The “Venus Series Round 3 – Moonlight Princess Decision Race” at Boat Race Gamagori (night racing) kicked off on May 12, running through May 17. On the opening day, the main event, Race 12 Dream Race, saw No. 1 boat Asuka Otaki (from Shizuoka, Aichi branch) lead wire-to-wire from the inside lane for an easy victory. No. 3 boat Chisai Hironaka (from Aichi, Tokyo branch) finished second, and No. 2 boat Namiko Wakasa (from Okayama, Okayama branch) took third, with the trifecta 1-3-2 paying 1,010 yen as the second favorite.
The spotlight this week is on the home Aichi branch, whose female racers have been in outstanding form lately. Yayoi Uno won the Karatsu All-Ladies on April 13, Asuka Otaki claimed the Tsu Venus Series on April 20, Nozomi Mizuno and Raku Nagata both reached the finals at the Naruto All-Ladies on May 4, and Yuko Hosokawa finished fifth in the finals of the Marugame G2 Ladies All-Star on May 10. The entire branch appears to have elevated its rhythm this spring, signaling strong potential for more big performances this week.
Twelve racers from the Aichi branch are competing in this event (listed in registration number order):
・Yukie Kasano (Aichi, Aichi, B1, class 68)
・Asuka Otaki (Shizuoka, Aichi, A1, class 83)
・Nozomi Mizuno (Aichi, Aichi, B1, class 109)
・Ayumi Fukami (Aichi, Aichi, B2, class 117)
・Mayuko Deguchi (Aichi, Aichi, B2, class 117)
・Nagisa Ishihara (Gifu, Aichi, B2, class 129)
・Mami Matsuda (Aichi, Aichi, B1, class 131)
・Raku Nagata (Aichi, Aichi, B1, class 132)
・Shiori Ito (Aichi, Aichi, B1, class 132)
・Mai Hiei (Aichi, Aichi, B1, class 134)
・Miyuri Nakamura (Aichi, Aichi, B2, class 134)
・Sena Izawa (Nagano, Aichi, B2, class 134)
(In parentheses: hometown, branch, current class, class number)
Four racers from the Aichi branch won their opening-day heats: Raku Nagata led wire-to-wire from lane 1 in Race 3, Mayuko Deguchi drove a 3-lane passing move in Race 4, Mai Hiei executed a 3-lane inside-outside sweep in Race 11, and Asuka Otaki repeated the lane-1 victory in Race 12.
Special attention should be paid to Mai Hiei (24, from Aichi, Aichi branch) [photo above]. She started the event with a 2nd and 1st place finish on day one, putting herself in strong position for her third semifinal appearance and a shot at her first final victory. Notably, in Race 11 on day one, her 3-lane inside-outside sweep produced a trifecta worth 12,480 yen. She achieved a similar 3-lane sweep worth 10,750 yen in the previous Hamanako event, marking two consecutive high-payout trifectas from the same move. Hiei has recorded seven of her eight career wins via such inside-outside sweeps, making her a must-watch when she attacks from center or outside lanes. She will race again on day two from lane 5 in Race 4.
Raku Nagata (23, from Aichi, Aichi branch) [photo above] also deserves close attention. After making her first career final at the Naruto All-Ladies last week, she carries top momentum into her home event. Winning wire-to-wire in her sole race on day one, she will compete from lane 3 in Race 2 and lane 2 in Race 12 on day two. At Naruto, she excelled from lanes 2 and 3, scoring with a 2-lane inside push, a 3-lane sweep, and a 3-lane inside-outside sweep across three days, so fans will be watching closely this week.