Chapter 89. The Inspiration for Establishing the Breeder's Cup
After leaving the Student Council office, Shuta An returned to his own office.
He sat at his desk, researching information about the Arima Kinen while planning how to find suitable lyricists and composers.
However, after downloading the preliminary entry list for the Arima Kinen, Shuta An decided to entrust the task of finding suitable creators to the new 'Assistant' Miss Grace.
"After all, the target audience for the singles is local, so overseas producers definitely can't be considered. Let's see if we can find connections with Sony or Universal Music," Shuta An thought.
"According to the Secretariat, many of Sadalmelik LLC's assets in the United States exist in the form of company shares, so they should have shares in these two companies as well, right?"
He drafted a Line message and sent it to Grace, then began to seriously study the Uma Musume on the preliminary entry list for the Arima Kinen.
"Let's first analyze it from Special Week's perspective," the young man thought. "No matter what, Nishizaki-kun was the first to ask me."
—
Miss Grace woke up early, washed up, and exercised.
Upon returning to her room, she saw a Line message on her phone from her new boss, whom she had only met once.
"Find a Japanese lyricist and composer, preferably someone with experience creating individual singles for Uma Musume."
"Is he making a single for the team's Uma Musume? But according to the situation on the West Coast, isn't it always the academy that handles production? Why does the team's Trainer have to be personally involved in Japan?"
Miss Grace pouted.
"I don't know what the boss is doing in such a place. Anyone else would choose to stay on the West Coast and enjoy life."
After Shuta An finished watching the past race videos of the five Uma Musume in his office, it was already time to leave work.
Since neither Special Week's nor Grass Wonder's Trainer was in a hurry, the young man didn't plan to work overtime. He simply punched out and left briskly.
After driving home, he was surprised to find that only Berno was there.
"Where's Oguri? Didn't she come back with Berno?" the young man raised an eyebrow and asked Berno, who was watching the food processor handle ingredients in the kitchen.
Although the food processor was noisy, the Uma Musume still accurately caught Shuta An's question and turned her head.
"Oguri is still at the hospital. She and Suzuka are discussing their understanding of the Twinkle Series and sharing race experiences. They're quite engrossed. I just came back to cook, and I'll take the food to them later. We'll probably be back late at night."
"I see," Shuta An said, hanging his overcoat on the hanger. "When Berno goes to the hospital later, can you do me a favor?"
"Of course, I can," Berno Light rolled her eyes at her lover. "Could I possibly refuse Ann? I've already agreed to the most outrageous things."
"Then I'll ask Berno to help me find out what kind of songs Suzuka likes. I've received permission from the URA Association to produce singles for the Uma Musume on my team," Shuta An said, pressing his palms together.
"Alright, alright~" Berno Light agreed. "Are you not asking directly because you want to surprise Suzuka?"
"Something like that," the young man stretched his shoulders.
"Today, Nishizaki-kun and Miss Tojo also asked me to analyze the opponents for the Uma Musume they train in the Arima Kinen."
"Then you'll have to do two analyses? And then they'll compete?" Berno Light blinked. "Ann, you didn't tell them that the other party also approached you, did you?"
"Of course not," Shuta An's lips curved. "Otherwise, things wouldn't be interesting."
"Wow~ that's so mean. But I'm really looking forward to how this year's Arima Kinen will unfold!" Berno thought about it for a moment and found the big showdown at the end of the year quite amusing.
After dinner, Shuta An saw Berno off and returned to his study. He sat in front of his computer and continued watching past race videos of the Uma Musume on the pre-registered entry list.
Finally, he came to a conclusion—only four Uma Musume could contend for victory in this race.
"Seiun Sky, Special Week, and if they recover their form, Grass Wonder and Mejiro Bright."
As for the other Uma Musume, in Shuta An's opinion, winning the Arima Kinen would be very difficult.
"Oh," after noticing a name, the young man raised an eyebrow. "Stay Gold might be able to finish near the top, but first place would still be very difficult."
With this conclusion established, the opponent analysis for both Special Week and Grass Wonder now had a general outline.
However, the young man didn't plan to start writing the analysis yet. He left his computer, intending to take a shower and then go to bed.
