Chukyo, Oi, Sapporo, Hakodate, Niigata, Kokura, Matsunami—the eleven central racetracks scattered across Japan varied in soil, grass quality, slopes, and climate.
Even if Kitasan Black didn’t run at every racecourse in the future, she certainly wouldn’t remain limited to just one location.
Despite her exceptional physical condition and experience traveling frequently as a child, Yasui Makoto still opted for prudence, requesting accommodation at the academy dormitory near Nakayama.
Much like Sundays, today was also a race day, leaving the branch campus quiet, with numerous empty rooms.
Aside from Kitasan Black’s dormitory arrangements, Yasui had also received his own lodging, along with a temporary office.
—
This is a fan translation of 赛马娘：从被撞飞十米开始 by 百升飞上天 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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