The commentator's shout immediately drew the entire audience's attention to Leukerbad at the very back of the field.
Many viewers who had been feeling a bit drowsy from the somewhat dull earlier matches were instantly excited to see Leukerbad suddenly surge forward from last place.
"If there's anything more exhilarating than a race to the finish line, it's definitely breaking through from the very back to the very front."
Leukerbad thought to herself with a smirk.
She had naturally heard about the recent buzz surrounding Kitasan Black's near-miss as a Front Runner.
It's safe to say that Kitasan Black's debut race was the most electrifying race I have ever witnessed from any active Umamusume.
Kitasan Black was undoubtedly the brightest new star in her debut race, the undisputed protagonist.
As an Umamusume of the Leuker Clan, Leukerbad naturally wanted the same, or even better, treatment in her own debut race.
However, feeling she couldn't replicate Kitasan Black's Front Runner style, she devised a different approach tailored to her course.
First, she dropped to last place, disappointing the audience, then surged ahead in the middle, overtaking nine consecutively to claim victory.
Isn't that even more thrilling than dominating from start to finish?
"Ninth place! Leukerbad is ninth now!"
"So fast! She's overtaken eighth—no! She's even overtaken seventh! The gap between Leukerbad and sixth place is closing rapidly. It's incredible!"
"Is this her strategy? Moving from the innermost track to the outermost, then accelerating to overtake at the corner!"
"What an excellent strategy! Such a clear mind!"
"It's truly remarkable to maintain such clarity of thought during such a tense race."
"Sixth place!"
"The third corner is over, the fourth corner is just ahead, and the Front Runner Umamusumes, Lord Lauder and Danon Alauda, are starting to slow down slightly."
"Are the Front Runners running out of steam?"
The commentator was somewhat surprised. They hadn't even reached the final corner yet, so why were the two Front Runner Umamusumes already exhausted?
She sensed something was wrong.
"Satono Diamond remains in third place, and the gap between her and the two Front Runners is slowly closing."
"Leukerbad has overtaken fifth place and is heading toward fourth-place Pisco Sour!"
"Leukerbad has overtaken Pisco Sour. She's now fourth! Satono Diamond is about five lengths ahead of her!"
"Leukerbad's pace isn't slowing at all. Will she overtake Satono Diamond?"
The audience cheered excitedly as Leukerbad overtook the Umamusumes who had been six places ahead of her in the blink of an eye around the corner.
"As expected of an Umamusume from the Leuker Clan! That strategy is brilliant! So cool!"
"Nine-way run! Go, Leukerbad! Nine-way run!"
"Nine-way run!"
It's rare to see audiences chanting the name of an Umamusume in a debut race.
But Leukerbad was unlike any other Umamusume. She came from a prestigious racing family and possessed a terrifying level of popularity even before her debut, a level of support many Umamusumes could never achieve in their entire lives.
This scene was hardly that of a debut race; the enthusiastic cheers and shouts were worthy of a G1 race.
No, even Umamusumes participating in regular G1 races wouldn't have this kind of popularity.
Listening to the passionate cheers from the stands and the exhilarating shouts from the commentator, Leukerbad felt a fire burning within her.
This feeling of being the center of attention was truly amazing.
"The two Front Runner Umamusumes are already showing signs of fatigue. If I just overtake Satono Diamond, I can secure the victory."
Thinking to herself, Leukerbad began running toward the figure with the brown princess braid ahead.
"Satono Diamond's pace doesn't seem to have changed much. Is she waiting to accelerate at the end, or has she run out of energy?"
"She's still about five lengths ahead of Leukerbad in fourth place. Will she be caught?"
Satono Diamond's father looked extremely grim as he watched Leukerbad climb from tenth to fourth.
It wasn't just because their rival family's Umamusume had received praise from the commentator and most of the spectators.
It was also because Satono Diamond hadn't started to accelerate at this point. It was very likely that she had been disrupted by the Front Runner Umamusumes' rapid pace and had exhausted too much energy in the early stages.
Satono Diamond's father suddenly recalled the scene in the student council room where Sakura Baimu had readily promised to make Satono Diamond a huge winner and even break the record.
At the time, he had thought Sakura Baimu was just confident, but now, looking back, it was downright arrogance.
"Perhaps she has no idea what the Leuker Clan's standing is in the umamusume world. Does she really think Dia-chan's debut race is like Kita-chan's, competing against a commoner Umamusume?"
Satono Diamond's father slammed his hand heavily on the railing in anger, startling Satono Diamond's mother.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Satono Diamond's mother asked.
"I was thinking of waiting until Dia-chan won her debut match. Even if she didn't break the record or create a huge gap, it wouldn't matter; it would show the magnanimity of a prestigious family. But now, Dia-chan might not even win her debut match!"
"It's okay. Even if she loses, she can still participate in the unwinnable debut matches. Sakura-san is very strong; Dia-chan will definitely win a G1 match," Satono Diamond's mother comforted him.
"You don't understand. This isn't about G1 at all. I deliberately had Dia-chan register for the same debut match as Leukerbad to dampen the Leuker Clan's spirits. But if she loses, the Satono Clan will lose all face!"
Satono Diamond's father's anger did not subside; instead, it intensified.
"I told you we should have put Dia-chan in Hana Tojo's team from the start, but you kept insisting on doing it her way. If it weren't for Mejiro McQueen on her team, I would never have agreed. Now that I think about it, Mejiro McQueen's status as the strongest long-distance Umamusume is probably due to her prestigious lineage; Sakura Baimu was just lucky!"
While Satono Diamond's father was berating Sakura Baimu for not understanding the true strength of prestigious Umamusume clans in the umamusume world, Leukerbad, currently in fourth place, gradually lost her confident smile.
She had discovered something terrifying…
"Why? The distance between me and Satono Diamond cannot be shortened?!"