—
After coming out of the bathroom, Shuta An picked up his phone and found that Miss Grace had sent a reply.
"I've found a suitable lyricist and composer. Although he hasn't created a solo single for a Uma Musume before, he should be able to make it"
Shuta An was puzzled and clicked on the introduction.
"YOSHIKI…"
After reading the name, the young man's pupils contracted.
Even though he wasn't very familiar with Japanese music and usually didn't pay much attention to singers, he had heard this name before.
"I remember he was the leader of X Japan, which disbanded last year, right? Didn't he announce his retirement?"
He quickly asked Grace about the situation.
"How did you find Mr. YOSHIKI? I remember he retired, right?"
"Last year, Mr. YOSHIKI disbanded X Japan because the lead singer left the band, and then he came to the United States to focus on his career as a producer. In fact, I haven't finalized the cooperation with him yet. On one hand, I wanted to get your approval, and on the other hand—Mr. YOSHIKI doesn't know about this invitation yet."
"Why?" Shuta An became even more confused.
"In May this year, his former bandmate HIDE died accidentally from alcohol-induced suffocation. After that, Mr. YOSHIKI's mental state became unstable. He doesn't dare face outsiders and has difficulty sleeping."
"After I disclosed your intentions to the senior executives at Sony Music, they immediately mentioned Mr. YOSHIKI and hoped that this commission could help him emerge from the grief of his close friend's sudden passing."
"So there was such a hidden reason."
The young man pursed his lips and typed a reply.
"I don't think there's anyone more suitable for this commission than Mr. YOSHIKI. Let's choose him. Budget is no problem."
"Okay!" Grace breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his reply.
Miss Grace and the staff from Sony Music arranged a meeting with Mr. YOSHIKI. She would accompany the Sony Music staff tomorrow to the detached villa where Mr. YOSHIKI currently lived to discuss the commission for two singles.
Meanwhile, Shuta An arrived at Central Tracen Academy early the next morning and found Mejiro Dober and Tokai Teio on the training grounds. The former was undergoing low-intensity recovery training, while the latter was jogging alone.
The young man watched from the sidelines for a while without disturbing them, then turned and left.
After clocking in for work, Shuta An sat at his desk, preparing to fabricate all of this week's training reports so he could focus on the commissions from Nishizaki Ryu and Tojo Hana.
Just as Shuta An finished Mejiro Dober's first training report, Kitahara came to stand beside him.
"Is something wrong, Kitahara-san?" Shuta An asked as he created a new document without looking up.
"If it were Ann-san, would you let Hayate Fubuki challenge the Tokyo Daishoten?" Kitahara asked in return.
"Why are you asking me this question?" Shuta An continued writing the report without answering directly.
"Because I'm very conflicted and don't know whether I should let Hayate Fubuki challenge the Tokyo Daishoten," Kitahara said honestly.
The atmosphere in the office grew heavy for a moment. Shuta An clearly heard the confusion in Kitahara's tone. Although he had always insisted on not interfering too much with his friend's team affairs, the young man understood that Kitahara truly needed his opinion right now.
But truthfully, if Shuta An were training Hayate Fubuki, he wouldn't let her go to the Tokyo Daishoten. The main reason was that the 2000-meter dirt track was not her most suitable distance.
However, he wasn't sure of Kitahara's inclination, so he chose to pass the decision back.
"Why don't you ask Hayate Fubuki what she thinks?"
"Hayate Fubuki has already said she doesn't want to run in the Tokyo Daishoten. She also doesn't want to go to next year's Dubai World Cup. Instead of the Dubai World Cup, she wants to participate in the G2 Godolphin Mile held on the same day," Kitahara replied.
"Then just go along with her," Shuta An blinked, stopped typing, and looked up at his friend.
"Kitahara, you would never hesitate over something like this before, would you?"
"That's true," Kitahara admitted with a wry smile. "I was just thinking that if she could achieve good results in the Dubai World Cup, she might even win the Tokyo Daishoten."
"But tracks aren't the same," Shuta An reminded him. "I feel like you might be a little too eager for results, Kitahara."
