Chapter 41. Desperate Japanese Oaks Part 2
As they were about to exit the first turn, Shuta An looked back once more to confirm Yutaka Take's position.
It was exactly the same as when they had entered the turn.
Turning his gaze forward again, Shuta An decided not to do anything extra with Vega and simply maintained her cruising rhythm.
"Since there are no unexpected developments, there's no need to force the issue right now. When you're holding the advantage, the more you try to do, the more likely you are to make mistakes."
The young man thought this quietly as his arms remained steady, maintaining a smooth and controlled pushing rhythm.
In the stands, Matsuda Hiroshi spoke to Yoshida Katsumi.
"It looks like the race is unfolding exactly as expected."
Yoshida Katsumi shrugged.
"I already told Shuta-kun that Vega's stamina wouldn't be a problem. With that in mind, he chose to let her run aggressively from a forward position. As things stand, the race is developing entirely within his expectations."
"The first 1000 meters should be covered in around one minute—more precisely, within sixty-one seconds. That's a standard pace,"
Matsuda Hiroshi said, raising an eyebrow.
"Although Tokyo Racecourse tends to favor horses coming from behind, Vega's ability is simply on another level compared to this generation. As long as nothing unexpected happens—"
The last G1 victory Matsuda Hiroshi had enjoyed came in the Japanese Oaks.
Now, for the chance to taste that sweet wine of victory once more, he was not picky at all.
In fact, he had already begun imagining the scene of Vega winning the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and becoming the first undefeated Triple Tiara champion since Mejiro Ramonu.
(FYI, The Triple Tiara races in early years didn't include Shuka Sho as the last race, but use Queen Elizabeth instead.)
Standing nearby, Osamu Satomi listened quietly to their conversation.
To be honest, he had never been particularly interested in horse racing. Becoming a Horse Owner had merely been convenient for social and business purposes.
Yet as he listened to Matsuda Hiroshi and Yoshida Katsumi talk, a question gradually surfaced in his mind.
"What exactly is the difference between winning a G1 and winning an ordinary race?"
Objectively speaking, Osamu Satomi understood the distinction between the races themselves. He could understand the excitement of Trainers, jockeys, stable staff, and everyone involved.
What he could not understand was the excitement of the Horse Owners.
"As long as you're willing to spend enough money, shouldn't graded stakes and G1 victories eventually be within reach?" he thought.
To him, it seemed no different from pachinko.
After entering the long backstretch opposite the stands, Shuta An quickly read the pace of the race.
Yamahisa Laurel, under Minai Katsumi, had set a tempo that felt extremely comfortable to him.
"I feel like I'm naturally moving forward."
Considering that Yutaka Take had been keeping a close eye on him the entire race, Shuta An decided to take a slow-cooking approach.
He had no intention of waiting until the final straight before suddenly unleashing Vega's full acceleration.
Instead, he planned to advance little by little, gradually eating away at the gap separating Vega from the three runners ahead.
By the time they entered the final straight, there would be no need for a dramatic burst of speed. Simply maintaining a steady acceleration would already be enough to leave Hokuto Vega behind.
"Still, we haven't even covered half of this straight yet. No need to rush."
The young man tightened his grip on the reins.
Yutaka Take had been watching Shuta An the entire time. Seeing that Vega showed no sign of accelerating here, he gradually relaxed.
"As expected, Ann-san's plan is to decide everything in the final straight."
Without realizing it, he had already fallen into a psychological trap.
Meanwhile, along this backstretch, Shuta An displayed acting skills far beyond what any rookie "performer" should possess.
Not only did he deceive Yutaka Take, but Shibata Masato, who was following behind Hokuto Vega, also fell for it.
Both of them overlooked a simple fact.
While appearing to maintain the same pace, Shuta An and Vega were quietly advancing.
Step by step.
Meter by meter.
They were gradually overtaking Yukino Bijin as they approached the final turn.
As a direct participant, Yasuda Tomio, sitting atop Yukino Bijin, naturally noticed it first.
However, his perspective was completely different from that of Yutaka Take and the others.
For Yasuda Tomio, the real problem was that he had spent the last thousand meters trapped inside the pack.
If he remained boxed in much longer, breaking free later would become extremely difficult.
As a jockey with nearly thirty years of experience, eleven graded-stakes victories, and zero G1 wins, Yasuda Tomio understood his own capabilities very clearly.
If he wanted Yukino Bijin to have any chance, he had to find a way out of the pack.
The problem was how.
At first, he could not find an answer.
Then Shuta An gave him one.
After Vega accelerated past Yukino Bijin, the previously sealed lane suddenly opened.
All Yasuda Tomio needed to do was wait until Vega fully cleared his position, then immediately guide Yukino Bijin diagonally outward, preventing Hokuto Vega from filling the gap.
