Why do race NPCs react too damn fast?

The moment I get an item, it's stolen before I can use it.

The moment I'm even .01 seconds ahead of them, I get heavied/frenzy/whatever other BS they get.

Why the hell do the NPCs get to react quicker than players get to?

Ok yes I agree this is ridiculous. I just lost a race because I had my item stolen the exact second that I collected it. I anticipated that might happen and had my finger ready to hit the button as soon as I collected, but I was too slow, they gave me 0 seconds to use it before it was stolen. Then on the next set of items, an NPC used the skill that locks my ability to use items the second I collected it. Their timing is too precise like you'd expect a computer to be, but they need to be less perfect to simulate the reaction times of a player.

I've been getting last place like effing crazy because of this. I'm trying to get a blood pedigree 9 chocobo, but why the hell should I bother when I keep losing because of the computer's perfect timing in every race?

They save items for me 9 out of 10 times, they magically catch up to me when they get a briar item and drain 15%+ of my stamina no matter if I slow down or move to the side, what makes it worse (Thanks to everyone who used to AFK race) is this is the reward for LAST PLACE (+30% EXP skill btw)

[18:14]You obtain 95 MGP.
[18:14]Großes IV gains 474 experience points.

That's the kind of 'reward' I get for getting screwed over by the NPCs who look like they're programmed to just go after the players.

Edit: This is with my rating at about 155 right now with a pedigree 7 chocobo

http://prntscr.com/asa99u

This is the fault of both SE, and everyone who abused 'AFK Racing' when it first came out. Because of those lazy players SE screws over everyone who gets last place due to NPCs going after the player(s)n who race.

This is absolute crap.