"There are indeed psychological factors involved," Kitahara pursed his lips and admitted. "After all, I also need to plan for my future—and also March's."
"Oh~" Hearing the implication, the young man raised an eyebrow. "Should I say congratulations?"
"It's still too early," Kitahara waved his hand, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Anyway, I also want to win a few more Grade 1 races so I can feel more confident."
"But you can't force the Uma Musume you train to challenge tracks they're not good at," Shuta An said, patting his friend's arm.
"And what's wrong with the Godolphin Mile? Even if it's a G2, the prize money is still higher than most domestic dirt Grade 1 races."
"That's true. Ann-san is right," Kitahara took a deep breath. "I also need to adjust my mindset. Registration for the Tokyo Daishoten hasn't even started yet, so it's not too late to cancel the plan and reconsider Hayate Fubuki's future."
He bowed slightly toward his friend.
"Perhaps I should consider letting Hayate Fubuki challenge the February Stakes instead."
"There are very few domestic dirt Grade 1 races," Shuta An could only shrug.
After seeing Kitahara off, Shuta An quickly finished a week's worth of training reports. Then, deciding to go to lunch, he walked along the road while recalling the last thing he had said to Kitahara.
"There are very few domestic dirt Grade 1 races."
Shuta An narrowed his eyes.
"For the Uma Musume within the Academy, whether a dirt Grade 1 race is classified as G1 or Jpn1 doesn't really matter. They just need more race options."
Realizing this, a whimsical idea suddenly popped into his mind.
"After I order lunch, I'll ask the Director of Kasamatsu Tracen Academy on Line whether my idea is feasible," the young man decided.
—
Sitting in a corner of the staff cafeteria, Shuta An enjoyed his lunch while contacting the Director of Kasamatsu Tracen Academy on Line.
"What's the matter, Shuta-kun?" the Director asked, puzzled. He didn't know why Shuta An was contacting him at this time.
Recently, Kasamatsu had been researching the promotion of the Oguri Cap Memorial.
"Could it be to ask about the progress of the Oguri Cap Memorial's promotion?" the Director wondered.
But Shuta An's next message reassured him somewhat.
"I have some questions about establishing races that I'd like to consult you about."
"Please go ahead," the Director put down his work and stared intently at his phone.
"I wonder if you've heard of the Breeders' Cup Series in America?" Shuta An asked instead of stating his intentions directly.
"Of course, I've heard of it. In fact, didn't Shuta-kun just win his second Breeders' Cup victory this year?"
Shuta An rubbed his nose and continued typing.
"When I was chatting with a friend, I realized that there are currently too few domestic dirt Grade 1 races in Japan. Dirt Uma Musume have very few opportunities to compete for honor. So I was wondering whether the various local Tracen Academies could unite and emulate the Breeders' Cup model to host a Japanese Breeders' Cup."
"But for turf races, only Morioka Racecourse at Iwate Tracen Academy has a turf track," the Director immediately pointed out.
"That's fine," Shuta An replied.
"This competition would be established to solve the problem of dirt Uma Musume lacking races, so it could be held exclusively for dirt races—short distance, mile, middle distance, debut-year limited, and Tiara race. A total of five races. There's no need to apply for international certification. As long as everyone works together and takes turns hosting, it should be able to obtain Jpn1 certification in the first year."
"For domestic dirt Uma Musume, whether it's G1 or Jpn1 doesn't matter much—they're simply short on Grade 1 opportunities. Of course, to protect the interests of local Uma Musume, we could follow the example of races like the Tokyo Daishoten and limit the number of Central entries."
"As for sponsorship, although I could cover it myself, I believe many companies would also be interested in sponsoring this type of race. Everyone could try to secure sponsors first."
Shuta An explained his entire idea in one go.
"A Japanese Breeders' Cup Series…" the Director murmured.
"I can't make a decision on something like this alone. I'll contact Minami-Kanto Tracen Academy and gather the various local Tracen Academies for discussion. I'll try to convey Shuta-kun's proposal as quickly as possible. And with Shuta-kun willing to cover the sponsorship as the last resort, even if we fail to secure outside sponsors, I think this series could still have a trial run next year."
The Director immediately began preparing to take action.
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