Chapter 47. Preparation
"Kikuka Sho? Trainer hasn't discussed that with me yet." Tokai Teio tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
"Then let's leave that topic for now," Symboli Rudolf said, setting aside her thoughts. "We can talk about it in the autumn."
Miss Rudolph decided to change the subject. Originally, she had come to speak with Tokai Teio about the kinds of challenges a Triple Crown winner would inevitably face, so that Tokai Teio could prepare herself mentally in advance.
However, since Shuta An had not even discussed the Kikuka Sho with Tokai Teio yet, Symboli Rudolf felt that now was not the appropriate time to burden her with such concerns.
Thus, she smiled and continued, "Congratulations, Teio, on winning the Japanese Derby. If I remember correctly, the day we first met was also the day I won the Japanese Derby. Time truly flies."
"Indeed,"
Tokai Teio replied as she changed into her winning uniform in the changing room.
"In the blink of an eye, I've arrived at the place where Kaichou once stood. With just one more victory, the dream I've cherished since childhood will finally be realized."
"Just one step away—" Symboli Rudolf let out a soft sigh. "After that, Teio, the person you need to surpass will no longer be me."
Naturally, Tokai Teio understood what Symboli Rudolf meant. Looking solely at her senior-year achievements, although Symboli Rudolf had defeated every challenger domestically, she had still suffered several defeats and had never secured an overseas victory. Therefore, by the time Tokai Teio entered her senior year, the target she pursued could no longer remain Symboli Rudolf.
"I'll surpass Oguri Cap-senpai as well,"
Tokai Teio declared confidently after stepping out of the changing room in her new winning uniform.
"I'll win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, I'll win the Breeders' Cup Turf, and I'll accomplish everything my seniors were unable to achieve."
"It's wonderful that Teio has such ambition." Sitting on the sofa, Symboli Rudolf looked at her spirited junior and felt a sense of relief.
—
After the winning live concluded, Shuta An bid farewell to his colleagues and took the three Uma Musume of Team Sadalsuud to a restaurant he had reserved in advance for a celebration.
"Shouldn't we invite Dober-senpai too?" Tokai Teio proactively asked during the drive.
"Dober needs to focus on preparing for the Yasuda Kinen," Shuta An replied without turning around. "So she won't be coming. Just enjoy the meal yourselves. If Dober wins the Yasuda Kinen, the NHK documentary filming should be finished by then as well."
The young man paused briefly.
"How about we try holding a training camp in Hokkaido this time?"
"Yay!"
Tokai Teio was immediately excited by the suggestion. Although she had already imagined countless ways to spend her summer vacation, none of them sounded more enjoyable than spending it together with her teammates from Team Sadalsuud.
Unlike Rice Shower, who could quietly spend an entire day alone with a picture book, Tokai Teio was not that type of Uma Musume.
For her, spending time and having fun with friends was the best possible summer vacation.
The restaurant Shuta An had reserved specialized in Asean cuisine. During this season, it also offered a number of limited seasonal dishes, including sea bream, bamboo shoots, and various other delicacies.
However, the dish that received the highest praise from the Uma Musume was the Kita Murasaki sea urchin.
Shuta An himself was not particularly fond of sea urchin, so his portion ultimately ended up in Tokai Teio's hands.
"By the way, is sea urchin considered a Asean cuisine ingredient too?" the young man muttered curiously.
"Of course, it is, right?" Tokai Teio blinked. "Asean has so many different regional cuisines. There must be dishes that use sea urchin somewhere."
Then she added enthusiastically,
"After I retire from the Twinkle Series, I won't immediately rush into the Dream Trophy Series. I'll travel all around the world first, try all kinds of delicious food, and only then think about competing in the Dream Trophy Series."
"It's still too early to talk about the Dream Cup," Shuta An said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively. "Let's win the Kikuka Sho first."
The mention of the Kikuka Sho immediately reminded Tokai Teio of the conversation she had with Symboli Rudolf earlier that day.
"By the way, Kaichou asked me today whether Trainer had talked to me about the Kikuka Sho."
Tokai Teio did not conceal anything and straightforwardly relayed the matter to him.
"Oh? Why would Miss Rudolph ask that?"
Shuta An was genuinely surprised, though the target of his rhetorical question was not Tokai Teio, but himself.
As he continued eating the braised bamboo shoots, he quietly considered the reason.
Combining the question with Tokai Teio's current circumstances, Shuta An quickly arrived at the answer.