With that, he could escape the pocket.
Naturally, Yasuda Tomio did not miss the opportunity.
The moment Vega completely cleared him, he immediately flicked his whip with his left hand.
Yukino Bijin shifted diagonally outward by several strides.
In a single movement, she cut directly across Hokuto Vega's intended path.
"Ah?!"
Yutaka Take, who had been preparing to edge forward, could only keep Hokuto Vega in her original position.
"This is bad."
Alarm bells instantly rang in his mind.
Up until now, he had been sitting comfortably behind Vega, able to pressure or mark her whenever he wished.
But with one subtle move, Shuta An had created room for Yukino Bijin and forced Hokuto Vega to fall an entire length behind Vega.
The second-ranked jockey frowned deeply.
"We've been played."
—
In the VIP section of the stands, Matsuda Hiroshi could no longer conceal his excitement after watching Shuta An use Yasuda Tomio's small maneuver to teach Yutaka Take a lesson.
"There shouldn't be anything left that can affect Vega now, right?"
He turned toward Yoshida Katsumi.
"To be honest, when Vega first entered the stable, I didn't think much of her. The only reason I had any confidence was because Katsumi-san said Shuta-kun would ride her debut race."
He paused before continuing.
"It's only been five months, and now Vega is just one thousand meters away from an undefeated Triple Tiara."
"The final thousand meters are what matter most," Yoshida Katsumi replied calmly. "I just hope she gets there safely."
After all, Vega's Horse Owner was his mother, not him.
Strictly speaking, none of Vega's future earnings had anything to do with Yoshida Katsumi himself.
That was why he appeared far calmer than Matsuda Hiroshi.
As they entered the final bend, Shuta An confirmed that Yutaka Take had been temporarily blocked by Yasuda Tomio and Yukino Bijin.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Even so, he continued to keep Vega in a high-speed cruising state, applying no pressure whatsoever to Yamahisa Laurel or Maria Kirameki.
Although Vega likely possessed the strongest stamina in the field, Shuta An still had no desire to increase the pace.
If the tempo quickened again, the race could easily turn into one that favored late closers.
That would not benefit Vega at all.
"I have a feeling Take-san will start moving earlier than planned," Shuta An thought as he continued riding and urging smoothly. "After all, Yukino Bijin is stuck between us now."
"Yukino Bijin will probably launch first from behind."
As that thought crossed his mind, Vega flashed past the 1600-meter marker.
Only 800 meters remained before the finish line.
Entering the latter half of the final bend, Shuta An didn't overthink things and simply allowed Vega to continue galloping along the rail.
After noticing Vega gradually moving closer to the inside, Yasuda Tomio briefly considered accelerating Yukino Bijin and rushing forward to box Shuta An and Vega back into the pack. However, he ultimately abandoned the idea.
Yasuda Tomio could clearly feel that Yukino Bijin had no particular desire to accelerate at this stage. Moreover, he was not the type of jockey who relied on brute force to push his partner beyond her comfort zone. In the end, he simply maintained the original rhythm and continued allowing Yukino Bijin to conserve her stamina.
If it had been the old Shuta An, he would have delayed his move slightly upon entering the final straight, using the momentum from the bend to slice diagonally through the pack before adjusting outward and launching his attack from the outside.
But today was different.
Just before exiting the final bend, Shuta noticed Yamahisa Laurel's speed beginning to falter. At the same time, Maria Kirameki, who had tracked the leader in second place throughout the race, was also starting to lose her stride.
"Then there's no need to go outside."
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Shuta immediately guided Vega even closer to the rail, fighting against the centrifugal force of the turn.
"Yamahisa Laurel and Maria Kirameki are the first to enter the final straight! Only five hundred meters remain before the glory of becoming the Oaks Queen!"
The commentator had barely finished speaking before his voice suddenly rose.
"VEGA! THE OKA SHO WINNER BURSTS THROUGH FROM THE INSIDE! KOBAYASHI TWINKLE AND YAMAGUCHI CROWN ARE LEFT BEHIND IN AN INSTANT! IN JUST A FEW STRIDES! VEGA HAS SURGED STRAIGHT TO THE FRONT OF THE FIELD!"
Cutting through on the inside of the two leaders, Shuta could clearly see the astonished expressions of Minai Katsumi as he flashed past them.
A forceful attack along the rail was not a tactic Shuta commonly used, nor was it a move frequently seen in Japanese racing.
Compared to saving ground, most local jockeys—including Shuta himself—preferred sacrificing some distance in exchange for a completely unobstructed acceleration lane.
The reason Shuta often chose wide routes was because his partners possessed overwhelming ability. As for ordinary jockeys—
"To force his way through on the inside like that, Shuta-kun is really bold," Matsuda Hiroshi frowned. "If Minai-kun hadn't noticed him in time, there could have been an accident. Fortunately, nothing happened."
