Dominate the Leo Cup Champions Meeting with These Pro Tips for Umamusume: Pretty Derby

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is teeing up another sweaty Champions Meeting, and this one is very much a build-check. The Leo Cup lands October 30 and runs through November 9, with a course that favors smart prep and sharp mid-to-late race tools. If you want a podium photo, you need your girls trained, skilled, and slotted correctly.

What the Leo Cup actually is this time

The race is at Hanshin Turf (yep, Hanshin — and a right-hand, clockwise course), 2200m Medium distance, under sunny summer conditions on firm ground. In other words: long enough to punish sloppy stamina planning, short enough that acceleration timing and position really matter.

Who to train (and why)

Front Runners: Maruzensky (Summer), Daiwa Scarlet, Seiun Sky, Silence Suzuka, Mihono Bourbon. If the early meta shakes out the way it usually does, Summer Maruzensky is going to be everywhere up front. Plan accordingly.

Pace Chasers: Oguri Cap, Taiki Shuttle, Tokai Teio, Tokai Teio (Anime), Super Creek. Solid middle-pack power that can slingshot late.

Late Surgers: Grass Wonder, Symboli Rudolf, Agnes Tachyon, Nice Nature, Mayano Top Gun (Wedding), El Condor Pasa (Fantasy), Mejiro Ryan. These are your mid/late specialists — several also double as debuffers, which is convenient if you want to harass a Maruzensky-led field.

End Closers: Gold Ship. Still Gold Ship. Still chaos late.

If you expect Summer Maruzensky to run wild (you should), leaning on Late Surgers like Grass Wonder, Symboli Rudolf, and Agnes Tachyon helps because their kits can mess with her positioning. But do not tunnel on one style. Composition matters more than any one pick. Sensible setups for this Cup: either 2 Front Runners plus a Pace Chaser/Late Surger/End Closer, or 1 Pace Chaser plus 2 Late Surgers/End Closers. You can also run 1 Ace with 2 Dominator debuffers, or 2 Aces plus Nice Nature. For Support Cards, there is no single must-have — match your supports to the line you’re building and the stats you need.

Skills that actually move the needle

• Front Runner picks: Angling and Scheming (Seiun Sky's unique, mid-race corner acceleration while leading); Red Shift/LP1211-M (Maruzensky's unique, front-position acceleration on final corner or later); Groundwork (acceleration if you chain multiple early skills); Focus (cuts slow-start loss); Unrestrained (helps hold the lead on the final corner); Fast-Paced (improves mid-race move to the front); Final Push (more hold on the last corner); Leader's Pride (harder to get passed early); Killer Tunes (better mid-race front positioning).
• Pace Chaser picks: Shooting For Victory! (Taiki Shuttle's unique, final-corner acceleration when well-positioned); Condor's Fury (Fantasy El Condor Pasa's unique, big acceleration pushing for the front from mid to final corner — it’s kind of the perfect button here); Gourmand (mid-race endurance recovery); Beeline Burst (straight-line speed bump); Killer Tunes (again, front-mid positioning boost).
• Late Surger picks: Let's Pump Some Iron! (Mejiro Ryan's unique, late-race corner acceleration to climb spots); 1,500,000 CC (slight speed up on uphills); Slick Surge (a bit of late-race acceleration); Outer Swell (a little more speed when passing outside on the final corner).
• End Closer note: There aren’t really style-specific standouts here, so lean harder on the universal pool and pair with debuffs.
• Debuff options that matter: Mistifying Murmur (disrupts runners directly ahead mid-race); Dominator (pushes down the position of runners ahead if you’re back late). Great for kneecapping runaway Front Runners like Summer Maruzensky.
• Universal skills that play well with everyone: Red Shift/LP1211-M (Maruzensky's unique, clutch late acceleration if you’re forward); Triumphant Pulse (Oguri Cap's unique, improves the 'break out' when you’re near the front with 200m left); Shooting For Victory! (Taiki Shuttle's unique, more final-corner accel); Behold Thine Emperor's Divine Might (Symboli Rudolf's unique, big final-straight speed after three late passes); Nimble Navigator (better last-spurt maneuvering when boxed in); Professor of Curvature (more corner speed with clean turning); Swinging Maestro (corner stamina recovery with clean turning); Homestretch Haste (more speed on the final stretch); Tail Held High (speed uptick if you’ve procced a bunch mid-race); Ramp Up (speed when you pass someone mid-race); Highlander (better on uphills); Slipstream (less wind drag when tucked in behind); Playtime's Over! (late speed if someone has been tailing you for a while); It's On! (speed on a mid-race pass).
• Green skills to match this Cup’s conditions: Non-Standard Distance (boosts you on distances not divisible by 400m — 2200m qualifies); Hanshin Racecourse (explicit Hanshin buff); Right-Handed (right-turn course boost); Firm Conditions (firm turf buff); Summer Runner (summer-season buff). Tip: Front Runners in particular should try to stack at least three Greens alongside their style skills — they scale well here.

Stats, decks, and aptitudes (the part that wins you the room)

Target Speed first — you want 1000+ minimum, 1200 if you can hit it cleanly. From there: Stamina to 800 with two recovery skills, Power around 800, Guts about 350, Wit around 400. If you’re running a Front Runner, bump Wit to roughly 400–450 since their race plan lives and dies on consistent procs and clean decision-making.

Support card lanes: for an Ace, 3 Speed + 2 Power + 1 Wit is a nice, compact build. For other strategies, 3 Speed + 1 Stamina + 2 Power does the job and meets your thresholds without starving Speed.

Aptitudes matter a ton on this course. Aim for 'S' in Medium Distance and 'S' on Turf Track — that extra acceleration and handling at 2200m shows up when it counts.

Bottom line: build for a sunny, firm, right-turn 2200 at Hanshin, assume Summer Maruzensky is a problem, and pack late tools and debuffs to answer her. If your line is balanced and your skill timing is right, you’re in the fight on October 30.