"Miss Rudolph is worried that Tokai Teio's mentality won't be strong enough to withstand the pressure of public opinion after becoming an undefeated Triple Crown winner, isn't she?"
He could fully understand Symboli Rudolf's concerns.
In truth, he shared similar worries himself.
However, Shuta An had no intention of discussing such matters with Tokai Teio at this stage. He firmly believed that an Uma Musume ultimately needed to adjust her own mindset regarding public opinion, and that a Trainer could never completely prepare her psychologically in advance.
"I'm a Trainer, not a hypnotist."
That said, if an opportunity arose to help Tokai Teio understand the mindset necessary after becoming an undefeated Triple Crown winner, Shuta An would still choose to lend her a hand and give her a push in the right direction.
—
After dropping off the members of Team Sadalsuud at Central Tracen Academy, Shuta An did not leave immediately. Instead, he remained in the parking lot, waiting for Dober, who had messaged him earlier.
Several minutes later, her figure entered his field of vision.
"Get in quickly."
Shuta An stepped out of the car and opened the door for her. Then, without hesitation, he carried her into the back seat.
There was nobody else in the parking lot anyway, so the young man had no reservations.
Mejiro Dober twitched her nose slightly as she caught her lover's scent.
"It's a mixture of several different perfumes."
"Because I took them out for a celebration dinner," Shuta An explained while gently tidying her sideburns before steering the conversation back toward her. "Today's training intensity didn't exceed my requirements, did it?"
"Of course not," Miss Mejiro Dober answered immediately.
"Is that so?"
A faint smile appeared on Shuta An's lips.
"Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since I last gave Dober a palpation examination, hasn't it?"
As he spoke, both of them were skillfully engaged.
"There's no time like the present. Let me give Dober a thorough check-up."
—
That evening, despite it being Japanese Derby day, Shuta An did not participate in the Japanese Derby itself. Instead, he remained at Hanshin Racecourse in Kansai, prepared to spend the entire day "fishing."
Because all of Kansai's top jockeys had traveled to Tokyo Racecourse this week to prepare for the Japanese Derby, the jockeys remaining in Kansai whom Shuta An was most familiar with were Kishi Shigehiko and Yamada Taisei. As for the rest, they were largely lower-ranked jockeys. As a result, Shuta An enjoyed a rare full schedule this year. Hanshin Racecourse hosted twelve races that day, and he had secured a riding request for every single one.
The first race at Hanshin Racecourse was an 1800-meter dirt maiden event.
Shuta An rode Moving Screen, whose Horse Owner was Maeda Shinji, someone who had previously worked with him and exchanged contact information.
Moving Screen was naturally the favorite.
Shuta An did not employ any special tactics, simply allowing Moving Screen to settle steadily in third place. Upon entering the final straight, a single flick of the whip was enough. Moving Screen accelerated on its own, instantly opening a gap on the field before cruising to victory by three lengths.
During the post-race photo session, Maeda Shinji once again expressed goodwill toward Shuta An, inviting the young man to meet in Gion to further strengthen their relationship.
"Can I bring friends?" Shuta An asked. Whenever something enjoyable came up, he never forgot Yutaka Take and Yuichi Fukunaga.
"No problem!"
Although Maeda Shinji did not know which friends Shuta An intended to bring, he readily agreed.
In the second race, Shuta An rode Kuribayashi Yoshihiro, who shared the same Horse Owner as Rice Shower.
Although the 1400-meter dirt distance appeared somewhat short for the horse, Shuta An relied on his outstanding upper-body strength to narrowly catch the front-runner, Hard and Thick, right before the finish line, successfully securing his second consecutive victory.
Shuta An originally believed he would easily achieve a third straight win in the third race.
However, the moment he entered the track, he noticed something unusual about the horse's gait.
He immediately called for a veterinarian to conduct an examination. After inspection, the veterinarian determined that the horse was not fit to race.
Left with no alternative, Shuta An could only shake his head regretfully before returning to the jockey waiting room to change into the racing silks for the next event.
In the fourth race, the young man rode Eishin Wright.
This horse left Shuta An utterly speechless.
It threw a tantrum inside the starting gate, repeatedly turned its head to look toward the side of the track during the race, and when the whip was applied in the stretch, not only failed to accelerate but even drifted sideways.
As a result, Shuta An suffered his first defeat of the day.
After the race, Eishin Wright's Trainer, Dazai Yoshito, repeatedly bowed in apology.