"He must have calculated it precisely,"
Yoshida Katsumi replied, displaying complete trust in Shuta's judgment.
"Besides, Vega isn't exactly one of the lighter runners in this field. Even a little contact wouldn't necessarily put her at a disadvantage."
"Now it depends on whether Vega can hold on until the finish." Matsuda Hiroshi tightened his grip on the railing. "As long as she can hold on... she absolutely has to hold on."
"No problem." Yoshida Katsumi's voice was filled with confidence. "I trust Shuta-kun more than anyone."
When Vega burst free of the pack, Yutaka Take didn't immediately realize it.
His line of sight had been blocked by the runners ahead.
Only after Shuta and Vega completely discarded Yamahisa Laurel, and Maria Kirameki's fading momentum caused her to drop behind Hokuto Vega, did Yutaka finally catch sight of Vega.
And by then, Vega was already leading the entire field.
"She's already started her sprint?!"
Yutaka Take's eyes widened.
Without hesitation, he increased the intensity of his pushing ride and prepared to launch Hokuto Vega after her. His hand tightened around the whip, ready to use it at any moment.
Yasuda Tomio reached the same conclusion.
In fact, he reacted even more decisively than Yutaka Take.
The veteran jockey immediately unleashed a windmill whip.
But—
"VEGA CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE! THE RUNNERS BEHIND SIMPLY CANNOT CATCH HER! ONE LENGTH! TWO LENGTHS!"
The commentator's voice shook with excitement.
"SHUTA AN IS ONLY PUSHING! NO WHIP! NO WHIP AT ALL! ONLY PUSHING! YET NOBODY CAN CATCH HER! NOBODY CAN CATCH HER! VEGA IS STILL ACCELERATING! THE OKA SHO WINNER IS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO AN UNDEFEATED TRIPLE TIARA!"
At this point, less than three hundred meters remained before the finish line.
Yet the certainty in the commentator's voice made it sound as though Vega had already won.
Passing the 200-meter marker, Shuta glanced briefly at the giant screen.
Hokuto Vega—the nearest pursuer—had already been left four lengths behind.
"With a gap this large, and Vega still responding perfectly, I probably won't need the whip."
Even so, Shuta drew it from its holder and waved it lightly beside Vega's left shoulder, using it only as a signal to remind her to stay focused and maintain her acceleration.
At the same time, his own pushing ride showed absolutely no sign of slowing.
As the finish line drew nearer, his movements became even more synchronized with Vega's rhythm.
Horse and jockey seemed to move as a single entity.
"It really is like man and horse becoming one," Matsuda Hiroshi murmured. "As expected of a champion jockey."
Beside him, Yoshida Katsumi stared fixedly at Shuta's figure.
"No matter what happens after the separation, I have to find a way to keep Shuta-kun as our main jockey."
With only fifty meters remaining, Shuta glanced back one final time.
Yutaka Take was pushing with everything he had.
Yet Hokuto Vega remained four lengths behind.
Yukino Bijin had also begun to fade after Yasuda Tomio's aggressive chase.
"What kind of monster is Vega?"
Yasuda Tomio couldn't understand it.
"Why is she still maintaining this speed after accelerating first?"
Five lengths ahead, Vega continued charging forward without the slightest sign of weakening.
After confirming that no one behind could possibly close the gap in the remaining distance, Shuta gradually reduced the intensity of his pushing ride.
Even so, Vega's speed barely dropped.
Twenty meters from the finish line, he looked back once more.
The gap separating him from Hokuto Vega and Yukino Bijin remained essentially unchanged.
Satisfied, Shuta casually flicked his whip, extended his hand, and gently stroked Vega's head.
Then he turned toward the grandstand.
He raised his fist.
And together with Vega, crossed the finish line.
"Vega is really going to become an undefeated Triple Tiara champion..."
Watching Shuta celebrate before the finish, Yutaka Take felt despair welling up inside him.
"Ann-san can shatter my achievements but can I really ever defeat him when he's riding the overwhelming favorite?"
He didn't dare continue that train of thought.
The more he thought about it, the more his confidence seemed to slip away.
"VEGA CROSSES THE FINISH LINE! THE BRIGHTEST STAR OF KANSAI SHINES OVER KANTO! THE FIRST UNDEFEATED TRIPLE TIARA IN FIFTY-FOUR YEARS! VEGA IS TRULY EXTRAORDINARY! PLEASE SURPASS MEJIRO RAMONU THIS AUTUMN!"
"HOKUTO VEGA FINISHES SECOND!"
"YUKINO BIJIN FINISHES THIRD!"
As he crossed the finish line, Yutaka Take bit down on his lip and lowered his head.
"Someday... I really want to win a major race where Ann-san is riding the favorite."