Hearing Sakura Baimu's words, Satono Diamond's father looked at the Umamusumes standing beside her and fell silent.
Tokai Teio was immediately ruled out. She was Japan's fourth Triple Crown Umamusume and had maintained an undefeated record until the Arima Kinen at the end of last year.
Let alone Satono Crown; among active Umamusumes, besides Mejiro McQueen, who dared to say they could beat Tokai Teio?
As for Kitasan Black, although Satono Diamond's father didn't believe her talent surpassed Satono Diamond's or Satono Crown's, her recent performance in Tokyo had truly astonished him.
Currently, Kitasan Black seemed to be the strongest new Umamusume besides his daughter.
Naturally, Satono Diamond's father's gaze fell upon Smart Falcon, whose two chestnut-brown pigtails were tied with pink and black ribbons.
Satono Diamond's father didn't recognize Smart Falcon, which meant her record was probably not outstanding.
"What's this young lady's name?" Satono Diamond's father asked.
"Smart Falcon. Falco's name is Smart Falcon."
Smart Falcon answered somewhat flusteredly, but this time she didn't ask Satono Diamond's father to call her "Falco."
"Could it be… could it be that you'll choose Falco?"
Smart Falcon had a bad feeling. The other TCB members were all Umamusumes who had been trained by Sakura Baimu for at least two months, while she was the only one who had just joined TCB.
She hadn't had any great results since her debut. Especially after witnessing the amazing performances of Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond in their debuts, Smart Falcon wasn't even sure if she could beat newly debuted Umamusumes.
"Wait a minute."
Satono Diamond's father, confirming he had never heard of this Umamusume, pulled out his tablet and began searching online for Smart Falcon's track record.
"Smart Falcon, an Umamusume from Tracen Academy High School, has a record of 2 wins and 7 losses in 9 matches since her debut."
"She participated in three major tournaments: the G3-level Kyodo News Service Hai, where she ranked 7th out of 16; the G3-level Arlington Cup, where she ranked 10th out of 13; and the G1-level Classic Triple Crown tournament, where she ranked 18th out of 18, finishing last."
"Her only two wins were her debut race and the OP-level Turf 1600 Meter Junior Cup."
Satono Diamond's father became increasingly puzzled. Smart Falcon's record was abysmal. Even in high school, she hadn't won a single major tournament, and her only victory besides her debut was in an OP-level match.
Satono Diamond's father was certain that when he last saw Sakura Baimu at school, Smart Falcon wasn't on her team yet, which meant that Smart Falcon must have just joined.
If Sakura Baimu was willing to let an Umamusume with this level of skill and record join the team, why couldn't Satono Crown of the Satono Clan?
Smart Falcon's popularity since her debut didn't even compare to that of any of the Satono Clan's Umamusumes before their debuts.
Considering these thoughts, Satono Diamond's father looked at Sakura Baimu.
"In that case, I'll choose Miss Smart Falcon. She'll compete in the same tournament as Crown."
"Huh?!?!?!"
Smart Falcon was startled to see that Satono Diamond's father had actually chosen her. She shook her head violently, her two chestnut ponytails swinging wildly like projectiles attached to strings.
"Falcon has only been with TCB for less than a week; she hasn't even started..."
Smart Falcon was interrupted by Satono Diamond's father's laughter halfway through her sentence.
"Ms. Sakura, you said yourself that any Umamusume except Ms. McQueen would be fine. Is that alright?"
"Of course," Sakura Baimu replied with a smile. "However, Falco is a high school Umamusume. Are you sure you want Crown to compete against her?"
"It's alright. She's the one."
Seeing Smart Falcon's flustered expression and lack of confidence, Satono Crown's father knew he had guessed correctly.
Seeing Sakura Baimu try to use Smart Falcon's grade as an excuse, he was even more determined to choose Smart Falcon as Satono Crown's opponent.
There was no problem with having the middle schooler Satono Crown compete against the high schooler Smart Falcon. After all, age doesn't represent ability, and it was not uncommon for high school Umamusumes to be defeated by middle school Umamusumes.
Just like Rice Shower, Mihono Bourbon, and Biwa Hayahide. These Umamusumes were all from the high school division, yet they were still defeated by Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, who were from the middle school division.
"Smart Falcon herself said that she just joined TCB, so she probably hasn't trained much yet. Therefore, the race should be held as early as possible to avoid any unexpected situations."
Satono Diamond's father thought about these things and looked at Sakura Baimu, smiling as he asked, "Ms. Sakura, you just said that I would decide the time, location, and track distance, right?"
"Of course." Sakura Baimu nodded.
Seeing Sakura Baimu nod in agreement, Satono Diamond's father began to make his plans.
"Since Smart Falcon has only recently joined TCB, we should choose a race that's being held soon, so she doesn't have time to practice and prepare with Sakura Baimu."
"Also, the track at Tracen Academy is a replica of the Tokyo Racecourse, so choosing a race elsewhere would be more suitable. Their practice at the academy's track would be less effective."
"Crown came back from overseas, where the competitions are mainly Dirt races, with relatively fewer Turf races. Looking at Smart Falcon's record, all her races since her debut have been Turf races, and her only win was also a Turf race."
"In that case, she definitely won't be able to perform at her usual level in a Dirt race. And since Crown has returned from abroad, she won't be as averse to Dirt races as Umamusumes from Japan."
"Finally, there's the distance. In terms of stamina, Crown might not be able to beat high school Umamusumes, so a shorter distance is definitely better."
Satono Diamond's father pondered for a moment, quickly filtering options on his tablet and deciding on the race.
"In that case, let's choose the Seaside Stakes, the OP-level 1700 Meter Dirt race held in Hakodate in early July, and have Crown race against Ms. Smart Falcon. How about that?"