"I'm truly sorry! Eishin Wright's performance was completely different from what he showed in training. I never expected this. I'm really sorry, Shuta-kun!"
"It's alright, it's alright."
The young man could only respond in that manner.
After all, he could hardly criticize Eishin Wright in front of the Horse Owner and openly agree with the Trainer's assessment.
Following that setback, Shuta An proceeded to win four more races before remaining in the jockey waiting room to watch this year's Japanese Derby.
"Shuta-kun, who do you think will win?" Jockey Yamaguchi was the first to ask. "Narita Taishin pursuing the Triple Crown? Biwa Hayahide? Or perhaps another racehorse?"
It was also the question occupying everyone's mind in the waiting room.
Every jockey present was curious about whom Shuta An favored.
"As for Narita Taishin..." Shuta An frowned slightly. "A closer should theoretically enjoy a tremendous advantage at Tokyo Racecourse. But..."
"To be honest, if this were any other race, I believe Take-san would have no problem handling it. However, today's race is the Japanese Derby. The pressure associated with this race is enormous. And when riding a closer, there is absolutely no margin for error."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"So I think Narita Taishin can probably finish in the top three. As for whether he can actually win, that depends on whether Take-san can overcome himself."
Turning to another contender, he continued.
"Biwa Hayahide's strength is unquestionably formidable. His runner-up finish in the Satsuki Sho proves that he is probably the strongest horse of this generation on paper. However, in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, he was defeated by my sudden outside surge. His defeat in the Satsuki Sho followed a very similar pattern."
"If he loses the Japanese Derby in the same way again, I honestly wouldn't be surprised. This Uma Musume still seems to need more mental growth."
He then revealed the horse he favored most.
"So the one I support most is Winning Ticket, the favorite in the Satsuki Sho."
"Although he disappointed as the favorite last time and only finished fourth, the pace of that race was inherently unfavorable to him. At Tokyo Racecourse, Winning Ticket's positioning is more proactive than Narita Taishin's, and his finishing kick is not significantly weaker. I believe he holds the greater advantage."
"And there's one more very important reason."
Shuta An glanced around at the gathered jockeys before revealing the decisive factor.
"Because senior Shibata Masato is riding him."
"Senior Shibata Masato still hasn't won a Derby, right?" Yamada Taisei joked. "Why would that make you favor him?"
"It's precisely because he hasn't won one that I favor him."
Shuta An shrugged.
"If he had simply never won one, then perhaps there would be a risk of losing composure during the race and making a critical mistake—just like Take-san."
"But senior Shibata Masato is experienced. The chance of that happening is very small."
"Combined with his obsession with the Japanese Derby, I think there's a very good chance he'll finally break through."
Some jockeys found Shuta An's analysis convincing.
Others remained unconvinced.
Some favored Biwa Hayahide.
Others believed in Narita Taishin.
A few supported entirely different contenders.
Shuta An did not particularly care. It was merely casual conversation.
"FOUR HUNDRED METERS REMAINING! YUTAKA TAKE AND NARITA TAISHIN, WEARING THE WHITE CAP, ARE LAUNCHING THEIR CHARGE! YUTAKA TAKE AND NARITA TAISHIN ARE COMING FAST! WINNING TICKET IS IN FRONT! BUT NARITA TAISHIN IS SURGING FROM THE OUTSIDE! BIWA HAYAHIDE IS FIGHTING BACK ALONG THE INSIDE! THE WINNER WILL EMERGE FROM AMONG THE THREE MOST POPULAR UMA MUSUME! THEY ARE BATTLING EACH OTHER NOW! WINNING TICKET IS STILL AHEAD! WINNING TICKET HAS TAKEN THE LEAD!"
As they watched the live broadcast on the large screen, the jockeys inside the Hanshin Racecourse waiting room all recalled the predictions Shuta An had made before the race.
"WINNING TICKET! SHIBATA MASATO! THIS IS THE DERBY VICTORY YOU HAVE DREAMED OF! THIS IS THE JAPANESE DERBY TRIUMPH YOU HAVE PURSUED FOR TWENTY-FOUR YEARS! CONGRATULATIONS, SHIBATA MASATO!"
As the commentator's congratulations echoed from the speakers, every jockey in the Hanshin Racecourse waiting room turned to look at Shuta An.
"Shuta-kun actually predicted it..."
Jockey Yamaguchi covered his mouth and muttered softly.