Chapter 124.
The Breeders' Cup Classic was finally over!
Riding Concern back to the stands, Shuta An didn't ask the exhausted colt to do anything flashy. Instead, the young jockey simply stood up in his stirrups and gave a deep, respectful bow to the cheering crowd.
This gesture triggered a roar that shook the entire racecourse, even getting the broadcast commentator hyped up:
"SHUTA SENDS HIS GREETINGS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TO WATCH THE BREEDERS' CUP TODAY! BUT LET'S BE REAL—SHUTA, YOU ARE THE TODAY UNDISPUTED HERO OF CHURCHILL DOWNS!"
Further down the track, Pat Day sat slumped on Tabasco Cat, looking like he'd just swallowed a lemon. Sure, he hadn't exactly lost out on prize money with all his second-place finishes, but as America's top jockey, getting completely shut out at the Breeders' Cup was super embarrassing.
Gary Stevens, who had just ridden Bertrando to a rough sixth-place finish, patted Pat on the shoulder.
"Hey, don't sweat it. The guy's won so much in Europe his hands are probably cramped from lifting trophies. He's clearly on fire today, so losing to him isn't a big deal."
"Sigh..." Pat let out a long, heavy breath. "And here I was, waking up this morning thinking I'd finally get my revenge for the Easy Goer days. Looks like I just added to my tab instead."
"Haha!" Gary grinned. "Well, you could always go ride in the Japan Cup. You'd definitely get a chance to beat him on his home turf!"
"Only if a stable is actually willing to pay for the flight."
Pat Day muttered. He knew the score. Without bringing a top-tier American horse with him, he seriously doubted he'd get any good rides for a short-term trip to Japan. After all, his biggest claim to fame in the Japanese racing scene right now was being Shuta An's favorite stepping stone.
Walking toward the tunnel, owner Robert Meyerhoff finally gave his verdict.
"I am very pleased that Concern won this race. Mr. Small, please keep up the hard work."
Small, realizing he wasn't going to be fired and would still get good horses, nearly collapsed in relief.
"I'll do my absolute best! I won't let you down, sir!"
Hopping off his horse with the stablehand's help, Shuta immediately noticed Small's relieved face.
Guess he didn't get chewed out, the young man thought.
Even though he really wanted to complain about that disastrous start, a win was a win. Since this was probably their last time working together, Shuta decided to play nice and let the gate issue slide.
"Concern worked incredibly hard today. We wouldn't have pulled off such a great result without him."
Shuta said smoothly.
Seeing that Shuta wasn't going to bring up the bad start, Small happily took the hint.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Shuta! Your riding today was practically divine! Beating Tabasco Cat totally blew our expectations out of the water! I really hope we can work together again!"
"Yeah, hopefully."
Shuta replied politely. Honestly, if he hadn't struggled to find a strong mount for the November races back in Japan, he never would have come all the way to America just for the prize money.
Besides, the Kikuka Sho was happening back home this week—though Shuta was pretty sure nobody in this generation was going to beat Narita Brian.
I wonder if an undefeated Triple Crown winner will pop up from Sunday Silence's kids in the future.
He mused.
Thinking of Narita Brian probably winning the Triple Crown tomorrow made him think of Sunday Silence, whose very first batch of kids were already making waves this year.
Shuta knew perfectly well that if he hadn't won the American Triple Crown with Sunday Silence, his jump from local racing to the prestigious Central circuit wouldn't have been nearly so smooth.
Basically, Sunday Silence and Oguri Cap were the twin rockets that launched him into being a world-class jockey.
And they helped me grab so many sweet skills in the Dream World, too.
—
The next morning, Shuta woke up to find a familiar, comforting weight in his arms.
Oguri Cap—who had probably gotten home super late last night—was curled up against him, fast asleep.
Because she wasn't doing intense racing anymore, Oguri's muscles had softened up nicely. Hugging her now felt exactly like holding a giant, warm marshmallow.
He gently poked his girlfriend's cheek, but the gray Uma Musume didn't even stir, her eyes peacefully shut.
She's sleeping like a log.
Shuta thought fondly. Resisting the strong urge to just bury his face in her hair and go back to sleep, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, carefully slid his arm out from under her, and rolled out of bed.
While washing his face in the bathroom, the young Trainer decided to check the rewards for the temporary quest he'd accepted in the Dream World last night.
[Mission Complete: Perfect Shutout!]
Pat Day will never forget this autumn. He woke up expecting to win at least five races, but ended up with zero! And the guy who ruined his day was the exact same Asian jockey who crushed his Triple Crown dreams with Easy Goer. From now on, you will be the starring guest in his nightmares! As a reward, you have gained the ability to communicate with supernatural beings under specific conditions—this will be very important for Team Sadalsuud's future!
"Supernatural beings under specific conditions?" Trainer Shuta frowned, wiping his face with a towel. "Does it mean the Three Goddesses?"
You couldn't really blame him for jumping to that conclusion first. But honestly, Shuta didn't see the point. As actual deities, the Three Goddesses were probably super aloof and strict. He couldn't imagine just casually chatting with them or getting any useful tips.
But wait... 'supernatural beings' shouldn't just mean the Goddesses, right? Does this mean ghosts and spirits are actually real? But how is that scientifically possible?
Shuta dragged a hand down his face. Then, a lightbulb went off. He knew exactly who to ask about weird, unscientific stuff!
He grabbed his phone, opened LINE, and scrolled until he found Agnes Tachyon—an Uma Musume he basically only ever texted for mandatory New Year's greetings.
"Hey, Miss Agnes Tachyon! Are you free today? I ran into a really weird scientific phenomenon that I can't wrap my head around, and I'd love to get your expert opinion on it!"
He hit send. The message didn't immediately show as 'Read.'
Shuta wasn't surprised at all. Tachyon's sleep schedule was notoriously chaotic, so she was probably completely dead to the world right now in her lab.
She'll probably see it around noon. That'll be the perfect time to invite her over and pick her brain.
The young man thought, tossing his phone into his pocket. With his plan set, he headed downstairs to whip up some breakfast.